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. For the tourist route in Ontario, see Golden Highway (Ontario. Sandy Hollow is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia in Muswellbrook Shire. Baerami is a locality in New South Wales, Australia, in the Muswellbrook Shire. Bylong is a village in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. Rylstone is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. Kandos is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. Carnarvon HighwayThe Castlereagh Highway is a state Highway in New South Wales, Australia also extending some kilometres into Queensland. Ilford is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. For the tourist route in Ontario, see Golden Highway (Ontario. Sandy Hollow is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia in Muswellbrook Shire. Carnarvon HighwayThe Castlereagh Highway is a state Highway in New South Wales, Australia also extending some kilometres into Queensland. Ilford is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes. The Bylong Valley is a winding but relatively flat valley that crosses the Great Dividing Range between the Goulburn River National Park and Wollemi National Park,

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. The Mid-Western Regional Council is a Local Government Area (LGA in the Central West of New South Wales. 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. Bylong is a village in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. 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. Rylstone is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council.

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. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. AusLink is an Australian Government land transport funding program established in June 2004 and administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services. ^[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. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA is a New South Wales ( Australia) government agency responsible for major Road infrastructure licensing of drivers ^[2]

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

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

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

Stage Three

• July 2008 to March 2009
• Completion of sealing, consisting of two sections east of Bylong totalling 11. 18 kilometres

Bridges

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

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. Baerami is a locality in New South Wales, Australia, in the Muswellbrook Shire. ^[5] Unfortunately, flooding during the 2007 Hunter region and Central Coast storms delayed the work by around a month. The 2007 Hunter region and Central Coast storms commenced on Friday 8 June, 2007 and caused extensive flooding damage and loss of life in the Hunter Region 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. Muswellbrook Shire is a local government area in New South Wales, Australia. 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. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas 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.

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. Kandos is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council. ^[9]

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 Sandy Hollow- Gulgong railway line is a railway line in northern New South Wales, Australia. The Merriwa railway line is in northern New South Wales, Australia. Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns leases maintains and controls the majority of main line Gulgong is a 19th century Gold rush town in the Central-West of the Australian state of New South Wales.

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.

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. Bathurst to Ilford Road is a 72 kilometre New South Wales country road linking the Castlereagh Highway at Ilford to the regional highway hub of Bathurst is a regional centre in the state of New South Wales, Australia approximately 200km west of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, extending from approximately to north of Sydney, Australia

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. Ulan is a small village in central New South Wales, Australia. Kandos is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Mid-Western Regional Council.

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. Goulburn River National Park is in New South Wales, Australia, 280 km northwest of Sydney and it is 20km south-west of Merriwa. 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.

See also

• Highways in Australia
• List of highways in New South Wales

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

References

1. ^ Auslink Strategic Regional Program - Projects selected for funding
2. ^ NSW Nationals announcement of funding for Bylong Valley Way
3. ^ Mid-Western Regional Council weekly road works information
4. ^ Auslink details of project for sealing of Bylong Valley Way
5. ^ Muswellbrook Shire Council tender documents for bridge construction
6. ^ Muswellbrook Shire Council 2004-2005 capital expenditure report
7. ^ Muswellbrook Shire Council 2006-2007 management plan
8. ^ Muswellbrook Shire Council Draft Management Plan 2008-2011
9. ^ Mid-Western Regional Council 2007-2008 management plan