Bylong Valley Way

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Bylong Valley Way

General direction	North-South
From	Golden Highway, Sandy Hollow, New South Wales
via	Baerami, Kerrabee, Bylong, Breakfast Creek, Rylstone, Kandos
To	Castlereagh Highway, Ilford, New South Wales

Bylong Valley Way is a New South Wales country road linking the Golden Highway near Sandy Hollow to the Castlereagh Highway near Ilford. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes.

1 Sealing
2 Bridges
- 2.1 Muswellbrook Shire Council
- 2.2 Mid-Western Regional Council
3 Railway
4 Connections
5 National Park access
6 See also
7 Gallery
8 References

[edit] Sealing

The Bylong Valley Way is not fully sealed in the Mid-Western Regional Council area, and sealing of the remaining parts has been a political issue for decades. At the beginning of 2007, there were four sections of unsealed road totalling 32 kilometres. Two sections were between Cox's Gap and Bylong with only 850 metres of sealed road between them. The other two were south of Bylong on the way towards Rylstone, where two kilometres had been sealed a few years earlier, converting one long unsealed section to two shorter ones.

Bylong Valley Way near Cox's Gap and railway line, looking west towards gravel road surface

On 13th December 2006, The federal government announced $2 million of Auslink funding towards the completion of sealing of the Bylong Valley Way.^[1] The overall cost will be $4.1 million. The Mid-Western Regional Council will contribute $1.2 million and the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority will contribute the remaining $900,000.^[2]

The sealing work is being carried out by Mid-Western Regional Council^[3] and will be completed in three stages:^[4]

[edit] Stage One

March 2007 to June 2007
Sealing of two sections totalling six kilometres south of Bylong
Widening a total of nine kilometres of remaining unsealed road in preparation for sealing in the later stages

[edit] Stage Two

July 2007 to June 2008
Sealing of two remaining unsealed sections south of Bylong totalling 12.42 kilometres
Sealing of three short sections adjacent to existing sealed sections east of Bylong totalling 2.4 kilometres

[edit] Stage Three

July 2008 to March 2009
Completion of sealing, consisting of two sections east of Bylong totalling 11.18 kilometres

[edit] Bridges

Kirk's Bridge at Baerami after new concrete sections were completed, November 2007

[edit] Muswellbrook Shire Council

The dilapidated timber sections of the Kirks Bridge, crossing Baerami Creek at Baerami were demolished and were planned to be replaced with new concrete sections by 31^st August 2007.^[5] Unfortunately, flooding during the 2007 Hunter region and Central Coast storms delayed the work by around a month. The bridge had previously been partially rebuilt, with both buttresses and two spans at one end having been reconstructed in concrete.^[6]

Muswellbrook Shire Council maintained a temporary deviation on private property for several years to allow access during bridgework and for heavy vehicles. After the bridge was reopened, that deviation was removed and the land returned to its owner.

The single-lane timber bridge over Widden Creek is also to be replaced. Muswellbrook Shire Council had committed to spend AU$480,000 by 30^th June 2007 to Manage the investigation, design and construction works^[7] but the discovery of a serious problem on Kirks Bridge saw that money diverted to the more urgent project. Muswellbrook Shire Council now plan to replace the Widden Creek bridge by 30th June 2009.^[8]

Once the Widden Creek bridge is replaced, the 38 tonne load limit will be lifted, allowing heavy vehicles to again use this route.

[edit] Mid-Western Regional Council

Mid-Western Regional council plan to replace the single lane Carwell Bridge between Kandos and Ilford between mid 2009 and mid 2010.^[9]

[edit] Railway

Rail bridge carrying Ulan line over Bylong Valley Way near Cox's Gap

The Sandy Hollow- Gulgong railway line and part of the Merriwa railway line, which form the Australian Rail Track Corporation's Ulan line between Muswellbrook and Gulgong, follow the same valleys as the Bylong Valley Way from near the Golden Highway to near Bylong, where the railway line continues west as the road turns south.

The railway line crosses the road three times, twice at level crossings and once on a bridge over the road. Both of the level crossings have flashing warning lights but not boom gates. One level crossing is close to the Golden Highway while the other is close to Bylong. The railway bridge is on the western side of Cox's Gap, between the level crossings.

[edit] Connections

In conjunction with the Bathurst-Ilford Road to Bathurst, this very quiet and scenic route provides a leisurely alternative to going through Sydney to travel between the Hunter Valley and Bathurst.

The part of the Bylong Valley Way east of Bylong is designated MR 208. At a T-intersection near the railway level crossing just north of the village of Bylong, MR 208 turns off towards Ulan, following the Ulan railway line to the west while the Bylong Valley Way becomes MR 215 as it turns south to pass through Bylong, Rylstone and Kandos.

[edit] National Park access

Phipps Cutting picnic area

Access to the Wollemi National Park and Goulburn River National Park is available at various points along the road between the Golden Highway and Bylong. Over Cox's Gap, the Bylong Valley Way is flanked by the two national parks. Camping areas are available in the Wollemi National Park on the western side of Cox's Gap, and the Phipps Cutting picnic area between Baerami and Widden Creek provides an entry point for hiking in the Wollemi National Park.

[edit] See also

[edit] Gallery

Bridge over Goulburn River near Sandy Hollow	Kirks Bridge at Baerami, February 2007	Kirk's Bridge at Baerami after timber section was demolished, April 2007	Single lane bridge across Widden Creek
Level crossing where the line crosses Bylong Valley Way near Sandy Hollow	The railway level crossing and turnoff to Mudgee via Wollar, just north of the village of Bylong