Not far from Sydney or Canberra, beyond the Southern Highlands of NSW, are the South West Slopes. A beautiful part of the state with hills and valleys before the geography flattens out for the Central West and Riverina, it offers some great towns and roads to explore.
Pulling out a map to find places I haven’t cycled, my attention was drawn to Grenfell – a location that seemed to have some promise. Having then found further inspiration from Weddin Shire’s tourist site, I planned what seemed like a decent route – about 150km, over a third gravel, and the rest quiet back roads. Turned out, Grenfell gravel is very nice.
North of Grenfell
Grenfell is bisected by the Mid Western Highway but it is possible to head north without having to spend any time cycling on it. Starting first with some sealed and gravel backroads, this first part of the route connects with Henry Lawson Way (for 11km) to get to where the backroad fun really starts. Whilst Henry Lawson Way is a main road, I found Saturday morning traffic to be very limited and the road also had some modest verge.
Turning into Bald Hills Road, the backroad and gravel travel really starts. The next 30km are the gravel highlights of the route as you pass through farmland and over some rolling, gentle hills.
If you haven’t cycled many backroads in Australia, it is worth noting that you can regularly encounter public roads through private farmland. Often there are signs about livestock on the road and cattle grids to cross. There are even sometimes gates – like this route – just make sure you leave them as you find them (open or closed). If you are not used to this it may seem a bit odd, and often there is no signage. But don’t stress – just make sure you keep on eye on the sheep and cattle that may be on the road.
After this part of the route it is possible to head into Grenfell for a break. Instead, I headed east for a few kilometres to then head south.
South of Grenfell
To do a loop south of Grenfell, I chose to do a short stint (5.5km) on the Mid Western Highway in order to reach Gerrybang Road. Again, the road had verge and extremely limited traffic in the late morning.
Once on Gerrybang Road the route becomes solidly back road – mostly sealed but also unsealed. You are treated to farmland views throughout the route and limited traffic.
The southern-most part of the route heads to the excellent Bulla Creek Brewing, which normally has a food truck offering lunch options on the weekend. In the event this is not available, the brewery has charcuterie board options available on a build-your-own basis.
After a beer or two, the final 38km back to Grenfell are probably the least exciting parts of the route. After a quick period of time on Gerrybang Lane you arrive at Henry Lawson Way. I was glad that I planned to minimise time on this route as this was definitely the busiest road I travelled on. On face value after a backroad connection on Martins Lane, Mary Gilmore Way is a main road but the very limited traffic makes this a perfectly fine way to trundle back to Grenfell.
How to make it all work
If driving to Grenfell and staying the night before your ride, there is the normal motel type option. I took advantage of the tremendous free campsite facilitated by the local Lions club. Offering toilets and hot shower (5 minutes for $2 is a bargain) it is quiet and just out of the centre of town. There is plenty of space – you can find it just off West Street, not far from the Silo Art.
Starting a ride in town is easy with a bakery breakfast (Mick’s local bakery was great). It is worth checking out Grenfell’s main street – beautiful old buildings and some information about Henry Lawson. There is also a large supermarket that opens around 0730 and a well maintained public toilet – yet another example of the high quality of facilities in town.
CyclingGravel 