CYCLING THE CENTRAL TABLELANDS OF NSW

Fish River and Evans Crown

Brief Description: These pages form a guide for cycle touring the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, the region surrounding the townships of Mt Victoria, Lithgow, Bathurst, Oberon, Orange and Blayney. Along the way expect to find a good mixture of forests, open farmland, rugged escarpments, rolling hills, historic villages and vibrant country towns. Touring routes can range in length from 1 to 8 days. The region is accessible by rail, air and bus from Sydney.

The tours, towns and roads pages give specific information about various roads and settlements in the area, as well as suggesting some touring routes. The photos page contains a (regrettably) small number of photos. The rest of this page is dedicated to general information about cycle touring in the Central Tablelands.

Online maps: My map of the Grand Tour indicates the geographic scope of this guide. I have compiled numerous other maps in the tours, towns and roads section. All maps were created using GPSies and come with a detailed altitude profile. For more information on using GPSies maps, click here.

Background: Whilst an undergraduate student studying in Sydney, I would often catch the train from Sydney to Lithgow and cycle to my home town of Parkes in central NSW. I thus had ample opportunity to explore the Central Tablelands by bicycle. This guide is a distillation of those numerous trips. Each trip took two or three days, depending on the route. They were not elaborately planned cycle tours - I kept no notebook and rarely took a camera since my panniers were full of text books! Most trips were cycled between 2000 and 2004. This guide (written in 2009) has been cobbled together from memory, updated where possible from information on the internet, and supplemented by observations from more recent hiking trips in the region.

Scenery: In general, the most rugged scenery (and in my view the most spectacular) lies in the eastern part of the region (Mt Victoria, Lithgow, Hartley, Hampton, Jenolan Caves, Kanangra Walls). It is also here that the hills tend to be more punishing. The western part of the Central Tablelands (between Orange and Bathurst) is more open with rolling hills and genuine tablelands. The section in the middle (Tarana and Oberon) offers some sort of compromise: easier hills with interesting and picturesque, if not dramatic, scenery.

Print Maps: The NRMA's Central and North West NSW touring map gives adequate coverage of the region. For topographic coverage, I recommend the Bathurst and Sydney maps in the Natmap 1:250 000 series (with 50m contour intervals). Only purchase the Sydney map if you want coverage east of Hampton and Lake Lyell.

Traffic Conditions and roads to avoid: I have selected routes and roads that are generally quiet. Wherever possible, avoid the Great Western Hwy, Mitchell Hwy and Mid Western Hwy. Mining traffic is unpleasant on many roads between Lithgow, Wallerawang and Portland. The O'Connell Road (between Bathurst and Oberon) is not as bad but attracts more traffic (including logging trucks) than other sealed roads in the area.

Climate Considerations: This route can be travelled all year round. In winter, late autumn and early spring one must be prepared for subzero temperatures overnight. Snow falls a couple of days a year around higher parts of the tablelands but does not settle permanently. Summer can get very hot. The colours are usually brightest in spring, though this is not the best time of year for hay fever sufferers. Autumn days are generally pleasant. For specific climate information, check the Central Tablelands Climate Averages pages at the Bureau of Meteorology.

Fitness Required: Although the region is called the Central Tablelands, very few roads in the area are flat. If you are going to tour in this region expect to cycle up and down hills. Generally speaking, the further west, the easier the hills.

Transport Access: Mt Victoria and Lithgow are both accessible by CityRail train services. Bookings are not required and bicycles are free during off-peak periods (otherwise one must purchase a child fare for the bicycle). Services to Lithgow run approximately every two hours. Many of the suggested tours start and end here. Lithgow, Tarana, Bathurst, Blayney and Orange are all serviced by the daily Countrylink XPT. Millthorpe, Oberon and Spring Hill are on Countrylink coach routes. Bookings on Countrylink service are necessary, and please check Countrylink's bicycle policy before making a booking. Bathurst and Orange are both serviced by Regional Express Airlines to and from Sydney.

Accommodation: There are many accommodation options in this region, ranging from B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels and caravan parks. Search the Yellow Pages or the tourism links given in this guide for accommodation outlets that meet your needs. My online map of the Grand Tour has waypoints indicating camping locations (caravan parks, official camping areas, sites I know for "rough" camping) throughout the region.

Drinking Water: It is recommended that water coming from streams, rivers and dams be treated (boiled, purified or filtered) before consumption. Tap water in larger towns and villages need not be treated.

Bicycle Shops: These are located in Lithgow, Bathurst and Orange. Details are given in the tours, towns and roads section.

Other Tours in this Region: The Wollemi Cycle Tour on this website begins in this region. For a guide to cycling between Sydney and Mt Victoria, see here.