The photos. To the Norman Lindsay Gallery in Springwood.

Here's Margaret's report for Saturday 6th October to Magic Pudding Country - The Cut and Come Again Ride.

Hi Everyone
We started at St Ives with ten bikes and took the winding Comenarra Parkway to Pennant Hills Road, right at Boundary Road to Macca’s at Dural/Round Corner – left at the Roundabout, then my reconnaissance fell apart briefly as my Hillbilly contact at Hills District had said it would be ok to park opposite Pirate Pete’s BUT IT’S DEFINITELY NOT OK as it’s a No Stopping Zone, so we stayed very briefly to meetandgreet the Hillbillies and for two of them (Peter and John) to join us. Off to Annangrove Road, then, after the BP at Annangrove a right turn into Blue Gum road which takes you over a little ford and along a very short stretch of gravel (less than 1 km) up to a 'T'-section left onto Pitt Town Road, then following all the way to the next 'T'-section, left and through Seychelles National Park, then follow the signs to Windsor, through Windsor towards Richmond stopped at the Café opposite Richmond RAAF Base for coffee and to discover that we’d lost our BlueTail Erica – broken down back at Seychelles and awaiting the BMW Assist van – it was due fairly soon and she assured us she was ok so we reluctantly continued (she did get her pickup but won’t reveal the details!). We rode through Richmond then, following Springwood signs, took the Castlereagh Road to Agnes Banks then right at Springwood Road up to the magnificent Hawkesbury Lookout, where several of us went back down the winding bits to “cut and come again” – after all, we weren’t coming back that way and life’s better on the twisty winding bits. On to Springwood, with a brief glance at the road to Yellow Rock – (a delightful diversion best kept for a cooler day) – following the Katoomba signs as we reached Springwood (take care crossing right turn onto Great Western Highway). When we stopped at the Norman Lindsay Gallery at Faulconbridge, some went to the café for lunch while others sat around on benches under the trees and ogled the nymphs, fountains, discussed the meaning of life, compared navel lint, etc. Then we had a brief tour of the gallery and studios – lots of boobs and butts but also some nice old ship models. Homeward bound, we turned right at the GtWstn highway, and double-backed left at the level crossing to follow the Corridor of Oaks and ride past Sir Henry Parkes’s grave then back under the railway at Springwood and right onto Great Western Highway down to Blaxland where we turned left at Macca’s and followed the signs to Lennox Bridge, the oldest Bridge on Australia’s mainland, and down a delightful one-way winding road into Emu Plains, following old highway #44 to Castlereagh Road, past Museum of Fire at Penrith onto Castlereagh Road #14 battling high winds back to Agnes Banks then Richmond and into Windsor past Francis Greenway’s beautiful St Matthew’s Church and along the river Terrace into the parking at the back of the Macquarie Arms Pub. A cool drink or two later we then headed for home but not until we’d forayed around past Tebbutt’s Observatory and right through a wedding party – and home, staying just ahead of the wind and rain – a welcome cool change. Home again, Home again Jiggity jig!! Thanks for the company, everyone – hope you had a good day. MTC