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| Ellenborough Falls |
Route: Doyle's River (Maxwell's Flat Camping Area), Ellenborough Falls, Elands, Marlee, Wingham, Taree.
Distance: 100km
From Maxwell's Flat, either return uphill to Knodingbul Road and head south along the ridge, or continue along the Causeway Road, which heads south beside Doyle's River. The first option involves back-tracking while the second involves fording the river several times (wet feet inevitable). On my trip, Causeway Road was closed beyond Maxwell's Flat, probably due to logging. Either way, both roads are unsealed and eventually meet up on the ridge.
Along the Knodingbul Road, about 14km and 20km south of the Oxley Highway, are small dams that contained water when I passed through. About 25km from the highway, a significant three-way junction marks the beginning of improved road quality. If interested, turn right for a four kilometre return detour (including a 200m ascent) to Blue Knob lookout (1014m above sea level - one of the highest peaks in the the area) and picnic area. Otherwise, take the left fork down Blue Knob Road and follow the well-signed route through Glenwarren to Elands.
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| Road through Glenwarren |
Shortly after the Ellenborough River crossing and three kilometres before Elands, take the small detour to Ellenborough Falls, which is reputedly the second highest single-drop waterfall in the southern hemisphere (see the photo above). The reserve has several short bushwalks, viewing platforms, a picnic area, toilets, tank water, barbecues and kiosk (open weekends and public holidays, 10am to 4pm). I did not see any sign prohibiting camping here, but there is not much terrain that is both clear and flat, and there little scope for privacy during the day.
The road from Ellenborough Falls to Elands is sealed. Elands has a general store and café, making it the most commercially vibrant centre since Walcha. From here the road becomes gravel again for another 6km, where a descent into the Manning Valley begins in earnest. This road, known as Bulga Forest Drive, is sealed from the bottom of the descent and remains sealed all the way to Wingham. However, the cyclist should watch out for slat bridges at creek crossings, of which I counted at least three. The road pases through the villages of Bobbin (which boasts a school) and Marlee (a general store).
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| View toward the Barrington Tops |
Sixteen kilometres south-east of Bobbin lies the town of Wingham (population 4600). It has a good shopping centre (but no bicycle shop) and a range of accommodation options. The Wingham Brush, a rare stand of sub-tropical floodplain rainforest is a short cycle from the town.
The tour could end happily at Wingham by catching a Countrylink train service back to Newcastle or Sydney, were it not for Countrylink's annoying "box-your-bike" policy. To my knowledge, Wingham train station does not supply boxes and with no bike shop in town, securing a suitable box in Wingham cannot be guaranteed. Fifteen kilometres to the east lies the bustling regional centre of Taree (population 20,000), where such boxes can be obtained from the train station (but double check with Countrylink in advance) or a bicycle shop if necessary. Unfortunately one must negotiate the busy road between Wingham and Taree to get there.
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| Manning River, Taree |
On the other hand, if you are energetic and have a few extra days up your sleeve, then consider making the tour a round trip by cycling through the beautiful Barrington tops. Click here or see Darrell Stone's Over Barrington cycle touring page for some suggestions.
© 2008 Robert Taggart. Last updated 20 October 2008.