​Bridle Track Adventure.

Day 2: Bathurst to Orange via the Bridle Track - Dirt Roads, River Crossings, and Big Climb

Dirt = ~90%

​Started the day with a headache—not sure I can blame the three beers from last night! I’d hydrated with Hydralyte after the ride and a Powerade in the morning, but the headache stuck around. Packing up, I realized my USB cable and Garmin mount were stolen overnight, meaning the GPS track recording would be out for the rest of the trip.
We kicked off with a lap around the iconic Mount Panorama Race Track. Big thanks to Rick for the suggestion—it’s one of those must-do experiences when you’re in Bathurst.
After that, we set out for the Bridle Track. We expected the landmark sign to be right at the start of the dirt, but it turns out it’s actually four kilometres in, and 25 kilometres from the turnoff! With a quiet Tuesday crowd, we managed to grab some photos before setting off.
The Bridle Track started bumpy but smoothed out further along, with the occasional rough patch—especially the steep new bypass around Monaghans Bluff. We made several stops at sites like campgrounds, Monaghans Bluff, a mine near Root Hog Crossing, and finally, the crossing itself, where we debated whether to continue through to Orange or turn back toward Bathurst. Fuel levels ultimately made the decision for us.
Root Hog Crossing was about 70 metres wide, featuring large, slippery rocks at the bottom. It was hard to gauge the depth, which added a bit of challenge. We pressed on to Turon Crossing, taking a short detour to Mary Flynn’s campground. Turon was only about 150mm deep, with a concrete base, so it was a straightforward crossing as long as you avoided the hidden pothole on the right.
Next, we climbed Hawkins Hill—a steady, steep six-kilometre ascent. At the summit, we reached Hill End, where we first visited the Split Rock and Beaufoy Merlin lookouts. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and they’re must-stops if you’re in the area.
Back in Hill End, we took some time to explore the historic town and had lunch at the local pub. Dave tried to fill up on fuel, but the store owner was nearly out, with no delivery for two more days. Dave managed just 1.5 litres. Over lunch, we made the call to head for Root Hog Crossing , based on Dave's limited fuel, it was the shortest route to Orange.
Back down Hawkins Hill we went, arriving at Root Hog Crossing. We’d already assessed the crossing earlier, so our plan was to walk the bikes over, with one rider managing the throttle and a helper keeping the bike steady. Rick went first, with Dave assisting. Despite some unexpectedly deep spots, Rick managed to make it across, though at times the water reached around 700mm deep.
Then Dave came back to help me over. It was tough, and by the end, we were all pretty worn out. Hindsight says it might’ve been easier if Rick had come back for additional help, but we made it across without submerging any bikes. We took a breather, shook out some water from our boots, and shared some laughs about the adventure.
Finally, we set out on what turned out to be one of the best tracks of the trip, arriving at Ophir Road, where we stopped briefly at Banjo Paterson’s birthplace before riding on into Orange to fuel up and check into our accommodation.
We’d planned a lap around Mount Canobolas, but after the day’s adventure, we were spent. So instead, we took it easy with dinner and a couple of beers before calling it a night.

The YouTube videos below have been shot by Rick.