Lithgow (Wikipedia entry, tourism website, second tourism website) is a town of over 11,000 people supported by the coal mining and electricity industry. It is serviced by Cityrail and Countrylink trains. Lithgow has a good shopping centre, caravan park, bicycle shop (Ph: 02 6351 3171) and tourist information centre (Ph: 1300 76 02 76).

Lithgow to Tarana    30.4km - 455m climb - 594m descent - sealed - map
This picturesque route coincides with one of the Greater Blue Mountains Discovery Trails. One mid-winter morning I travelled through here the green valley pastures were surrounded by forested ranges dusted with snow.

From Lithgow train station, cycle west along Main Street and turn left onto the Great Western Highway. The highway has a good shoulder here. About 5km from the railway station, turn right onto Magpie Hollow Road. After a small climb, the road descends quickly to Lake Lyell (photo). There is a camping area ($10/night, showers, barbecues, amenities, drinking water) by the lake shortly after you cross the dam wall. Previously, I have camped just off the road for free (no amenities), a kilometre or so past the campground, where there are several clearings. However, this free improvised campsite is really only suitable for those arriving late in the day and leaving early in the morning. Try to avoid drinking lake water - there a couple of power stations and coal mines upstream, while algal blooms are not infrequent.

From Lake Lyell, a steep 200 vertical metre climb takes one to the crest of the Great Dividing Range watershed, where there is a four-way intersection. The road to Tarana, which descends the other side, is sealed by quite patchy in places. It passes through the small village of Sodwalls (no facilities or shops) and, a few kilometres before arriving at Tarana, passes the turn-off (Honeysuckle Falls Road, unsealed) to Evans Crown Nature Reserve. A 30 minute walk to Evans Crown gives good views of the area. While camping is not permitted in the nature reserve, some barely adequate sites for pitching a two-man tent can be located beside Honeysuckle Falls Road. Cycling a few more kilometres down Honeysuckle Falls Road rewards the traveller with superb views of Evans Crown and Fish River (photo).

Tarana (tourism webpage, further tourist information) is a small village on the Main Western Railway Line. It is serviced daily by train between Dubbo and Sydney by the Countrylink XPT. Bookings are essential. The Tarana Hotel serves meals and provides accommodation. Apart from a pay phone there are no other services in town.

Tarana to Oberon    25.1km - 438m climb - 125m descent - sealed - map
A peaceful sealed route from Tarana to Oberon using the Lowes Mount Road. The route closely follows the old Tarana - Oberon railway line (photo), which though currently in disuse, may become a tourist railway. The last 6km of railway runs parallel to a recently constructed bitumen rail trail. To reach the rail trail from Tarana, cycle up the Lowes Mount Road. At the top of the main climb, turn left onto Mt Hazelgrove Rd (unsealed). The rail trail begins where the old railway line intersects this road and ends in Oberon.

Oberon (tourism website, Wikipedia entry) is the highest township in the Blue Mountains region. It has a population of about 2500 and a thriving logging industry. Its shopping centre can supply all basic needs, and includes cafés, two supermarkets, a camping shop (Ph: 02 6336 1438) but no bicycle shop. The town also has two caravan parks (see here and here) and a tourist information centre (open 7 days a week).

Oberon to Jenolan Caves (via Edith)    29km - 439m climb - 731m descent - sealed - map
As one of the highest in the central tablelands, this road undulates on the plateau at around 1100m above sea level, climbs to 1360m and then plunges into the Jenolan River gorge 550m below. The road is now fully sealed. About 23.5km from Oberon is the turn-off to Kanangra Walls, which would make an excellent side trip if you have a spare day. About half a kilometre before this intersection, a firetrail heads south from the Oberon-Jenolan Road into Kanangra-Boyd National Park, where one may be able to find a clearing for a tent. Also in the vicinity of this intersection are several B&B and cabin lodges, providing accommodation for visitors to Jenolan Caves. The descent to Jenolan Caves is very steep with sharp bends, but the scenery is truly spectacular.

Kanangra Walls (Side Trip)    27.4km one way - 306m climb - 515m descent - unsealed - map
An undulating cycle along a well-graded dirt road leads to the spectacular Kanangra Walls (photos) within the Kanangra-Boyd National Park. The car park at the end of the road has picnic shelters, tank water, walking information and pit toilets. One could easily spend a day here, exploring Kanangra Tops and Maxwell Tops by foot. Be warned, however, that apart from a couple of very short walks beginning at the car park, tracks at the edge of this wilderness area are not signposted or suitable for inexperienced bushwalkers. Walkers venturing further afield should be armed with appropriate topographic maps. Some multi-day bushwalks in the area are outlined here. For a day walk, I would recommend either the track to Crafts Wall (which is the first section of the Kanangra to Katoomba Track) or the track to Cottage Rock. These walks can easily be extended if time permits.

Camping is not permitted at Kanangra Walls. Instead, use Boyd River Campground (wood barbecues, pit toilets, creek water), which lies within the national park about 7km from the end of Kanangra Road. Camping here is free, though one must pay an entry fee of $7 per vehicle per day to enter the park. This obviously does not apply to cyclists. Ideally, one would camp here for two nights, allowing a full day to explore Kanangra Walls and the surrounding area by foot.

Jenolan Caves (Wikipedia entry) is a large network of remarkable limestone caverns which attracts over 200,000 visitors each year. The official website and a personal website on the caves gives information about accommodation, food and cave tours. The scenery at the caves is simply spectacular. Cycle tourists should note the following points.

• The road into Jenolan Caves is much steeper from Oberon than from Hampton. Both roads are narrow and winding. Traffic is heaviest on weekends and public holidays, heading to the Caves from Hampton in the morning and heading out of the Caves toward Hampton in the late afternoon.
• There is no longer any campsite down near the caves. Accommodation at the Caves is expensive. Cheaper accommodation (cabin-style) can be found about 10km from the Caves off the Hampton and Oberon Roads. Some camping options are discussed here. Please note that secluded clearings suitable for pitching a tent are very difficult to find in the Jenolan River Gorge. And if you find one, camping there is most likely prohibited.
• When I visited Jenolan Caves, the gentleman at the information office allowed me to store my panniers and tent out the back so that I could wander around without fear of my possessions being stolen.
• Even if you do not pay to see an underground cave, the bushwalks around the caves are definitely worth doing. They are signposted well and the scenery is magnificent.
• Oberon and Lithgow are the nearest towns with a supermarket.

Jenolan Caves to Hampton    25.7km - 675m climb - 431m descent - sealed - map
From Jenolan Caves it is a long but steady climb out of the Jenolan River Gorge to the top of the range. Avoid cycling this road on weekend and public holiday afternoons (or mornings, if heading in the opposite direction), when tourist traffic peaks. About 10km from the Caves, there is a campground in Jenolan State Forest. About 13km from the Caves, one reaches the intersection with Black Range Road (unsealed). The Black Range Camping Area is located about half a kilometre down Black Range Road and is popular with hikers walking the Six Foot Track. This well-maintained campsite has table, shelter, toilets, rainwater tank (treat water before use) and information boards. For more privacy, one could find a secluded tent site almost much anywhere in the state forest (stretching 8km to 23km from Jenolan Caves) - provided that it has not be logged recently. At the intersection with Duckmaloi Road (21km from the caves) lies Millionth Acre Picnic Area, a rest area among the pine trees with picnic tables, bins, toilets and water.

Hampton (tourist information) is a small village with a school and two commercial ventures: The Hampton Roadhouse and The Hampton Halfway House.

Hampton to Mt Victoria    37.4km - 521m climb - 551m descent - 2km unsealed - map
This route follows Caves Road (can be busy on weekends/holidays with tourist traffic to Jenolan Caves, but has a small shoulder), the Great Western Highway for 2.5kms (good shoulder) and some quiet rural roads through Hartley (unsealed sections), before climbing up the escarpment to reach Mt Victoria. There are great views of the Kanimbla Valley from Caves Road near Lowther, and more views of the Hartley Valley near the top of the final climb. In between, one captures regular glimpses of the rugged Blue Mountains escarpment. Camping and cottage accommodation is available by the Coxs River at historic Glenroy, some 17km from Hampton. About 1km further (and before the highway), I found a good spot to camp for free by the River Lett, whose waters are purer than Coxs but should still be boiled. On the way through Hartley, look out for the historic Coxs Road on the right, which was the first European road over the Blue Mountains. Coxs Road is not suitable for cycle touring - read this account of a mountain biker's journey up this road.

A variation on this route, which avoids the much of the busier Caves Road and passes through the village of Little Hartley, is mapped here. It is slightly longer, passes over more difficult terrain and includes an extra 3.5km of unsealed road. I cycled this route (in the opposite direction) in 2000 and found the climb up to Lowther from Coxs River to be quite steep.

Hartley, Little Hartley and Hartley Vale (Wikipedia entry, tourism website, second tourism website, SMH travel guide) form a trio of historic rural villages in the picturesque Hartley Valley. Little Hartley (situated on the Great Western Highway around its junction with Coxs River Road) is the valley's commercial centre with a teahouse, restaurant, fruit vendor and a number of galleries. Accommodation is scattered across the valley and often housed in historic buildings. A caravan park (ph: 6355 2106) is located just off the highway at Browns Rd. For an incomplete list of services, see here.

Mount Victoria to Lithgow    26.1km - 455m climb - 570m descent - 7km unsealed - map
This is a challenging ride with spectacular escarpment and valley views (especially at Hassans Walls) along quiet roads. For a less demanding but busier route, cycle along The Causeway and then take Bells Line of Road into Lithgow, passing the Zig Zag Railway along the way.

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