WELLINGTON TO WYONG CYCLE TOUR - DAY 1

Great Dividing Range near Ulan

Route: Wellington, Goolma, Gulgong, Ulan
Distance: 102km

The tour begins in the town of Wellington (Wikipedia article, tourism website) situated in inland NSW, 360km by road from Sydney. Its shopping centre can supply all basic needs and also has a bicycle shop (ph 6845 3882). There are two caravan parks in town. The Wellington Caves (8km south of Wellington) is a major tourist attraction in the area, while visitors can obtain good views of the town and surrounding countryside from Mt Arthur (which lies a few kilometres west of the town). Wellington is accessible daily from Sydney by Countrylink's Central West XPT train service.

The road from Wellington to Gulgong consist of a gentle incline for the first 25km followed by mild undulations. There is little shade along the way. Goolma (Wikipedia entry, information hosted by the local public school), some 42kms from Wellington, has a small takeaway shop and a hotel. About 64kms from Wellington, shortly after crossing the Cudgegong River, the road reaches a T-intersection. Turn left for the direct route to Gulgong. For a slightly longer route, turn right towards Mudgee, and after half a kilometre turn left into Magpie Lane. Several vineyards back onto the lane, including Jamieson Estate. Once you reach the highway, turn left and cycle into Gulgong. For further information on this longer route via Magpie Lane (including an unsealed variation that avoids the highway), see Ride 15 from the Cycle Mudgee Region brochure.

Ploughed farmland near Lincoln

Gulgong (Wikipedia article, tourism website), a small town of almost 2000 people, has a number of shops including a supermarket and tourist information centre (ph 6374 2691). There are several hotels and one caravan park in town. It is serviced from Sydney by Countrylink bus.

The route that I cycled from Gulgong to Ulan coincides with Ride 16 from the Cycle Mudgee Region brochure and crosses over the Great Dividing Range. As a gently undulating road, this is by far the easiest "climb" over the range anywhere close to Sydney. There is little at Ulan besides a coal mine, hotel (ph: 02 6373 4637) and public school (see their website for further information about the village). I found a campsite 8km north of Ulan by the Goulburn River. Because of the nearby colliery it is probably best avoid using the river water and instead bring plenty of drinking water from Gulgong.

Camping by the Goulburn River near Ulan

Alternative Route from Gulgong to Jerrys Plains
This route begins in Gulgong and avoids the open and slightly monotonous section along the Golden Highway covered in Day 2.

Cycling in the Mudgee Region
The Mudgee region (tourism website) includes the townships and villages of Mudgee, Gulgong, Rylstone, Kandos and Wollar. It is a popular district for cycle touring due to its wineries, interesting geological formations (ranging from sandstone escarpments to granite outcrops and pagodas) and abundance of quiet rural roads that are mostly gently undulating or flat. The Cycle Mudgee Region brochure (pdf, 2.1MB) lists 20 rides in the area. Also useful for cycle tourists are several regional and town maps, as well as wineries guides, available for download from the Visit Mudgee Region website.