Eugowra Gravel

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Parkes, New South Wales, AU

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AussieVelo - Ambassador

Australian cycle touring network

113 km

887 m

A 113km ride, most of which is on quiet rural roads, passing through bush and farming land. Best suited to bikes with wider tyres (e.g. touring bikes) as there is around 60km of unsealed road.
It may be ridden as a one day, or a multi-day ride - make a weekend of it and enjoy the peace of the bush.

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# Eugowra Gravel Ride
**The Eugowra Gravel ride** starts at [**Parkes**](http://www.visitparkes.com.au/) in central New South Wales, and takes you to the small town of Eugowra and back on generally quiet rural roads, including around 50% unsealed road surface. This ride is best suited to bikes with wider tyres, such as touring or mountain bikes.
Although riding is year round, it can be very hot in summer with early starts recommended; autumn is generally a good time of year for cycling in the Parkes area. Please be aware that there are no services on the route other than at Parkes and Eugowra, so you must be self sufficient for around 60km.

This ride may be completed in one day, but making it a weekend tour provides time to stop and enjoy the journey, and discover the Eugowra area.

## To Eugowra

Starting from @point[Cooke Park](d,10.53) in Parkes, the route heads east and out towards Cookamidgera starting the first gravel section at around the @point[4km](d,4213.33) mark, which continues for around @point[8km](d,12551.26). Bypassing Cookamidgera, you continue east on @photo[Cooka Hills Rd](2160590) starting the next @point[6km](d,15439.92) of unsealed road until the right turn onto Staircase Rd. This is one of my favourite sections on this ride, although Waterhole Creek Rd is also great, and The Amaroo Way and... Staircase Rd takes you up '@slice[The Staircase](d,28123.13,29875.95)' the steepest climb and the highest point on the ride, which brings you to Mandagery. No coffee shop here, there is only a district hall and no services, but it does mark the start of the long but gentle downhill ride to Eugowra.

Over the railway (watch out for trains!) then down to the start of Waterhole Creek Rd and back on the gravel. @photo[Waterhole Creek Rd](2160592) provides a beautiful ride through a mix of bush and farm land, crossing a @photo[timber bridge](2160591) and cattle grids (caution on all of these) and riding along unfenced road. This is about 16km of an overall gentle downhill ride until a @slice[cheeky little hill](d,48942.55,49315.81) around the 49km mark gives an excuse to stop and @photo[enjoy the locality](2160593). Continuing down, a left turn onto Mackeys Creek Rd and a right onto Eulimore Rd will bring you back onto the black stuff of the main road  (at 57km) into Eugowra. *This is a main road and care needs to be taken: high speed traffic.*

This road is The Escort Way. Gold was carried from the mines in the Forbes area to Bathurst, and in 1862 Frank Gardiner and his gang attacked one of the gold escorts, stealing £14,000 of gold and cash - Australia's largest gold robbery. @point[Escort Rock](d,60969.65) is a @photo[monument](2160594) to the era, to the bushrangers and the escorts of the gold.

## Eugowra

Eugowra is a small town with one hotel (the other, the '[Fat Lamb](http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/10/23/3616398.htm)', burnt down in 2012), a cafe or two, a newsagent/supermarket, and a museum. Water and toilets are available in the @point[park](d,65634.88) opposite the pub. Accommodation is available at the [Central Hotel](https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g8528809-d8525594-Reviews-Central_Hotel-Eugowra_New_South_Wales.html), a number of B&Bs, and camping at the Showgrounds Caravan Park. More information on the town, its history and facilities may be found [here](http://www.eugowra.aus.net/).

Taking 2 days for this ride allows time to [look around](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ckSA4B_qQ), and [discover Eugowra](http://www.discovertheriches.com.au/eugowra.html) - perhaps visit The [Nangar National Park](http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/Nangar-National-Park) for a bush walk, or visit the [museum](http://mgnsw.org.au/organisations/eugowra-historical-museum-bushranger-centre/) to guide your historical exploration of the area.

## Return to Parkes

Leaving Eugowra, head north on North St (where else?) and the Amaroo Way. This road is sealed until Mackeys Creek Rd (@point[at 74km](d,74261.96)) where the @photo[bitumen ends](2160595), the unsealed surface continuing for the next @point[22km](d,96585.35). There may be some sandy sections along here, but there is also a section of purple gravel from a local quarry - unfortunately @photo[this photo](2160602) does not do justice to the colour of the road. It is also time to pay back the long gentle downhill into Eugowra with a long gentle uphill back towards Cookamidgera.

The sealed road returns at the end of the Amaroo Way, at the @point[Cookamidgera crossroads](d,96591.02) south of the Cookamidgera village. The route continues straight for 7km joining with the main Parkes-Eugowra Rd and the 9km back to Parkes. There is also the option of turning right and riding through Cookamidgera (no services here) and returning to Parkes on Cookamidgera Rd, which is back along the way you started the ride and approximately the same distance as the mapped route to the finish.

The ride finishes at Cooke Park, Parkes where you started.

# Other Information

## Getting to Parkes 
For the cyclist, getting to Parkes is not easy on public transport. There is a [train/bus](http://www.nswtrainlink.info/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/20351/TFN0046_NSWT_TT2015_W.pdf) and there are [flights](http://www.rex.com.au/) from Sydney, but both require boxing your bike. 
Alternatively, take the suburban train to Lithgow (approximately 100km) and ride the remaining 277km to Parkes on [AussieVelo route 4](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/7346146) (this route is under development and should only be used as a guide, see [AussieVelo](https://www.aussievelo.info/home.html) for more information).

Driving to Parkes is, at present, the most practical option to take your own bike. However, [Pat Kinsela Motorcycles](http://www.apollobikes.com/storelocator/id/71) is the local bike shop and also hires bikes.

## Staying in Parkes
There are many places to [stay](http://www.visitparkes.com.au/Stay.aspx) and to [eat](https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurants-g255327-Parkes_New_South_Wales.html) in Parkes, as well as all necessary services, and it makes a good base for exploring the central west of NSW.

A visit to '[The Dish](http://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Facilities/ATNF/Parkes-radio-telescope/Parkes-Observatory-Visitors-Centre/Hours-location)' is a must, even if it is only to the [cafe](http://www.dishcafe.com.au/)!

## Other rides from Parkes 
*A*ussieVelo has a number of rides of various distances starting from Parkes. The '[Rural Views and Cycling Kangaroos](https://ridewithgps.com/ambassador_routes/356-rural-views-and-cycling-kangaroos)' ambassador ride provides a 500km sealed road (except the 10km out to the dish and back) tour. Search "[Parkes, NSW, AU](https://ridewithgps.com/find#search/0/search%5Boffset%5D=0&search%5Buser_id%5D=&search%5Bstart_distance%5D=50&search%5Bstart_location%5D=Parkes%2C+NSW%2C+AU&search%5Bkeywords%5D=&search%5Blength_min%5D=0&search%5Blength_max%5D=500&search%5Belevation_min%5D=0&search%5Belevation_max%5D=10000&search%5Bsort_by%5D=)" in Ride with GPS for the many routes available.

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