On Sunday, two mates (Adrian & Anthony) and I went for a blat through the various tarmac offerings of the Blue Mountains area. I decided at about 7pm on Saturday night that I'd go with them as I wasn't overly familiar with the mountain roads and had heard a lot about them.
To minimise traffic and ensure a respectable home-time, I met Anthony at Stanmore Maccas at 5am, where we set off to meet Adrian at North Richmond BP at 6am. Right on cue, Adrian popped out of a side street in Richmond and we met, refuelled, planned the route and set off to the Bells Line of Road. Neither Adrian nor I are too familiar with the roads, so we left it totally up to Anthony and his 250 Monaco GP sat-nav to guide us around.
IMG_5091 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5092 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5094 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Bells Line started off ducking and weaving its way through a fairly quiet residential area, with lots of apple orchards before really starting to climb vertically. There were some nice fast, open corners made all the more exciting by fog, mist and the fact the sun still hadn’t risen.
It was twenty minutes or so before our first detour from the main path, with a right turn on Mount Wilson Rd, which ends up at Mount Irvine. This was a pleasant surprise with tight twisty sections between dense undergrowth and huge gum trees lining the side of the road. We reached the end (well, the part that turns to gravel), stopped for a few photos and headed back up.
IMG_5101 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5102 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5104 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5107 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5110 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
On the way back through Mt Wilson
IMG_5117 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Back on Bells Line for a short while before we turned left onto Darling Causeway. We then turned right almost straight away onto Hartley Vale Rd, which was as narrow as Raindancer said! There were some nice tight corners on offer but sight-lines were poor and it was only a short run before it too turned to dirt.
The bottom of Hartley Vale Rd
IMG_5118 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Performing another u-turn, we headed back up the hill and turned right onto Darling Causeway, headed for Blackheath – next stop, Megalong Rd. The drive through Victoria Falls and Blackheath were pleasant but the fun began as we turned right across the rail tracks and then left towards Megalong Rd.
A sharp left changed into some flowing right and left-handers, as the elevation began to drop away into the valley. From clear skies and sunshine at the top of the ridgeline at Blackheath, we were soon amongst the south-facing, thick canopies of Megalong Valley, where the sun barely reaches the roads surface, meaning there was plenty of slipping and sliding. I watched the two RS250s in front putting their LSDs to full use, sling-shotting them out of the corner and I could hear bursts of Adrian’s exhaust as he gave his 250 little squirts down the short straights. The short straights and tight bends turned into open sweepers, still amongst the trees as we cruised past a camp site and down into the bottom of the valley, past the Teahouse.
We pulled over for a quick chat, then we were off again, back up the valley, though this time I was in the lead with Adrian behind wanting to catch some video footage of the Clio going uphill. It was hard work trying to set a decent pace that the torquey Meganes could put up with. It meant I was almost constantly above 5000rpm, though this was quite enjoyable as my exhaust noise reverberated off the stone walls and under the tree canopies. We only got held up by one car on the way back up, but we backed off, giving them space and allowing me to jump out and grab a quick photo to illustrate the feel of the road.
IMG_5128 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Back into Blackheath, we turned left and followed the Great Western Highway down Mount Victoria, before turning left onto Coxs River Rd at Little Hartley. This road was sealed but littered not so much with pot holes, as small wombat burrows. At one point, in an effort to avoid some serious craters, Adrian and I both swerved to the middle of the road, only to notice the mound sitting on the centre line, by which time it was too late to move. I grimaced as I drove over it, not quite under the centre of the car and let out and audible, “Phuq!” as the undercarriage scraped.
The end of the road
IMG_5133 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5141 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
A happy MGP owner
IMG_5143 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5146 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
On closer inspection on the way back, it turned out to be a mound of dirt/gravel which moves, rather than a warped lump of tar, that doesn’t. Back onto the Great Western Hwy for about 500m, we turned off for breakfast – a hearty bacon and egg roll and a coffee, at about 9:30am.
IMG_5149 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5155 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
At the coffee shop, two ladies asked us what you call a group of the same brand car going for a drive. Anthony’s reply was simply, “A hoon,” which was received with nervous laughter…
After breakfast, we committed to doing the “Jenolan Loop”, so it was back onto the Great Western Highway for 5kms, through Hartley and then a left onto Jenolan Caves Rd. The road started with some nice open, sweeping bends but the fun was short-lived as we caught up to a tourist bus. This was dispatched at the first legal opportunity but we missed out on some nicely banked corners. Nevertheless, we pushed on until we caught up to two green cars – a Camry and a Pathfinder.
The Camry was a nervous wreck, proving their inability to drive by not making proper use of the ‘Slow Traffic’ lanes. We eventually got past but were stuck behind Mr Pathfinder who seemed hell-bent on setting a good pace, rolling through the corners like a ship out at sea. Anthony was leading and made the call that if they continued on to Jenolan Caves, we’d take the right on Duckmaloi Rd to Oberon and do the loop back through Edith. This turned out to be the perfect route, as Duckmaloi Rd and Titania Rd provided some nice stretches, and the treacherous Edith road into Jenolan from Edith meant little traffic, plus we were going against the flow of tourist Corollas/Aurions on the way back out of Jenolan Caves.
Having to dive to the side of the road for on-coming traffic didn’t spoil the fun of the tight, twisty corners heading up the hill from Jenolan. We had plenty of clear space in some stretches, with good vision and it was perhaps my favourite road of the day – helped by spectacular scenery down to Jenolan State Forest. We stopped about 5km from the GW Hwy on the way back for a few quick photos looking back towards Little Hartley, before setting off for home.
IMG_5162 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
The MGP looks out on the horizon longingly, thinking, "Please lower me."
IMG_5166 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5169 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5174 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5178 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
She was clean when we started…
IMG_5188 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Setting off back down the GW Hwy, headed for Sydney, we got most of the way through the mountains before Adrian made a left turn at Blaxland, for a sneaky run down Mitchell’s Pass, which spits you out just near the entrance to the M4 at Emu Plains.
IMG_5192 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5193 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Half way down the hill, it turns into a one-way road, and there is a nice mix of tight and open corners before you reach the bottom. Unfortunately it’s only a few kilometres long but it’s great being able to use the whole road, knowing that no one is coming towards you!
So, all in all I had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed the roads. I was impressed with the new suspension on my 197: she was cornering flat and fast all day, though she can be a bit bouncy on some of the bigger road undulations. It’s definitely hard work using all of the revs and changing gear a lot to keep up with the turbo boys but it only makes it all the more rewarding and exhilarating as you work on perfecting your heel-toe downshifts into the tight corners. After 65k-odd kilometres in the 182 (and 10k or so in the 172), the 197 is certainly a different car to hustle through the fast stuff and I am certainly nowhere near exploiting its full potential.
Thank you to Anthony and Adrian (and Jimmy!) for the directions and company and I look forward to heading back up there to get to know the roads a little better.
The route: http://g.co/maps/t7bvk
To minimise traffic and ensure a respectable home-time, I met Anthony at Stanmore Maccas at 5am, where we set off to meet Adrian at North Richmond BP at 6am. Right on cue, Adrian popped out of a side street in Richmond and we met, refuelled, planned the route and set off to the Bells Line of Road. Neither Adrian nor I are too familiar with the roads, so we left it totally up to Anthony and his 250 Monaco GP sat-nav to guide us around.
IMG_5091 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5092 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5094 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Bells Line started off ducking and weaving its way through a fairly quiet residential area, with lots of apple orchards before really starting to climb vertically. There were some nice fast, open corners made all the more exciting by fog, mist and the fact the sun still hadn’t risen.
It was twenty minutes or so before our first detour from the main path, with a right turn on Mount Wilson Rd, which ends up at Mount Irvine. This was a pleasant surprise with tight twisty sections between dense undergrowth and huge gum trees lining the side of the road. We reached the end (well, the part that turns to gravel), stopped for a few photos and headed back up.
IMG_5101 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5102 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5104 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5107 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5110 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
On the way back through Mt Wilson
IMG_5117 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Back on Bells Line for a short while before we turned left onto Darling Causeway. We then turned right almost straight away onto Hartley Vale Rd, which was as narrow as Raindancer said! There were some nice tight corners on offer but sight-lines were poor and it was only a short run before it too turned to dirt.
The bottom of Hartley Vale Rd
IMG_5118 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Performing another u-turn, we headed back up the hill and turned right onto Darling Causeway, headed for Blackheath – next stop, Megalong Rd. The drive through Victoria Falls and Blackheath were pleasant but the fun began as we turned right across the rail tracks and then left towards Megalong Rd.
A sharp left changed into some flowing right and left-handers, as the elevation began to drop away into the valley. From clear skies and sunshine at the top of the ridgeline at Blackheath, we were soon amongst the south-facing, thick canopies of Megalong Valley, where the sun barely reaches the roads surface, meaning there was plenty of slipping and sliding. I watched the two RS250s in front putting their LSDs to full use, sling-shotting them out of the corner and I could hear bursts of Adrian’s exhaust as he gave his 250 little squirts down the short straights. The short straights and tight bends turned into open sweepers, still amongst the trees as we cruised past a camp site and down into the bottom of the valley, past the Teahouse.
We pulled over for a quick chat, then we were off again, back up the valley, though this time I was in the lead with Adrian behind wanting to catch some video footage of the Clio going uphill. It was hard work trying to set a decent pace that the torquey Meganes could put up with. It meant I was almost constantly above 5000rpm, though this was quite enjoyable as my exhaust noise reverberated off the stone walls and under the tree canopies. We only got held up by one car on the way back up, but we backed off, giving them space and allowing me to jump out and grab a quick photo to illustrate the feel of the road.
IMG_5128 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Back into Blackheath, we turned left and followed the Great Western Highway down Mount Victoria, before turning left onto Coxs River Rd at Little Hartley. This road was sealed but littered not so much with pot holes, as small wombat burrows. At one point, in an effort to avoid some serious craters, Adrian and I both swerved to the middle of the road, only to notice the mound sitting on the centre line, by which time it was too late to move. I grimaced as I drove over it, not quite under the centre of the car and let out and audible, “Phuq!” as the undercarriage scraped.
The end of the road
IMG_5133 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5141 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
A happy MGP owner
IMG_5143 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5146 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
On closer inspection on the way back, it turned out to be a mound of dirt/gravel which moves, rather than a warped lump of tar, that doesn’t. Back onto the Great Western Hwy for about 500m, we turned off for breakfast – a hearty bacon and egg roll and a coffee, at about 9:30am.
IMG_5149 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5155 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
At the coffee shop, two ladies asked us what you call a group of the same brand car going for a drive. Anthony’s reply was simply, “A hoon,” which was received with nervous laughter…
After breakfast, we committed to doing the “Jenolan Loop”, so it was back onto the Great Western Highway for 5kms, through Hartley and then a left onto Jenolan Caves Rd. The road started with some nice open, sweeping bends but the fun was short-lived as we caught up to a tourist bus. This was dispatched at the first legal opportunity but we missed out on some nicely banked corners. Nevertheless, we pushed on until we caught up to two green cars – a Camry and a Pathfinder.
The Camry was a nervous wreck, proving their inability to drive by not making proper use of the ‘Slow Traffic’ lanes. We eventually got past but were stuck behind Mr Pathfinder who seemed hell-bent on setting a good pace, rolling through the corners like a ship out at sea. Anthony was leading and made the call that if they continued on to Jenolan Caves, we’d take the right on Duckmaloi Rd to Oberon and do the loop back through Edith. This turned out to be the perfect route, as Duckmaloi Rd and Titania Rd provided some nice stretches, and the treacherous Edith road into Jenolan from Edith meant little traffic, plus we were going against the flow of tourist Corollas/Aurions on the way back out of Jenolan Caves.
Having to dive to the side of the road for on-coming traffic didn’t spoil the fun of the tight, twisty corners heading up the hill from Jenolan. We had plenty of clear space in some stretches, with good vision and it was perhaps my favourite road of the day – helped by spectacular scenery down to Jenolan State Forest. We stopped about 5km from the GW Hwy on the way back for a few quick photos looking back towards Little Hartley, before setting off for home.
IMG_5162 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
The MGP looks out on the horizon longingly, thinking, "Please lower me."
IMG_5166 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5169 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5174 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5178 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
She was clean when we started…
IMG_5188 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Setting off back down the GW Hwy, headed for Sydney, we got most of the way through the mountains before Adrian made a left turn at Blaxland, for a sneaky run down Mitchell’s Pass, which spits you out just near the entrance to the M4 at Emu Plains.
IMG_5192 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
IMG_5193 copy by alex b photo, on Flickr
Half way down the hill, it turns into a one-way road, and there is a nice mix of tight and open corners before you reach the bottom. Unfortunately it’s only a few kilometres long but it’s great being able to use the whole road, knowing that no one is coming towards you!
So, all in all I had a great day and thoroughly enjoyed the roads. I was impressed with the new suspension on my 197: she was cornering flat and fast all day, though she can be a bit bouncy on some of the bigger road undulations. It’s definitely hard work using all of the revs and changing gear a lot to keep up with the turbo boys but it only makes it all the more rewarding and exhilarating as you work on perfecting your heel-toe downshifts into the tight corners. After 65k-odd kilometres in the 182 (and 10k or so in the 172), the 197 is certainly a different car to hustle through the fast stuff and I am certainly nowhere near exploiting its full potential.
Thank you to Anthony and Adrian (and Jimmy!) for the directions and company and I look forward to heading back up there to get to know the roads a little better.
The route: http://g.co/maps/t7bvk
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