The Waterfall Way
Much has already been written about the Waterfall Way but this site is about the best places to ride, so it wouldn’t be complete without an entry.
The spectacular ride along the Waterfall Way covers 153kms from Armidale heading east to the Pacific hwy about 25ks south of Coffs Harbour. However the bit I’m interested in runs east from Ebor to Bellingen via Dorrigo and Thora. You can get to Ebor from Armidale or in this case I arrived via the Armidale rd from Grafton.
While in Ebor it’s worth while taking a short break to check out the Ebor Falls and the Guy Faulks river. eborfallsThe Small Servo at the top end of town is a good place to fill up if you need to, as there’s no more fuel stops until you hit Dorrigo. Inside you’ll find an interesting collection of old stuff and reasonable food while you ponder the next leg of your journey. The coffee connoisseur will be disappointed but when it’s 5 full degrees outside you’ll drink anything warm.
The undulating hills along the top of the great divide offer a relaxed and picturesque ride. This is one of the best, a smooth-surfaced road with wide and generous sweeping bends give a roller-coaster ride as it winds its way down to the Dorrigo plateau. If you can drag yourself off the bike for a minute or two there really are some stunning views to be had up here.
Dorrigo sits atop the rugged eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range at an altitude of 762m. Apart from the fabulous scenery, beautiful rainforests, waterfalls and national parks, Dorrigo is a vibrant community, with plenty of facilities, entertainment, arts, culture and heritage.
Much like the river that flows down the valley, the Waterfall Way descends about 12 klms or so though lush tropical rainforests snaking its way to Thora and Bellingen 28 klm below. The surface is about as good as you can get and much improved from years gone by. It’s not a bad idea to stop and admire the falls along the way, maybe someone could write and tell us about them cause I didn’t want to interrupt the flow. When you get to Thora the choices are to keep on going or turn around and go back up the hill…It was a nobrainer really, mountain roads are always better uphill !! Bellingen will just have to wait.
Part 2 of this story takes place a few years after Part 1. It’s now February of 2018 and we’ve made our way back to Dorrigo and down the mountain – the next part of the story starts in Thora 14 klm from Dorrigo at the bottom of the hill. From Thora to Bellingen the afternoon sun is at our back and the cold beer of the Federal hotel beckons.
The accommodation is fairly basic at $90.00 for a Queen and a single bed but if you are looking for comfort you probably won’t be considering a pub and there is plenty of places to stay in the area that do offer up market digs for a price. Having said that the food was quite good, they had a superb selection of beers on tap and the general vibe of the place was up market and friendly.
We elected to have a hearty breakfast at one of the many cafe’s available in Church st just behind the federal before heading back up the hill to Dorrigo.
A rule I like to follow whenever possible is to head west in the mornings and east in the afternoon. I don’t like riding into the sun and you get to appreciate the full beauty of the delightful 14ks back to Thora.
If you’re lucky enough to make it to Bellingen in the spring the jacaranda trees alone will make the trip worthwhile, it’s a glorious place and one of the jewels of Northern NSW. But I digress.
If you have the river on your right hand side as you leave Bellingen you’re heading in the right direction. Follow the Waterfall Way as it weaves it’s way to Thora which sits on the banks of the Bellinger river about half way between Bellingen and Dorrigo. If you’ve not fuelled up there is a general store but I can’t tell you if they sell 98. The road back to the top has seen plenty of work over the last few years so you can expect a near perfect surface with wide sweeping turns. Traffic permitting you’ll have a blast but if it looks like there are slow vehicles ahead go back to the store and have a coffee where you can pick your moment.