Bridle Track Condition

Thanks Madfisher.

Is the sewction from HillEnd in poor condition or the Sothern section. I've travelled it for close on 4o years also = dozens of times in 2wd. Do you think HE to 2nd causeway is OK for 2WD?
Cheers Brian

Brian H2

We were up there about 5 weeks ago and got to within 1.5km of the bluff where the big rock has blocked the road and we saw a few 2WD's on the way and stopped for picnic's & swimming.

The road then was pretty rough in patches and pretty slow going but that was five weeks ago.

Regards Paul & Fiona

A high clearance 2wd like a tray back ute would have no trouble, but I would not take a sv6 along it. This is the hill end section I am talking about. Only been on the tar at the other end.
Cheers Pete

You are right Pete pretty dumb response from me really and I should have added that I wouldn't take our 2WD on that road (from Hill End) but there they were and one or two small vehicles (Hyundai & matchbox sized vehicles) among them. At that time although it obviously was possible you are just knocking your vehicle about needlessly.

I will have to do another run from the BX end and check it out because my intent was to take a few photos of 'the rock' and we didn't get there because a tree had fallen across the road just before the bluff and a couple of other 4WD's were in between, so I just came back home.

Regards Paul H

Yes that pretty well covers it Paul, I also seen a few 2wd cars down on the turon, but it seems to get even worst after that. 20mins from Hill End to the Turon(about 6ks) is slow going. I must be getting old the sheer drops, narrow road and no fence gets to me now, where as I would not have given it a though years ago.
Have a good one Pete

Hi Paul,

I used to haunt that area from about 1965 through to about 1984. We used to camp on the big flat by the river just inside Bruinbuns gate. It was set up as a camp ground in the last several years leading up to 84. You would know the area pretty well by the looks.

I have often thought about a trip back there for a week or 2 and was wondering what the condition of the facilities were like now, pit toilets were pretty new in the 80s. Is the place over run with campers etc.???

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks in advance,

Cheers, Bruce.

Hi Bruce

Population fluctuates but it is not overrun with campers 24/7 so to speak, but I've seen plenty of caravans, pop-tops & campers all over at times so I couldn't pick it really, but that would probably be in holiday or school holiday times.

The pit toilets are fine but the rest is pretty much the same and there are several areas on the Bathurst end (below the rock) with more camp spots on the Hill End side but I am unsure about pit toilets at that end. I have a heap of photos of the track and camp grounds that I should have uploaded before this, but I can't see any of mine in Places right now, so I'll dig through my archives and get some up probably later tonight. I will post you when I have done so.

Regards Paul H

Bruce C

I have uploaded, to Places, photos of Mary Flynn Reserve at Hill end side of the rock (only taken to remind us of area) but none the less they give an indication of the area; search for Bridle Track

Black Gate Reserve on the Bathurst end of the track, there are several more places that I have photographed but can't put my hands on them at the moment. Maybe I'll have to spend a day and shoot it all again with references.

Hope this helps.

Regards Paul H

Thanks Paul H,

We never knew any specific names of these locations, just the Bridle Track, Bruinbun etc. Mainly went by property names. We used to shoot rabbits on Journeys End which in those days was owned by Peter Merton. It was mainly on the other side of the river from the Bridle track.

We used to have to strip off and cross the river with clothes guns and boots held high to keep them dry. Middle of winter and all. Never looked forward to that I can tell you. But there were few that used to go there in those days and we pretty much had it to ourselves whenever we camped there in the sixties.

In the latter years, getting into the early eighties, we were well and truly married with kids and mortgages so we could not get away as often but we still managed Easter and a week following for several years and 1984 was the last year we went and in late 85 we moved up here on the Mid North Coast Between Port Macquarie and Kempsey and took up a farm of our own. Still here.

Thanks again for your info, much obliged.

Cheers, Bruce.