Hunter Chapter Goes Central West

28 October 2013 / Peter Hilkmann

For the long weekend of 5-7 October 2013, the weather was perfect ... the Hunter Chapter company was perfect ... the roads were fantastic ... the food and accommodation was great … A PERFECT weekend away, and that is all we really need to know. But wait it was even more interesting then that. Read on …

Saturday

We started the weekend early, 7:30am in fact at the BP Beresfield, at the end of the now M1, with 22 people in 12 MX-5s. Being greeted by clear blue sky, the run leader decided that the ladies should drive first, and so they did. Driving along the back roads of the Lower Hunter to our first brief comfort stop at Jerrys Plains, before continuing on to Denman for morning tea. I don't know how, but after filling their cars full of luggage, some still had enough room left to bring a thermos and some morning tea to share with their friends, whilst those that packed too many shoes (or camera bags) rocked up with a coffee from one of the local cafes.

After a relaxing morning tea, we were soon on the road again, as we had a lunch booked at the Wild Oats Pavilion Cafe, for 12:30pm. Bylong Valley Way here we come! This is still a wonderful piece of road, with all the participants enjoying the twisty and windy bits to the max. Bylong was going to be our next regroup and comfort stop, as we were waiting for the last couple of cars to catch up, it soon became apparent that one of the MX-5s had a slight problem … namely a lost bolt out of one of the rear brake calipers. Thanks to our resident "Bush Mechanic" Phil Mayo who was able to get his hands dirty and improvise, to get the car and the show back on the road. Thanks and well done Phil.

Our schedule was now in tethers and we were 2 hours late for our lunch booking. Thanks to the ingenuity of Wendy Parsonage we were able to contact the Pavilion, who were very understanding, and were able to postpone our lunch till 2:30pm. Lunch was great, and not rushed, giving everyone a chance to recover from our journey here.

After lunch there were a few wineries to visit before heading to the motel for the now obligatory "Happy Hour". This gave everyone a chance to catch up with the day's events. Dinner was at the motel, so there were no worries about having to drive anywhere after a couple of drinks.

Sunday

After breakfast and singing "Happy Birthday" to Bob Pimm (67 times during the course of the day and that evening), and settling our accounts with the motel, we were off to Hill End with the ladies at the wheel once again. Once at Hill End we all went for a bit of a wander around and of course morning tea/ coffee. Hill End is a wonderful old gold mining town with plenty of history and quaint little shops to explore.

We could easily have spent half a day or more there, and maybe we should have, as it wasn't far from Hill End that our second mishap occurred. Same car, but this time it was a flat tyre, on the other side of the car, but still at the rear. By this time we were starting to feel for the people in the poor little NB. We never wish any mishaps on anyone, let alone twice on the one trip. All was well, as help is never far away when you are traveling in our group. NCs to the rescue with an air compressor. Sadly that wasn't enough, as now the tyre had come away from the rim, so a space saver spare was then utilized. Now where do you put your flat tyre when you have a boot full of luggage??? Once again Wendy to the rescue, as she had a spare seat available. Problem solved!

So on we go to Bathurst, where we stopped for lunch, whilst an unsuccessful attempt was made to get a replacement tyre (not surprising on a Sunday afternoon on a long weekend). After lunch, a slight modification was made to the program, as we now travelled to Lithgow for our overnight stay, via Tarana, along some very interesting and fun roads. The highlight being the "Big Dipper" and a tricky left hander over the top of a crest. All in all a very enjoyable drive for everyone.

As it was Bob’s Birthday, and we had to sing "Happy Birthday" 67 times and in 15 different languages, we extended our "Happy Hour" by an hour or two … (I can't remember really!!!). Dinner was once again at the motel, where we were able to watch the NRL Grand Final on the big screen TV, with Bruce organizing the footie sweepstakes. So another near perfect day come to a close with everyone enjoying the evening meal, the entertainment, and each other's company.

Monday

After a hearty breakfast it was time pack our little cars for our final leg of this trip ... the Bells Line of Road, and the Putty Road. Our first stop was our morning tea stop at Bilpin, and after morning tea we bid farewell to Kim & Peter who joined us from Sydney, and Gaye and John from the Central Coast.

The remainder set off for the Putty Rd and the New Half Way House for lunch. Before setting off from the Half Way House we all bid each other a fond farewell and thanked each other for the companionship and a great weekend, as we would all be peeling off at various stages along the way.

A fantastic weekend was had by all. Once again it is great to see the camaraderie shown within the MX-5 Club of NSW. We all look out for each other, and lend a helping had where it is required. It is great to see that sort of spirit within the Club and particularly within the Hunter Chapter, where everyone is so easily accepted and such good friendships have been forged. Good on you all, and a big thank you to all those who helped out during the weekend.