Putty Road (193 km)
Windsor New South Wales to Singleton · back a different way, via Sydney · Old Pacific Highway and Hunter Backroads
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Why this ride
Out of South Windsor, one way: 193 km, roughly 3 h 11 in the saddle. The stops in between: Colo River and Halfway House. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Roadbook
- Windsor New South Wales
start
Windsor is the third-oldest European settlement in Australia, which is a remarkable claim for a pleasant, rather sleepy town of cafés and antique shops. Settlers began farming the rich Hawkesbury floodplain here in 1794, in an area first called Green Hills, and Governor Macquarie formally laid out the town in 1810. The Hawkesbury itself, brown and slow, bends past the old wharf, and the town has the habit of flooding, sometimes dramatically, which is why so many of the grander buildings sit on the rises.
Look for St Matthew's Church, designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway and finished in the 1820s, which has a plain, handsome look of the Georgian colony. Thompson Square, said to be the oldest public square in the country, still has early cottages around it, and the old Hawkesbury River bridge area keeps the flavour of a river town. With only about two thousand people in the core and bigger suburbs close by, you can find fuel and food easily, especially in South Windsor, a couple of kilometres away.
Riders know Windsor as the gate to the Putty Road, one of the great motorcycle roads of New South Wales. The route runs north for roughly 170 kilometres through the forest of Wollemi National Park to the Hunter Valley, with a long run of bends, rises and fast flowing sections, and rather little in the way of towns. It is a road of rhythm, not frills, with very few places to buy anything on the way, so fill the tank here and carry water. Be aware that speed limits are strictly policed, with fixed and mobile cameras and a regular police presence on weekends, and the road has a long record of serious crashes, so keep it honest.
The landscape beyond Colo is classic Australian bush: sandstone ridges, grey-green eucalypt, birds calling in the heat, and the sharp smell of leaf litter after rain. In winter, shade patches can hold cold air, and in summer the heat is ferocious by midday. Early on a weekday the road is quiet, kangaroos and the odd goanna on the verge, and the first bends after Colo are the reward for dealing with the suburban fringe.
- Colo River
scenic
The Colo River is the wild neighbour of the Hawkesbury. It rises in the rugged sandstone country of Wollemi National Park, one of the largest wilderness areas in New South Wales, and it runs through gorges that no road has ever reached before joining the Hawkesbury near the point where the valley opens out. Where the road meets it, the river is calm, broad and green, edged with she-oaks and tall river gums, and the banks are soft with sand.
The region is the western fringe of Sydney's hinterland, about an hour from the city, yet it has an end-of-the-line character. Small farms and weekenders are spread along the river flats, with paddocks, horses and the occasional old boat shed, and the road bends and dips through cuttings in orange rock. The land belongs historically to the Darug and Darkinjung peoples, who lived and travelled along the river for thousands of years, and rock engravings and shelters are preserved in the wilderness.
For motorcyclists the surrounding roads are famous. The Putty Road, which runs north from the Hawkesbury toward Singleton, is the best known, a long, twisting route through forest and ridge that has been a rider's favourite since before anyone remembers. It is also one of the most heavily policed roads in the state, with frequent patrols and enforcement at weekends, and with a record of serious crashes that has led to lower limits and stern signs. Take it at a measured speed, enjoy the rhythm, and give the bends the respect they deserve. Surface condition varies, and gravel can wash across the road after rain.
The river is a cool place to take a break in summer, and a pull-off near the bridge gives access to the water for a paddle. Be careful with swimming, because the currents can be stronger than they look. Canoeists and kayakers use the river, and there are camping spots along the banks, though you should check which are open and whether permits are required. In the hot, dry months, bushfire danger can be extreme, and roads may close, so follow the local alerts.
East Kurrajong, about nine kilometres away, is small, and Richmond, about twenty kilometres, is the safest place to fill before the long run north. The Putty Road itself has very few services over its length, so a full tank is essential.
- Halfway House
scenic
The Putty Road is the long, quiet backbone of the country north of Sydney, running from the Hawkesbury at Windsor up through the Wollemi wilderness to Singleton in the Hunter Valley, and this is the part of it that feels furthest from everything. The settlements are few, the forest is dense, and the road swings up and down over ridges and creeks with a rhythm that riders know well, though it demands concentration more than most.
The road has a long history. It began as a track used by stockmen and timber-getters moving cattle and cut logs between the Hunter and the Hawkesbury, and it was upgraded over the twentieth century into the sealed route you ride today. The bush on either side is Wollemi National Park, a vast sandstone wilderness, and the Yengo area beyond it, and few places so close to a large city feel so empty. There are lookouts here and there, with views over eroded gorges and plateau scrub that stretches to the horizon.
The riding is excellent and a little dangerous. Bends are linked in long sequences, often blind, with sudden changes of camber and slippery patches where the shade stays damp. Police patrol it frequently, and speed limits are enforced, with signs warning of recent crashes. A calm, smooth pace gives a better day than a fast one, and in the afternoon the low sun through the trees makes it hard to see the road surface, so pay attention. Kangaroos and wallabies bound across the road at dusk, and cattle may wander onto the verge in the more open stretches.
What you can rely on is that there are only occasional roadhouses along the route, and their opening hours vary, particularly on weekdays and in winter. Fuel in particular is scarce, so fill the tank at Windsor or Richmond before you start, and consider Singleton or Howes Valley, where a small roadhouse exists, as a backup.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild days and clear air. In summer it can be very hot, with fire risk and smoke, and in winter dawn frost makes the shaded sections treacherous. Take water, a spare layer and a phone, since reception drops out for long stretches.
- Singleton
finish
Singleton lies in the Hunter Valley on the New England Highway, a coal town in the middle of wine country, with the Hunter River looping through flat green fields on its way to Newcastle. It is not a pretty town in a conventional sense, but it is useful, and for riders finishing the Putty Road, it is the first proper service centre after a long run through the sandstone bush.
The Putty Road itself is one of the best-known motorcycle roads in New South Wales, running about 170 kilometres from Windsor north through Colo and the Wollemi National Park to Singleton. It is a narrow, undulating ribbon through eucalypt forest, with tight bends and long, fast sections, and there are few services along it. That has made it a favourite with Sydney riders, and also with the police, who patrol it heavily and use speed cameras. Treat the limits seriously, because fines and licence points here have ruined a lot of weekends. The road's surface is generally good, but sections can be damp under tree cover, and wildlife, including wallabies, wombats and kangaroos, is common at dawn and dusk.
Singleton's history goes back to the 1820s, when it was founded by Benjamin Singleton on a river flat, and it grew as a service town for the farms and later the coal mines of the upper Hunter. It also hosts a large army base, home to the infantry school, so you see soldiers in town. The big open-cut mines around the district supply much of the export coal that leaves Newcastle, and the haze of dust and the long coal trains are a common sight.
Fuel, food and accommodation are easy in town, which has several petrol stations along the main street and plenty of pubs and bakeries. Pokolbin and the main wine district are less than an hour away, so if you have time the cellar doors, cheese shops and restaurants are an excellent follow-up to a long road.
Fill up in Singleton before heading back down the Putty, because fuel on the road itself is scarce.