Not Mudgee Ride 21st- 23rd April 2026

 Make me the ride leader for the regular NBR Mudgee standard destination - 

I generally go further West, I asked myself when I saw the new years calendar - I'm thinking last year's ride leader must have done something wrong, nobody likes Cowra!!

 

I accept the dates / destination - I think about planning - easy - same motel, same route, everybody knows the drift. Wait - Pete Walshaw calls me while the plan is still in my head - saying that he asked about Motel availability at the Soldier Motel as a by the way - and it's booked out for our week. I'll get onto it next week - looking on line - make a couple of calls - the town sounds full. Ask a few more questions - check the Web - big Touch Footy comp on for our week in Mudgee, options - delay the week, means changing the schedule, too late set in stone. 

 

So if not Mudgee - where to go, same old same for me - Cowra, Tasy - nah 

The Oxley - no wait Steve Simpson is ride leader in June for Armidale - this generally includes the Oxley, so where do I think we can go - Surf and Turf 

We generally return from Mudgee via Denman - so why not stay there - coast to Denman - maybe Forster (nah to Touristy) what about Old Bar (I've never been there) - check out accommodation apps - availability/prices. Yep route - about 350k a day - minimal highways - more twisties. Ok Berowra - Old Bar, Old Bar Denman, Denman - Rylstone, Lithgow, Mcgrath Hill - home - sounds good. 

Better do a recky, lesser known, lesser ridden roads, best routes, what's the motel, town like, better find out. End of January all done - arranged accom, dinner - send out email - this is the plan, early March first replies, I'am in, booked etc, except for those who have senior moments - did I book, did I confirm. 

 

Early March - hey there's a war on, won't affect us (everybody's favourite Bowen - no fuel worries) - well there might be, check the route, morning tea, lunch - where there should be fuel available - route good. Hold on there's a crack in some early 20th Century bridge that was designed to handle horse and cart and early automobiles, what do you mean a crack, it could fall to pieces, better close the main road before disaster really strikes. Back to checking route options - there are options. 

 

All good, all booked, 16 riders, make sure I keep the campers happy, I have planned this pretty well. The week of 13th to 18th I am doing a regatta on my boat in Port Stephens, it all fits together, the regatta finishes Saturday- sail back to Pittwater Sunday - monday - clean up boat - get ready for Tuesdays ride.

Hold on Sunday weather - huge Southerly swell, 20 knot Southerly, boats going nowhere - maybe Monday - nope. Better get a ride home Sunday and make a plan for the boat at the end of the week.

 

Hindsight - maybe next time, say I couldn't do the Mudge ride as it may offend last year's ride leader and also I have a big commitment for the week before - which may limit my options.

 

Anyway - my reckoning now is - routes where good, no fuel issues, accommodation and dining experiences all good, riders happy and satisfied that they came for the usual Mudgee ride and did the Old Bar Denman circuit.   

 

Ride Report

 

Arriving at Berowra 30mins before departure time is pretty good for me, nearly all the 16 riders were there, with 2 half day riders - all ready to go

Weather overcast after some light misty rain early morning, just to make you keep good attention to how the road surface would behave. 

 

0930 clutch out - now newbee's - I had planned the route that there may be fuel shortage - no such issue at the present time. We generally don't ride much on Tuesday's, now we know why - 3 or 4 cops cars/bikes sighted on the way to Freemans Waterhole - angry ants. After morning tea, with lunch destination of Bulahdelah, we meander through sleepy Hunter river towns, missing major traffic routes, once past East Maitland our pace speed up, right turn at Booral took us through a great windy road, half is newly tarred, half to be done.

 

Buladelah offers plenty of option for lunch, the fueled up and off to Old Bar - via the Lakes Way through Forster, Lakes way is a good road, only issues it's pretty busy. Slow through Forster - then 10kms of freeway before heading back the the coast and Old Bar. The Club Old Bar Motel is fairly new - having East and West wings each end with 10 rooms between the wings, rooms were 5 star.

A 1 minute walk to the Bowlo, discussion on how our day was over a couple of drinks and then into our own dining room. Meals, were great, Jeff and I had laskas - really good. 

 

Something that is becoming more apparent is the decrease of 100k speed limit, 90 is the new 100 - only 1 road secondary road today was 100k limit, 

 

Wednesday early - who's out for breakfast / coffee - several early starter were at the beach - cafe opened a 7 - lots of regulars - some comments where are they the local hobos - Rocket and I had BLAT and Eggs Benedict on Turkish, hold on I am making this a foodies tour, I think we spend fairly evenly across the 4 breakfast options that helped the locals.

 

Coming back to the 90k speed limits, Frosty theory is that if you hit a pothole at 90 it doesn't do as much damage as if you had been doing 100, replacing signs is cheaper and faster than fixing roads???

 

On my recky, I tried the direct route Gloucester to Scone, after going about 25k on dirt, I decided that this may cause a mutiny, so the route would be Old Bar, Gloucester, Dungog, Singleton, Scone, Denman. Rocket and Peter did the direct route, there bikes were surprisingly clean we they joined us later

 

A minor change in the route had us into Denman about 1530 - trying to be an accomodationg ride leader - my recky had also sought out alternate things to do,

Denman offers the Two Rivers Winery - 2k out of town - 4 off us sampled the local wines - thus being able to offer advice to our fellow ride on wine selection for dinner that night. Pub food serving were of the Super Size me type, a late night middy was enjoyed in the public bar talking about the local footy team, the Denman Devils and their Kiwi imports.

 

Thursday - after an early breakfast, we clutched out at 0845, Frosty and Rocket shared rider leader duties for the day. Round trip km 1100 - only used 25km of Old Pacific Hwy twice. Pies at the pie. Thanks to TEC's Rod Fraser, Frosty, Ken Miller  

 

As a final wrap, we are lucky to be involved in a group of riders who enjoyed what the NBR offers, it makes me say thanks, to the committee who hatch the plan, for all weekly and extended ride leader who make rides enjoyable and offer the camaraderie of getting on our bikes and having a good time.  

 

regards Al