Murrurundi To Nundle - The Easier Dirt Route

The morning of the 10th day of my big trip this year - I discovered an awesome dirt route over the Crawney Pass en route to Nundle. Running parallel to the famous "20 river crossings" route, but without the crossings (not doin' that fully loaded on this bike...)
This was a LOT of fun :)
Bike: 2013 Honda CB500Xa now over 127000Km of Adventures!
Stock wheels and suspension - a few, off-road suitable & protective mods:
Evotech Performance Radiator Guard
Honda Centre Stand
Honda Hand Guards
Palmer Products Adjustable Screen Mount
Hepco & Becker Engine Guard
MOTEA Bash-plate (modified to keep Honda Centre Stand and to Mount off Crash Bars instead of sump lugs)
RHK 20mm Bar Risers
SW Motech On Road/Off Road Footpegs
Rally Raid ABS Kill Switch
Staintune Pipe
Helmet Hook
Omni-Cruise Cruise Control
Dri Rider ZXS2 Soft Panniers
Shinko 705 tyres 170 60 R17* 120 70 R17
****October 2019 changed rear to 150 70 R17****
Gear:
Airoh Commander Helmet
EVS Epic Knee Guards
DriRider Adventure Series Jacket
Shark Kevlar Jeans
Shark Xplorer Adventure Boots (Mid)
5 Sport City Gloves
Dri Rider Superfabric Wet/Cold Weather Gloves
Cameras:
Sony FDR-X3000
Drift HDGhost
Drift Ghost S
Drift 4K (2 of)
CanonSX740HS
Drone: DJI Mavic Pro
Recording set up explained here:
kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZu2fnmXoc54gas
Music by Captain Cranky ©urgentmusic productions - all rights reserved

[@BigBert]

Some beautiful country mate. I feel your nerves on the water crossings 😎🤞🏻Hope you put in a good word for me at the pearly gates 🤣😂

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Gorgeous country mate, and yes I had a really bad off on a slime causeway once... I mentioned you to St Pete - he put his head in his hands 😆🤣

[@LenScapoff]

That was an excellent repurposing of an old railway carriage; way more appealing than a static caravan. The name of the bridge on the other hand; looked benign enough but tempting providence even so. 😁

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Yeah I absolutely loved the carriage - was surprised, in a way, that I was allowed tp pass the Pearly Gates bridge... 👿

[@seanb1081]

What a fantastic day and area for a ride. Ya certainly found the idyllic place for a coffee; lucky you brought the "Doings"😄 for a coffee with you. Your own music sounds great also! (I have tried to find your music online ... no luck) Your right when you say that you don't have to ride fast everywhere (even though your competent enough to do it) to enjoy the thrill. Even pottering along some gravel roads at 30/40 Kph still brings a smile to my dial and gets the endorphins pumping. And the most important thing is I and the bike live to ride another day! Those times when it's a long open stretch on gravel, at faster speeds are, of course also magic. Did you see "St Peter at the Pearly Gates?" 😄 It's always surprising visiting "remote" towns and see the grand old solid buildings. Stopping to take in just how prosperous the towns must have once been. (Zeehan in Tasmania was mind blowing!) What time of year Cap'n, was it when you were ridding?

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

It sure was a nice coffee sport mate! Somehow, I survived the pearly gates, maybe 'cos St Pete wasn't there 🤔 This was in late March - sort of a good time to travel, although I prefer spring, when the mozzies have been wiped out through Winter.

[@seanb1081]

@@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger Tanks for the feedback Cap'n. Spring is definitely my fav time of year also. Just now had the old song "Hey St Peter" by Flash in the Pan, pop into my head. 😁

[@MrAusadventure]

Looks like a great ride through there. It's an area I haven't been before, a small pocket surrounded by places I have been. Lovely stuff!

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Yeah, I had the same thoughts - I know a fair bit of the surrounding areas, and discovered a few more on this trip, AND spotted even more. I'm actually thinking maybe this is the area to do a long stay in, and go exploring the area in a future big trip. Cheers mate!

[@AfricaTwin-Stuff]

Just looked that up on the map. Looks like an excellent way to Nundle.

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

It really is - enjoyed it a lot, plenty of off-shoot variations also.

[@toby7504]

Better late than never my friend. 😊

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Always! 😄

[@anthonylimpus7189]

Enjoyed your vid Dave. Looks like an interesting alternative and quiet route and will have to put this on my to do list. The Peel Inn is always a good place to hang your helmet for the night if you are ever this way again...

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Cheers Tony - yeah looked an interesting little town, the pub did look inviting :)

[@HippoDrones]

Can't beat a "view after view after view" morning. Haha... Crawley station is a little nicer in your part of the world than mine! 😀 ... doh... Crawney, not Crawley LOL St Peter seemed to have abandoned his position! 😀

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

I know - just gorgeous country - such a pleasure to ride through! Ha ha - yes sounds similar, but that's where the similarity ends!! St Pete has probably found he has very few demands on his time to admit anyone these days ;-)

[@HippoDrones]

@@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger hahaha... I was having a discussion with my dad just yesterday about the decline of Christianity in the UK

[@CalmBiker]

I definitely share the slime paranoia. Pearly gates? Looks like a scene from a horror film.

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Yep- it's no fun when you go over on it!!

[@paullee6663]

😯'Oh no, a water crossing' 🤣🤐Funny hearing you talk about keeping your speed down on narrow roads where you haven't got a clear view....the last 2 idiots I came across in those circumstances were on very expensive 'Adventure bikes' on a forest track in Wales. Luckily I was tucked in well to the left (within 12" of the grass) as I was trying to get a better view on a (for me) a right hand 90' bend. They were going much too fast, on 'my' side of the road, the first guy saw me and pulled over to the left, but the guy following didn't, until it was too late, I reckon if I'd been that way inclined I could have punched him as he went passed. How we didn't touch 'bars is more luck than anything else. 😲'I'll just have a quick check for snakes' obviously has a different meaning my end 🤣 I hate loading the bike up every morning (and I don't camp!) I try to stop at least a couple of nights where possible, and much prefer staying in one spot and riding out from there for the whole holiday. Depends where you are and what you want to see and do. In your shoes, it would probably mean a mixture of the two.

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Yes, I'm still extremely wary of the slime mate!! Yep - it amazes me how many ADV riders will ride the trails like no-one else could possibly turn up - moronic behaviour - also many of the ADV Motovloggers here will ride close to the person in front, and on the right hand side, just to get good footage. I know one guy who only stopped doing it when he saw it result in a fatality :( Yep- a mixture of both I'm thinking for next year - camp for 4-5 days, explore, move elsewhere, repeat :)

[@LittleRedRoosterADV]

There's a nice little free campsite at the top of Crawney Pass. Right beside a little stream, with a fireplace and a pit toilet.

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Really? Cool! I guess it must be off the main road I was on, down a side track?

[@LittleRedRoosterADV]

@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger It's on the right-hand side about a 1km after the top of Crawney Pass (towards Nundle). It's called Teamsters Rest. Yes, down a little side track.

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

@@LittleRedRoosterADV Ahhh right! Yeah I saw that one as I passed but didn't realise how good it was - thanks for the tip!

[@bretsnow5058]

Great vid just a tip on the chain lube when doing use the spray it on the bottom run because as u spin it round it forces the lube into the rollers more .. enjoying this ride very much

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Cheers mate, that is exactly how I was doing it - there is a long nozzle on the can :)

[@lesking4219]

yes Captain it is a very nice little town that Nundle an Garry an I go there a lot an will be back there at the end of sept for his b/day week an I think in your next video you go up via bowling ally point along the peel river or do you go up the hill to hanging rock an Nundle state forest rd to Thunrderbolts way then north ride safe mate

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Hi Les - yeah I love it in the Tablelands there, I imagine you'll be spotting likely panning opportunities while you're there. I went straight up Fossickers Way through Tamworth, Barraba, Bingera etc. - and eventually turned off for Inverell.

[@charlesemerson6763]

I've been to Nundle and the Chiefly Dam? but I was coming the other way from Tamworth, I think I turned off the highway at Nemigha and followed the road to Nundle, then to Timor and came out the back of Scone near Gundy and Segenhoe. There was another road just outside Timor that goes onto Thunderbolts way but I've never been down that way.

[@CaptainCrankyMotovlogger]

Sounds like you did the same ride as me (including the day before this one) in the opposite direction - great riding all through there!