No gentle country bike-ride by any means, the Goonoo State Conservation Area – half an hour north-east of Dubbo – seemed an unlikely route for the hugely-popular Mendooran Food Cycle held this month.

However, despite initial committee concerns about isolation, fire-trail quality roads, and sand patches, the location has proved one of the most popular legs of the community-created 400km Central West Cycle (CWC) trail for everyone from city novice riders to experienced mountain bikers.

Its rugged beauty, wildflowers, and silence, have won over thousands of participants in recent years, CWC Secretary David Allworth observed.

“Novice to the most-experienced bicycle tourers have lapped-up the ironbark-cypress landscape of Goonoo,” Mr Allworth revealed.

“Since 2020, thousands have ridden through, most them coming from urban and coastal communities where long stretches of quiet roads are more difficult to find,” he revealed.

For those keen to take on this classic area of central west bushland, it’s not all hard slog, however, Mr Allworth added.

The Sunday signature ride heads into Goonoo with a pull-up-a-seat morning tea beside the iron-barks mid-route of the journey.

“With recent rains, riders should also be treated to a forest in bloom,” he said prior to the event.

The Mendooran Food Cycle weekend has, as its core, rides around the district, but it also includes history walks, craft sessions, visits to distilleries, soap-making, and more.

A highlight of the tour is the “Tastes of Mendooran” event at the local showground on the Saturday night.

The Mendooran Food Cycle is a prime example of how bicycle tourism can boost small local towns.

“The CWC trail which has brought thousands through the towns of Mendooran, Geurie, Ballimore, Goolma, Gulgong, Dunedoo, and more, has been created without government financial support, solely using voluntary funds and some sponsorship,” Mr Allworth said.

“The return on dollar invested has been astounding,” he concluded.