A motorcycle ride to Dungog

Well, there was certainly something in the air yesterday that brought out 30 bikes for our Dungog ride. I don't know whether it was a fantastic weather on the day, or because it was the last ride for this semester, for the financial year, or the effect of the winter solstice, but we haven't seen a group that size for a long ride for a long-time. It was as a pleasant surprise to see so many of our group there for this ride.

The route was going to be a bit complex because we had to go through a couple of residential areas, so in the briefing I highlighted the importance of corner marking, which seemed to have been taken to heart. Rob Toshack agreed to take on the TEC role, thanks Rob. I gave a fairly detailed briefing of the route in the hope of avoiding lost riders, and we almost set off at 10 AM when somebody’s bike laid down for a sleep, and both bike and rider needed to be helped back to their feet/wheels. Short delay but no damage.

Our route was up the old road to Calga, then Peats Ridge Road all the way through to the M1 freeway, up to the turnoff at Tuggerah to go down to the Triangle, then onto Hue Hue Road,  through Cooranbong, onto Freemans Drive to Freemans Waterhole for morning tea at the Oaks. Given that it was going to be a longish ride, some chose to do a "splash and dash" fuel stop there to ensure that they have enough to get through the day. TEC Rob reported that he had to chase a couple of riders who were heading into Wyong, having missed the left turn onto Hue Hue Road, but otherwise no lost sheep.

A couple of riders took off from the triangle to take the short road home via Yarramalong Valley, and a group of four left us at Freemans Waterhole to head across to Wollombi and make their way home from there, and the rest the group saddled up and went North. We continued on to Kurri Kurri, then Maitland (Wow, hasn't the residential development expanded quickly there). Everyone made it through the entrance to Maitland and on to Ken Tubman Drive, which becomes Belmore Road which becomes Patterson Road which becomes Tocal Road up to Patterson. From there we went North on Gresford Road, and turned right onto Dungog Road and made our way to Dungog. The countryside through this region was in lovely condition with full dams, green fields and lots of smiling livestock.

Lunch was had at the park adjacent to the bridge on the north eastern corner of Dungog. Unfortunately the toilets there were closed (we were told due to roadworks happening there???) So various members found various ways to facilitate their biological needs. There were some eyebrows raised when first Stephen, and then Wayne, headed off to a remote location under the road bridge in what some saw as suspicious circumstances.

The party then broke up into several groups, each choosing a route home determined by the time by which they wished to reach there. Only five stayed around to do the designated homeward journey. That route was to go over the bridge and turn right onto Alison Road, then Glen Williams Road and Pine Brush Road to get to Clarencetown. There was some consternation as the three at the front were waiting for the other 3 to catch up, and when after some time no-one appeared, the two Johns who both needed to meet time commitments back at home,  so we headed off, and slowly (in the hope that the others would still catch us), meandered our way along the designated path. From Clarencetown we went through Seaham and on to Raymond Terrace, where two Johns went their own way and I stayed on to fuel up. While I was attending to some phone correspondence at the petrol station, Marty rolled up and explained that he and the others had been delayed because his top box had parted from the bike and spread its contents all over the road. Marty left the top box and most of its contents on the veranda of the adjacent farm to pick up at a later date. My guess is that the beautiful new bike was insulted at being lumbered with a 10-year-old top box jerry-rigged on to its immaculate frame, and decided to spit it off at an inopportune location to teach Marty a lesson. After fuelling up. Marty headed off to the freeway and home.

Now on my own, I decided to continue on the rest of the planned journey which was to be the Pacific Highway down to Hexham, then John Renshaw Drive west towards Kurri Kurri, left onto George Booth Drive down through Buchanan to Stockrington and onto the M1 motorway to get home. In fact, I meandered off onto a few other roads ( around Seahampton and Black Hill) which I don't think we have used before in that area, so I hope to be able to stitch them into future rides that I might lead in that locality for a bit of new interest.

There were several worksites with minor delays where roadworks and resurfacing were being undertaken, so that augurs well for better roads on future rides. The motorists and cyclists ahead of us at one stop waved the whole group through ahead of them, which we appreciated. I get the feeling that motorists are becoming more considerate towards we motorcyclists.


What a great day.

Motorcycle ride out of Sydney

The ride today was destined for St Albans, which is a great destination because it offers some of our better bitumen roads, particularly the one between Webbs Creek ferry and St Albans, and providing a dirt road link between Wiseman's Ferry and St Albans for the dirt riders, for whom there is an added bonus that one can leave St Albans and go up to Buckety on another fun dirt road after lunch.

I was shanghaied into leading the ride, as the designated leader was not available. I understand that he was pursuing family activities to build up his store of brownie points. Hope that worked for you, Ross. The weather forecast was for an ideal day, with a bit of fog at the start, then becoming sunny during the balance of the day and potentially rain late in the afternoon/evening. That's exactly what happened and we had great riding day. Given that the Berowra ferry was out of service, I chose to go over the Wiseman's Ferry, across the Webbs Creek ferry, and out to St Albans. I thought that with the extensive rain that we have had in the previous few days the dirt road might be a bit unattractive, but a few hardy souls choice that alternative.

We had our briefing, at which Stephen Davies (who was sporting his sparkling new Brand Name riding suit) introduced a new virgin rider, David, a friend of his and from Stephen's introduction also an "intimate" associate of Wayne Rees. We had about 20 riders, all keen to follow someone somewhere. John McKeon agreed to be tail-end Charlie, a duty he so frequently takes on. I hope everybody acknowledges their appreciation to him from time to time. Thanks John.

Road conditions for the day were interesting. It had been wet the night before, and with the sun so low in the sky, in many sections the road had not had the opportunity to dry before we were there, so we were going from dry road to wet road, and frequently from sunlight into shade where the sun was below the hills. This created an added challenge for the day, particularly on the section between Webbs Creek and St Albans.

Morning tea was at Spencer, and there was immediately a mad rush for the toilets as the toilets at the 7 Eleven are still out of service and many bladders were stretched even to get to Spencer. Those who did buy coffee there commented that the proprietor was much more friendly than usual. We'll see how long that lasts. We then headed to Wiseman's Ferry, crossed there and got to the Webbs Creek ferry just as it was ready to load. Everybody got on (or so we thought) and off we went to St Albans. Four off-roaders went directly from Wiseman's Ferry to St Albans, and they were comfortably ensconced at the main table in the park there when we arrived. We knew that Ronnie and John McK were going directly from Wiseman's back to their respective homes, so we knew the numbers would be depleted, but all of a sudden we realise that David, our virgin, had not arrived either. Well that was a bit embarrassing for Stephen, having introduced his friend and then leaving him to his own devices out in the boondocks. Stephen and Wayne backtracked to Wisemans, where they found that David ‘s Harley had failed to start on trying to get off the ferry, and was still sitting there failed to start. I’m told that in the end the bike was transported away by the NRMA, so obviously not just a loose plug lead.

Lunch was under an immense liquid amber tree that was losing its autumn coloured foliage, providing a very attractive ambience.

When lunch was done, Ron, Peter and Scotty took the dirt road north to Buckety to test their slippery road skills, while the rest of us set off to Webbs Creek ferry with a view of going through to either Galston  Gorge and the Pie, or directly home via Dural. I had a dream run down the Old Northern Road, as whenever I caught up to a slower vehicle it was at the start of a legal passing zone, so no hold-ups, but those behind me weren’t so lucky and the group broke up a bit. I hadn’t been through Galston Gorge for a couple of years, so that was fun too. Because I was heading back to the Central Coast, I was heading up the old Road to the Pie, where I caught a glimpse of Wayne and Stephen riding South. They had stopped at the Pie for a coffee and when no-one else turned up they headed home. By the time I got to the Pie, Suitcase followed me in, and then Peter and Ron arrived from their dirt exploits, so we all had a drink together and then we headed home.

It really was a great riding day. Not hot, but sunny with interesting roads and the added challenge of being careful in the wet spots. I had a great day, and I hope everyone else enjoyed it too.