So day 1 is done and what a day it was, stunning weather although hot in places but perfect for riding.
I started around 10am from Sydney’s North Shore with a full tank and I headed down the M2/M7 to Richmond Road to Windsor. This is a lot quicker than using the Old Windsor Road as it doesn’t have all the traffic lights. From Windsor I headed up the Putty Road, rolling in to Singleton around 1pm for another refuel.
Singleton is famous for all the open cast mines so there are a lot of coal trains running alongside the roads and a lot of traffic. After leaving Singleton, I got on to the New England Highway heading north. I have never driven the section from Singleton to Tamworth so wanted to see what it was like. Well it was busy and full of every conceivable speed trap possible: fixed average speed cameras, fixed cameras, mobile cameras in vans, unmarked cars and fully marked highway patrol cars! Oddly with the volume of traffic, it was difficult to get a really good head of speed up.
I arrived in Tamworth around 4:30pm for a personal refuel – fluids as it had been quite warm on this stretch. Tamworth is famous for its annual Country Music Festival which started today coincidentally.
The next stop was Uralla where the Bushranger Motor Inn awaited me 80 kms up the road. It was a good final stint.
Uralla seems to have had a makeover since I last visited 3 years ago with several more cafes and more shops. It looks cleaner and more active than past years. I have stayed at this motel before albeit 10 years ago, it is quiet and good value.
All up 520 kms today. On to Day 2!
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