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| A 180 degree panorama from Hanging Rock Lookout |
Route: Timor Caves, Crawney Gap, Nundle, Hanging Rock.
Distance: 42km (including side trip to Hanging Rock Lookout).
The day begins with a pleasant cycle through the Isis River Valley.
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There are potential riverside campsites near the river crossing about 12km from Timor Caves. It this point the road climbs about 250 vertical metres to Crawney Pass (on the Great Dividing Range, some 950 metres above sea level), offering some good views of the Isis River Valley along the way. The gradient on both sides of the pass is not too demanding.
The road from Crawney Pass enters the Peel River Valley and is named The Nundle Golden Way. An official free campsite, with picnic tables and toilets, is located 1km after the road hits the bottom of the valley. From here it is about 14km to Nundle, of which 8km is bitumen.
Nundle (see also here) is an historic gold mining town with a small population of 270 people. There is a local history museum, historic woollen mill, pub, takeaway shop, newsagent, post office, swimming pool, caravan park and other types of accommodation. A small grocery shop is located on the Hanging Rock Road, about 1km from the main town centre.
From Nundle, it is about 11km to Hanging Rock. The road involves a climb from 550m to 1100m above sea level and is quite steep in places.
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| The road to Hanging Rock, which looms in the background |
A major junction on the main road marks the top of the climb. From here, the 2.2km return trip to Hanging Rock Lookout (1194m above sea level) is highly recommended (see the photo at the top of the page). Also recommended is the trip to the Sheba Dams (3.2km from the junction) which passes through the tiny village of Hanging Rock (no shops, but has a public telephone if I recall correctly). The Sheba Dams were constructed by Chinese gold miners in 1888 for sluicing. There is a large area for camping, toilets, plenty of picnic tables and a walking track around one of the dams. Purify water before consuming it.
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| Scenery near Hanging Rock and Sheba Dam |
Be warned that snow can fall here during winter, as I discovered at 3am the next morning.
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| Snow at Sheba Dam |
If you intend to camp at Apsley Falls the next night, then it may be worth camping at Ponderosa Forest Park rather than Sheba Dam. This will reduce the next day's cycle by 15km. See Day 3 entry for further details.
© 2008 Robert Taggart. Last updated 13 November 2008.