Because of road works on Nanima Road and the Sutton-Gundaroo road we decided to ride up the Barton Highway, along Yass Valley Way and via the Hume to Gunning. We met up at the Hall layby but our clever strategy came to nought only 100 metres further on, when we got caught in a huge traffic jam caused by the highway being resealed. Once past this, however, it was fairly smooth sailing to Gunning for coffee. Unfortunately, the Merino Café doesn’t sell meat pies but if I keep asking every time I go in they might see what a popular idea it is and get a few in.
The weather had been perfect up into now and it only got perfecter and perfecter as we rode via Grabben Gullen to Crookwell. Low 20s, bright sunshine and not a breath of wind. Al needed fuel at Crookwell but imagine our surprise when we went to the Mobil servo on the northern outskirts of town to find it in a state of extreme flux behind huge steel security fences. The word is it’s being renovated and will reopen at some stage but in the meantime there is only one servo still operating in Crookwell – the small one near the bottom (north)end of the main street. So in a town the size and remoteness of Crookwell there is one 91 bowser, one 95 bowser and one diesel bowser.
Full of juice, we wended our way through yet more roadworks at the turnoff to Laggan and Taralga and headed out of town on our mission of discovery.
This 37 kilometres of winding bitumen, dubbed Laggan Road and then Laggan Taralga Road on Google Maps, is really called Main Road 248 East, a title that conjures up visions at once exotic, erotic and romantic, especially with all the sheep to be seen in adjacent paddocks. The first leg, to Laggan, hasn’t changed because it has been sealed for years, but once we resisted the siren call of the Laggan pub and broke east towards Taralga a new world opened up.
A few kilometres out of town the road became wide and smooth, with not only centreline markings but also sideline markings that continued to within five km of Taralga. The surface was smooth and pothole-free, the curves were sensuously linked with no tight bends or hairpins to disrupt the rhythm, and the views were extensive and beautiful. The last section to be sealed, between Commissioners Creek and Wowagin (don’t bother looking for it, there’s nothing there), was realigned and reconstructed before being sealed so is especially good.
The advisory speed signs were reliable and consistent – mostly 80 km/h with a few 70 km/h – so we kept a steady, exuberant pace as we smoothly swept left, right, left (or right, left, right if coming in the opposite direction) for mile after mile after mile. It was a real joy!
We arrived in Taralga at 12:30 pm and, as true explorers do, rewarded ourselves with a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans and toast at a beaut little café towards the north end of town. We returned to Canberra via Goulburn, Breadalbane, Gunning and the Sutton Road, which still has 1.6 km of greasy gravel just south of Gunning. The good news is it looks like it’s almost ready to seal.
In summary, the Crookwell-Taralga road is a great ride in its own right but also provided a great new round trip and an alternative way to get onto Tablelands Way to Oberon, Bathurst and Cape York.
Ian Paterson
- Ian Paterson GL1800
- Al Munday FJR1300
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| The views from the Crookwell-Taralga road are spectacular. |
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| The café in Taralga has al fresco dining. |
* From these images there are some concerns that Ian and Al have discovered a space time portal on the Crookwell-Taralga Road which transports travellers too and from a sunny Europe out of step with the current season - evidence may be apparent in an unseasonal tan, youthful visage and the aroma of fresh coffee. (or you could just try the new road yourself - the trick will be to work out which way is widdershins?)
