The journey started in rather boring fashion up the highway to Sydney, but at least it was quick and painless. 
I trundled along through the western outskirts of Sydney stopping a few times along the Nepean River and passing through Richmond and Windsor (how original!). The journey really ramped up as I took the Putty Road towards the Upper Hunter Valley. This road pretty much runs alongside two vast national parks which form part of the Blue Mountains region, and features huge swathes of bushland cut by deep gorges, many of which are pretty inaccessible. Colo River was a nice accessible place to stop for a little while.
I trundled along through the western outskirts of Sydney stopping a few times along the Nepean River and passing through Richmond and Windsor (how original!). The journey really ramped up as I took the Putty Road towards the Upper Hunter Valley. This road pretty much runs alongside two vast national parks which form part of the Blue Mountains region, and features huge swathes of bushland cut by deep gorges, many of which are pretty inaccessible. Colo River was a nice accessible place to stop for a little while. 
Eventually the road opens out into the Hunter Valley, where I stopped for a brief toilet break at some tiny place called Bulga, the toilets themselves pretty much in the middle of nowhere. A little further is the town of Singleton where I stopped the night, not before grabbing some dinner and taking it to a place called Lake St Clair which was beautiful in the evening light.
I decided to detour a little to take in the local scenery the next day and reached the town of Denman, a cutesy place set in a landscape of huge vineyards and rolling hills, many of which belong to the Rosemount estate.
At some point the Hunter Valley becomes New England. I’m not sure if it is at Scone (“The Horse Capital of Australia” apparently) 
but there were a few chavs about so it is making every effort to be a new England. I also saw the Scone Advocate was the local paper and thought I could happily advocate for scones.
The New England Highway was a surprisingly scenic route, through golden fields and past several high ranges, and was a pleasurable drive. The capital of the area is Tamworth, which is also known as the country music capital of Australia. Subsequently, despite a pleasant town centre where I stocked up on some new CDs and a creamy iced chocolaty coffee, it has plenty of kitsch, including the country music hands of fame! Wow! I didn’t know any of the names that were there, and frankly, couldn’t be bothered to look in much detail!
but there were a few chavs about so it is making every effort to be a new England. I also saw the Scone Advocate was the local paper and thought I could happily advocate for scones.The New England Highway was a surprisingly scenic route, through golden fields and past several high ranges, and was a pleasurable drive. The capital of the area is Tamworth, which is also known as the country music capital of Australia. Subsequently, despite a pleasant town centre where I stocked up on some new CDs and a creamy iced chocolaty coffee, it has plenty of kitsch, including the country music hands of fame! Wow! I didn’t know any of the names that were there, and frankly, couldn’t be bothered to look in much detail!
I escaped Tamworth without enduring too much country music and travelled on through beautiful countryside to Armidale, a far more respectable and classy affair. The town has several fine old buildings and was nice to amble around in the evening before settling down in my little cabin in a nearby caravan park! Armidale signalled the end of my foray into New England, and whilst I can’t quite see what is particularly English about it, the drive along this route was enjoyable, easy going and jolly pleasant. 
No comments:
Post a Comment