Crossing The Great Dividing Range: Gulgong to Merriwa

September 30, 2014

Today's ride was a mixed bag of road conditions.

The early start was on a quiet road which became busier near the Ulan mine. After the mine it became quiet again.

We officially left the central west and crossed into the catchment of the Hunter River. This will be a temporary arrangement as tomorrow we will ride over the Liverpool Range from where the water flows thousands of kilometres into the vast Murray-Darling catchment which ends in South Australia. On this side of the range, the water has a far shorter journey down the Hunter River to Newcastle and the Pacific Ocean.

The riding was pleasantly assisted by a tailwind over rolling hills for the final third of the day after a side trip to the hamlet of Cassilis.

We called it quits for the day at Merriwa, a small pleasant town with a few cafes and a good pub for cycle-tourists looking for budget accommodation.