Ride Putty Road- Lower Hunter Valley, NSW

This popular motorcycling road has much to recommend it including some awesome sections of corners at both ends of the run, great scenery across the valleys and hills of the lower Hunter, and its close proximity to Sydney. The Putty Road goes from historic Windsor on the outskirts of Western Sydney through to the agricultural centre of Singleton in the Hunter Valley. It is a major sealed road that runs for approximately 170km, passing through the area of Putty for which it is named.

The route is a favourite for many riders who enjoy the great blend of high-speed open road with sweeping bends, and several areas of tighter smooth corners where you can hone your cornering skills. The climb up through a rock cutting from the Colo River up to Colo Heights starts as an excellent series of corners which has you constantly leaning from left to right as you make your way up the hill. The road surface is nicely finished and offers great levels of grip with little in the way of obstacles other than slow traffic, which can be a pain on weekends.

At the top of the hill the Colo Heights Service Station has fuel, food and decent coffee. The road opens up from here as it stretches further to the north-west with some reasonable sweeping bends and straight fingers of tarmac reaching out towards the Wollemi National Park, before you reach the Grey Gums Café approximately halfway along the route. This is a great stopping point which has been well set up specifically for motorcyclists and can be quite busy on weekends with riders getting together as part of their ride.

Beyond the café the road once again gets a little more interesting with several nice little passes containing tighter corners as you move further into the Wollemi National Park. Unfortunately, this stretch of road has recorded a number of motorcycle fatalities over the years. These have often occurred at the northern end of the ride through Howes Valley and up to Bulga, where the road surface is often unpredictable and wildlife frequently encountered. Be especially careful after bad weather as this is when we have often noticed branches and rocks on the road.

A highlight for many riders is the long series of 35-55km/h corners that snake around the bottom of Bulga Mountain with a rock wall on one side that reverberates your exhaust note back at you as you thread your way between the bends. Just take care through here if the surface is wet or even damp as there is a difficult to see green mossy build up on parts of the bitumen, in the least helpful places.

‘The Putty’ is a great ride which can be a half day squirt there and back, or a full day out with your mates, including lunch at the popular Wollombi Hotel. While we haven’t yet seen any fixed speed cameras the area is regularly policed, particularly at the Bulga end where they have a resident law enforcer.

The Essentials:

Fuel is available at Colo Heights, including PULP, as well as takeaway and sit down meals. The Cockfighter Creek Tavern, or Bulga Tavern, at the northern end of this ride is also a good spot for a cold drink and food. Mobile phone reception along the Putty Road is notoriously poor, regardless of your service provider. There are a couple of strategically placed public phone boxes along the route if you need to make a distress call.

Things to do:

The Indy 800 Kart Track at Wilberforce is the place to go if you want to chase your mates around.

Windsor has a good local market in the pedestrian mall on George Street which is on every Sunday from 10am-3pm.

Detour:

To extend the road ride and make things more interesting, as you head north towards Bulga look for the right turn at Milbrodale which takes you east to the town of Broke. There is fuel and food available here and you can then return south towards Sydney via the Wollombi Road, and the Wollombi Pub.

For riders who like a little dirt with their ride, the turn off to Putty on the left as you head north leads to a series of well-formed unsealed roads and tracks through the Wollemi NP. This area has always been popular with trail riders and 4WDs and used to allow for a run west all the way through the park, before spitting you out at Rylstone for a night at the pub before returning. Unfortunately, the greenies had their way many years ago and access across is now restricted by a locked gate. Alternatively, you can head east on the Howes Valley Trail which cuts across to the Wollombi Road via several different tracks, starting at Howes Valley.

Fix It:

There is no mechanical assistance available between Windsor and Singleton. There is plenty of help available at Singleton Motorcycles though at 47 John Street – on the right as you come into Singleton on John Street. Open weekdays 8.30am-5pm and Saturday until 12.30pm.

Sleep:

The Grey Gums Café offers free camping in the paddock for motorcyclists. The café shuts at 5pm so you need to stock up on food, ice and beers before then, but the toilet blocks are left open for campers to use overnight. An excellent alternative during warmer weather.

Fuel Up:

Colo Heights Service Station: 3356 Putty Road, Colo Heights (02) 4565 0207

Caltex: 58-62 John Street, Singleton (02) 6571 4700

Eat:

The Macquarie Arms Hotel near the roundabout at Windsor does a good lunch, as do several other shops and cafes within walking distance.

The Grey Gums Café offers a great range of cooked food and drinks.

The Colo Riverside Café has opened recently to provide another great possie for bike spotting. It’s just over the bridge on the Colo River and is open seven days.