Just as there are many roads to Nundle of course there are as many roads to return home. The way home I have chosen is a path that takes us past a dam, through some beautiful mixed farming areas up a scratchy twisty section to a plateau and then on south down Thunderbolts and Bucketts Way to the upper Hunter and Wine Country.
So off we go. Head out of Nundle toward Chaffey Dam, past the Dam and you pass through Woolomin. Fuel was not available at the time of writing so fuel up before coming into Nundle or top up in Nundle. Premium fuel is always a hassle around these parts, so be prepared.
Take the right at the round about to Ogunbil Rd toward Dungowan. This section is narrow and blind in parts and fairly patchy. There is always a landcruiser or the odd sheep or cow wandering along so take care. Not all corners are marked to well either so be ready for anything. Still, a very a rewarding road and scenic to match.
The next section is very exciting indeed, taking you up a steep elevation very quickly. Tight and twisty all the way to a plateau. Many blind corners so again be on the look out, an early winter’s morning can be interesting with heavy fog and mist. Once you finish the corners and reach the plateau you can open it up and enjoy some cool big sweepers. Thuderbolts Way greets you just North of Nowendoc. Turn right and head toward Gloucester. Nowendoc is a turn to the left and home to a general store with fuel and food and a toilet. Only a minute or so off the road.
Toward Gloucester, the road is Highway like. Not as maintained as a highway, but heck this is Australia and we’re used to things like that. This is a well-used and well-policed road so be warned. Barrington has fuel and so does Gloucester. Gloucester being a big town has lots to do; cafes, bakeries, restaurants and pubs. Heaps of accommodation too. Gloucester is popular with bike enthusiasts and hosts many rallies throughout the year.
As a side note there are a lot of dirt options around these parts. So you may like to make Gloucester and Barrington as your launch start to some wonderful options.
“…we often end up near a winery, funny about that.”
From Gloucester for us, we continue south along Buckets way and take a right at Stroud toward Dungog. From Dungog to East Gresford and Gresford. There is a good old pub in East Gresford, The Beatty Hotel that can be a good spot for lunch. Pub accommodation is available here as well. From here head towards Branxton and then it’s onto the Hunter Valley wine country, we often end up near a winery, funny about that. Follow Wine Country Drive from Branxton through to Cessnock. Onto the home straight, so this time it’s Freemans Waterhole and either the M1 to Gosford or through Cooranbong, Wyee and Gosford.
Backroad Odyssey 