A lot has happened since the foxes went into winter hibernation.
War in Ukraine & Gaza, inflation & cost of living concerns, no Voice in the Constitution & Trump is facing many trials.
FRIDAY (27 October 2023)
The Foxes yawned, stretched and looked to the calendar. Yes!! It was time for the Spring tour. Brother Gibster had been busy in the colder months and arranged a journey to Gulgong in NSW.
It was a slightly delayed start due to rain but we were away by 8.30am. The starting line up comprised Gibster, Boxy, Mike, Andy R & Singo.
Skies were overcast & threatening as we departed. We escaped the Sydney outskirts and headed northwest toward Richmond before connecting with the Putty Road.
We stopped at the Pub in Denman for lunch before heading to Gulgong.
The rain stayed away (occasional drops) and the roads were in good nick. It was a ‘comfortable’ ride today, perhaps a reflection of the roads in Morocco?
We arrived in Gulgong about 4pm and checked into the Commercial Travellers House (CTH). It’s a large old pub and we had the run of the house.
Gulgong is a 19th-century gold rush town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. It is located about 300 km (190 miles) north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2016 Census, Gulgong had a population of 2,521.
The name “Gulgong” is derived from the word used by the traditional inhabitants, the Wiradjuri, for “deep waterhole”.
Gulgong came into existence after gold was discovered at Red Hill in 1870.

Having unpacked and settled in for a couple of nights, we headed up to the Prince of Wales Hotel for some hydration.
It occurred to Boxy that there may be a Chinese Restaurant in town. Singo was straight onto the ‘Lucky Star’ for a booking.
As we finished our drinks, the publican, who had checked us in to our accomodation down the road, approached us looking very flustered. “I apologise but I thought you were part of the octogenarian bowlers from Port Stephens & sent you to the wrong property. They’ve arrived on mass and said you were far too young and good looking to be part of their group”. With the promise of a bottle of pinot gris we packed up and moved up to the pub. The upside was good for most of us. Better rooms. Boxy, who had somehow been given the palatial apartment at the CTH was finally unchained from the bed and relocated. “Don’t you know who I am!”, Could be heard as he was dragged away.
We headed to the Chinese at the Bowling Club with enthusiasm only to find it was packed full of those wretched octogenarian bowlers!! We left and headed to “the Vault” back in town. What a win.
SATURDAY (28 October 2023)
A rest day!! And it’s a good one. We have a relaxed morning involving breakfast at the Butcher’s Cafe and an exhausting investigation of Gulgong. That took about 5 mins.
As we wander in the main street of the town we spot Russ & Tony arriving. Tony has been consigned to the ‘special’ room in the pub which looks like a prison cell. It is a dark, desolate & lonely space. “You’ll be right Tone” as we walk away laughing. “It’s only for one night.”
After a short catch up, a small bus arrived to transport us to the Robert Stein Winery in Mudgee.
Andy R, who has followed us out on his bike, states that he has spent more time with us than his wife & doctor recommend and heads back to Sydney.
We are treated to a pre-lunch wine tasting (Russ has reacted badly to an offensive Chardonnay) followed by a magnificent degustation lunch (with paired wines) at the Pump Room.
Our bus returns at 4.30 to transport us back to Gulgong. As we approach town the driver asks us whether we’d like to take a detour to Flirtation hill (the local makeout spot). WTF? At 7:1 we figure he ain’t going to mess with us. A reluctant, “yeah alright” and we arrive at the top of a small hill overlooking the surroundings. This is definitely not a highlight and most of the boys remain in the bus.
A couple of hours of R&R and back to the Vault for dinner at 7. A nightcap at the Prince of Wales Hotel before retiring.
SUNDAY (29 October 2023)
6am. Sth Africa v All Blacks for the World Cup. Who really cares.
Breakfast in town and we set ourselves for Crookwell. We head for Mudgee and onto Bathurst. It’s time for Tony & Boxy to head home. Tony has work related commitments; Boxy said that he thought he may be needed at home. He’s going soft.
We are now 4. Gibster, Russ, Mike & Singo. Our journey continues to Rockley (we stop at the pub for a drink). Russ notes that this is Hydro’s favourite pub in Australia. It therefore takes on a special significance. After critiquing the musical talent we depart and navigate some magnificent “curvaceous” roads into Crookwell.
Crookwell is a small town located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Upper Lachlan Shire.[2] At the 2016 census, Crookwell had a population of 2,641.[Most employment is based on rural industries, and the district is renowned for potato farming. Crookwell is also home to what was NSW’s first wind farm, which consists of 8 turbines, and is located a few kilometres out of town on the road towards Goulburn.
Crookwell lies within the traditional lands of the Gundangurra people. It was first settled in the 1820s, and had received its current name by the 1860s.

The weather has been wonderful and everyone is very energised. We settle into terrace drinks at the Upland Pastures Motel before wandering into town for s steak at the Criterion Hotel. We tried to ring Brother Pete to see how Ash was travelling but he refused to take our call!
MONDAY (30 October 2023)
The scheduled 8am start was brought forward due to a general restlessness and we headed into town for breakfast.
The trip out of town was a wonderful ride to Goulburn at which point Mike, having dropped off the pace, was nowhere to be seen. Russ engages high level technology (his phone) and locates Mike halfway back to Sydney. STOP. We will meet you. That worked fine at which point the Gibster decided a wonderful ride was to be had between Wingello and Berrima. We turned off the Expressway and Gibster, by a matter of centimetres, almost mounted the car in front which stopped and did a u-turn in front of him. We carried on. As we approached Moss Vale, the Gibster & Singo, in a state of complacency (euphoria), almost rear ended a car turning right on a corner. What a clusterfuck! (to quote Russ). We made it to Berrima only to find that our cafe, Schmokin’ was closed.
We sat and contemplated our blessings before farewells and a speedy return to Sydney.
Our gratitude to the Gibster for arranging what can only be described as another “Great Fox Adventure!”
Silver Foxes Motorcycle Club Australia 