TEAR OUT MAP #33

MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY PART 3 OF OUR ALTERNATIVE PATH NORTH
WORDS/PHOTOS COLIN WHELAN

COFFS HARBOUR

The last big town on the highway with no bypass. The Tourist Office is in the west, just north of Combine St (the 2nd Coramba Turn) as you arrive in the town. They have no biker specific information. There’s a huge IGA on Park Ave, right at the next set of lights up north of the Info Office.

Two good bike shops in town for anything your bike may need, both on the northern side of town: AllRider Motorcycles (T 026652 3636 Take Beryl St west off the highway) and North Coast V Twins (T 02 6650 4200 Take Orlando east off the h’way). Fuel of all types.

WOOLGOOLGA

The Guru Nanak Sikh Temple is well worth a visit. Heading north, take the well signed slip road exit for Woolgoolga and then go through the roundabout, under the h’way and follow Solitary Islands Way. You’ll see the temple. To rejoin the Pac, put your shoes back on and continue north and the signs will lead you. If you want a longer break, take the east option at the roundabout north of the temple and head to the beach on Clarence St. You’ll see the IGA on Queen just behind the south headland.

NANA GLEN

The Idle Inn here is one of the most popular biker cafes probably in NSW and with good reason. On the east side of the road through town, run by bikers for bikers, if it were surrounded by crap roads I’d still detour to it, but the riding is another bonus. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

CORAMBA

The pub here featured a few months back in AMM and the town has a couple of very nice cafes. In the bakery you’ll see a pizza oven which the geniuses on Coffs Council forced them to close because it was too popular. Not to worry, their pies are into the excellent range. Small BP just up from the pub.

GLENREAGH

The Glenreagh General Store serves top hot grub and damn decent coffee.

Very popular with dirt(y) bikers from the surrounding trails. When you open the doors of the Golden Dog Hotel, the smell of those horrible toilet disinfectant tablets hits you like a brick. There’re better places around!

GRAFTON

Plenty of fuel here, much of it on the highway to save going into the town. If you’re after a good pub feed, the new Clocktower Hotel on the main town drag is very nice.

Grafton Motorcycles is just over the first roundabout when you come in from Glenreagh. (T: 02 6642 1154)

ULMARRA

The Commercial Pub backs onto the Clarence River and its beer garden is idyllic. The bar doubles as a café serving good caffeine and decent cookies. The full menu is comprehensive and the service is top notch. What more do you want from an R&R spot? Just head west at the Post Office/General Store/Servo and stop before you hit water!

BELLINGEN TO MURWILLUMBAH VIA THE HIGHWAY (PRETTY MUCH!)
* Asterisks indicate locations mentioned in the accompanying town notes.

Head east from Belligen on Waterfall Way and turn north on the Pac Hwy for the 23km up to Coffs Harbour* where you have a few options on getting to Grafton.

Blue Route: If you’re staying on the highway just continue through Coffs past the Big Banana on the left and then it’s 20km to Woolgoolga* and then another 60km to Grafton* where the highway bends right around the Truckies’ Memorial.

Fifteen km up the road you’ll see the signs left for Ulmarra* and you then have good refreshment options at Broad water* and Newrybar* before taking a left 178km north of Grafton onto the Tweed Valley Way and the 25km of sweet riding into Murwillumbah.

Red Route: Approaching Coffs continue straight through the first big roundabout and go up the rise with the Windmill on your left. Take the left onto Combine St signed for Coramba*.

Follow the Coramba signs right onto Azalea and then left onto Coramba Rd for the 15km up to the town itself and continue another 11km to Nana Glen*.

Yellow Detour: If you just NEED to experience the Big Banana, you can still cut through to Nana Glen. Continue north through Coffs and the big yella fella is on your left. Then head north for just over 1km and then take the left to Searly Lookout/Opal Centre onto Bruxner Park Rd. Continue until you hit the T at Bucca Rd where you take the left for the run down to Nana Glen. Alternatively you can continue a further 1km up the A1 past the Searly Rd turn and take the left onto Bucca Rd signposted Nana Glen.

From Nana Glen, you’ve now 50km of very sweet riding up to Grafton.

As you get to South Grafton, you bend sharp left onto Ryan St and then take a right at the first roundabout followed by a quick left onto the highway north and you’re back on the Pac!

Grafton City is straight at that first roundabout and over the Clarence. To rejoin the highway you have to retrace your steps to Sth Grafton.

EBOR TO MURWILLUMBAH VIA MY WAY

Green Route: The Ebor to Grafton stretch has some memorable twisty sections plus stretches of more open curves, all of it great riding but can be prone to heaps of tree debris when the wind’s up. Take notice of ‘Stock on Road’ signs as the long paddock here is well used. Seventy five km north you’ll get to the Nymboida Coaching Station, once owned by the mild mannered Rusty Crowe but currently ordered closed due to issues about alleged illegal water taking from the river out back. Pity!

From here it’s just on 40km til you meet up with the Blue Route. Follow the road through the 90 degree left and then go straight through the roundabout for the city centre.

Go through a couple of smaller roundabouts and then take a right on the main street (Prince St), go under the old railway bridge and then take a left at the northern end park which is on your right, following signs for Casino which is 100kms north on Summer land Way, the most ordinary stretch of this inland route.

More choices here at Casino: Nothing wrong with continuing on the Summer land for the 30kms up to Kyogle. If you do, at the north end of Kyogle there’s a fork with a Caltex Servo between the tines. Take the right here onto Kyogle Rd and follow its curves up and out of town and keep on it for the 67kms to Murrwillumbah.

Warning: this road is crap! The insides of pretty much every corner are pot holed and scarred. Not a place to be riding B’OUT!

A couple of options:

Purple Route: Head east toward Lismore on the Bruxner. When you get to Lismore, at the first roundabout at Elliott St, don’t take the right over the bridge into the town centre but continue straight and then take the fourth left onto Casino Rd (signposted Kyogle) and follow it til you get to Tuncester. Here take the right signposted Cawongla and Rock Valley*.

Some great vacant back roads riding here for the 29km to Cawongla, where you take the right onto the Green Route for a 40km blatt into Uki.

Yellow Route: If you wanna channel your inner hippie: don’t take the left for Rock Valley but continue straight on Union St then just over the bridge take the left signposted Nimbin for the 30km zip north taking great care of the spaced out kombis with even more spaced out drivers.

Twelve km north of Nimbin bear right onto Blue Knob Rd and then 10 km later take the right onto the Green Route for Uki and Murwillumbah.

BROADWATER

A couple of break options here: If you want to sit outside in a beautiful garden or veranda and made to feel you are imposing on the serenity of the curt staff, then head for Melba’s Veranda Café. If however you want to refresh in a beautiful building,chowing on homemade goodies served by top folks, best to head to church! Our Daily Bread Café on the north end of town is run by Alannah and David, is open 9.00 til 3.00 every day ‘cept holidays and the new bitumen driveway makes parking your ride a piece of cake.

NEWRYBAR

Very easy to slip past this one. It is signposted from the south so keep your eyes out about 15kms north of the Bruxner Highway intersection for the township to the west. Harvest Café is a very classy café/restaurant in beautifully restored buildings and surrounded by some interesting shopping. Rejoining is easy, just continue north and blend back onto the Pac.

KYOGLE

Probably the most helpful, honest and knowledgeable Tourist Office in the state is at the north end of town whilst a Super IGA is on the western side of the main street and Jenny’s Café on the other side will fix up belly rumblings. The Caltex and BP are at the top end of town.
www.visitkyogle.com.au

CAWONGLA

There’s a very good standalone general store and café here on the south side of the Kyogle Rd just to the east of Cawongla Rd.

Good people doing good stuff! (especially the pizzas on weekends! T: 02 6633 7090)

LISMORE

Lismore Motorcycles is on the Bruxner at South Lismore near the airport (T: 02 6621 8553). Miss Lizzies on Woodlark and The Bank on Molesworth are the best cafes I’ve tried here. The BP on the corner of Dawson and Conway sells all grades of fuel.

NIMBIN

Nimbin is Nimbin.

UKI

The best bit of news in this entire article is the re-opening of the Mt Warning Pub. After being burned down in February 2013, it re-opened in mid-August and had a great Welcome Back Party on the first Weekend of September.

If you’re after something a bit more upmarket, get over to Mavis’s Kitchen on Mt Warning Road. One of the classiest places around, based in a stunning old Queens lander that was trucked in from the Gold Coast. (head east out of town for 3kms and follow sign left. (www.maviseskitchen.com.au)

MURWILLUMBAH

Best grub is found along Murwillumbah and Wharf streets and the Info Centre is over the Tweed and in the park to the east of the main town and the BP is a bit further up this road. If you’re coming up on the Tweed Valley Way, a couple of km short of the town you’ll see the Tweed Regional Art Gallery to your west. Plenty of parking and the option to refresh with great views over the Tweed Valley but it’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

ROCK VALLEY

This has the smallest Post Office in Australia and a few years back it was picked up and taken down the road to its current location. Worth a stop! As ever, thanks to my HR department for the continuing motivation.

For more notes on other towns and a fully detailed downloadable .gpx map please see the Ride Guide Section of www.motorbikenation.com

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