A great ride with animals along the way
Story and photos: The Bear
Country folk are remarkable. I travelled halfway around the world with my mate Charlie, who comes from Big Jack’s Creek near Willow Tree above the Hunter, in New South Wales. Charlie is a very good example of the “Number 8 Wire Mechanic”, the bloke who can fix just about anything with a length of rusty, abandoned fencing wire. Out in the Central Western Slopes and Plains, they’ve taken that one step further. They’ve lined their paddocks with animals made from the equivalent of No. 8 wire, and not just animals but animals riding their preferred form of transport as well. These animals along the Obley Road out in the Orana are almost all… on bikes.
Animals on bikes came about when many of the local farmers and businesses in the Orana suffered eight years of drought. Something was needed to boast morale and to improve the economic health of these central west communities. Typically, the idea that came up involved people doing something for themselves, not just relying on help from outside. It’s difficult to work out where the idea came from for a sculpture trail of animals made by the farmers, tradespeople and anyone with a welding kit. But the genius factor came when someone had the bright idea of making the theme not just animals, but animals on bikes.
-
The Cumnock & District Progress Association organised welding classes through TAFE Outreach for the farmers' wives, Rentafarmhouse families and local enthusiasts that were keen to learn a new skill and create a masterpiece. Getting under way in 2009, the project ended up on a much larger scale than anticipated. It now numbers more than 100 pieces of outdoor art that can be enjoyed on the tourist trail which operates 365 days a year. It delights everyone who travels between Molong and Dubbo, from the young children and their parents travelling in school holidays to the retirees and travel bugs in their caravans all year round.
It will pay you to keep an eye on the road as well as trying to spot the animals. While the surface is generally good, there are places where a little attention will not go astray. The scenery, meanwhile, is that wonderful Central Western Slopes and Plains mixture of low hills and flats, in crop or as paddocks for sheep and cattle. Even the venerable trees lining the road averywhere are worth a look.
"Animals on Bikes” is of course free and visible from any motorcycle, bicycle, car or bus and has given pleasure to passing travellers and benefited local businesses like the small General Store and café in Cumnock. If you’re travelling to Dubbo from Sydney, the sculpture trail is foreshadowed by the junk yard on the Mitchell Highway in Molong. Among the rusty remnants of Heaven knows what are some remarkably beautiful junk sculptures. Obley Road turns off to the left shortly afterwards, and the only difficulty is making sure you don’t miss any of the wheeled art along the 120km ride to Dubbo. The first sculpture that I’ve spotted (there may well be one or more before it) is a huge redback spider which naturally, has two bicycles not just one to keep its many legs busy.
It’s about 300km and four hours from Sydney to Molong by way of the Blue Mountains, Bathurst and Orange by the most direct route along Bell’s Line of Road, the Great Western and then the Mitchell Highway. But you can really take as long as you like, because there are so many wonderful side roads.
-
One that I like especially is the back road from the Great Western Highway at South Bowenfels to Sodwalls and Tarana with its pleasant pub and café opposite to O’Connell and then up to Bathurst. A word of warning -- some of the road surface along here is not just bad, it’s atrocious but it’s all good practice.
Oh, and don’t think the Animals on Bikes trail is a one-shot wonder. Every three years there’s a competition adding new sculptures, so you’ll see something you haven’t seen before every time you tackle the road.
And what’s more
Orange is a cool place (and a very cold place in winter!) famous for cool‑climate wineries and farm‑to‑table restaurants, but the main attraction up here is of course Western Plains Zoo, where the animals roam in a close approximation of their home ranges. Kangaroos and wallabies run around free. The zoo is open 365 days a year, from 9am to 4pm and you can save up to 20 percent if you book your tickets online. Take a look at taronga.org.au/dubbo-zoo, which also tells you a lot of other stuff about the place.
You can even stay the night at one of the zoo’s unique accommodation experiences from Zoofari Lodge to Savannah Cabins and Billabong Camp. Zoofari Lodge, for instance, offers a zoo safari experience with accommodation in unique lodges, 10 of which are nestled on the edge of a vast savannah. Overlook Giraffe, Ostrich and Antelope from your deck during this wild escape which includes meals, accommodation, exclusive tours, two day zoo entry and pushbike hire.