TRAVEL

All courses start and finish in the historic township of St. Albans, only 2 hours North of Sydney where the community (and the third oldest pub in Australia) welcomes all competitors with open arms. The event centre is located on the corner of Wharf St and Wollombi Rd, opposite the Settlers Arms Inn.

ST ALBANS, NSW

Address
4 Wharf St
St Albans NSW 2775 Australia
Directions

To get to St Albans, there is a good chance you’ll be crossing one of the ferries (at least if you’re coming from the Sydney direction). Some navigation systems can have issues with this and often avoid ferries altogether. If you are coming from Sydney, and the recommended route suggests for you to take Bicentennial Road or even Putty Road to access St Albans, we suggest you reconsider. Try navigating to Wisemans Ferry first, cross the Hawkesbury via one of the two ferries noted below, and then continue on until you reach St Albans.

Travel Times

• From Sydney – approximately 2.5 hours
• From Newcastle – approximately 2.5 hours
• From Canberra – approximately 5.5 hours

From the North
Head South on the Newcastle Motorway (M1) and turn off at Peat’s Ridge Road exit (just after the Gosford turnoff) and follow the signs to Wisemans Ferry via Mangrove Mountain, Spencer and Gunderman. Continue past Wisemans Ferry (do not take the ferry) and the road becomes Settlers Road which will lead to St. Albans.

From the South
Jump onto the M2 motorway heading North and take the Pennant Hills Road exit. Turn right onto Pennant Hills Road. Take a left onto Castle Hill Road after 1 km. Then turn right onto New Line Road 500 metres later. Follow New Line Road to Dural. Then follow Old Northern Road to Wisemans Ferry. Take one of the ferry options and before you know it, you’ll roll into St Albans.

Ferry Option 1 – Wisemans Ferry
When you reach Wisemans Ferry, continue on Old Northern Road through the town. This will take you down to the river. Take the Wisemans Ferry (free and runs 24hr) across and turn left onto Settlers Road. Follow Settlers Road for 20km until you reach St. Albans.

Ferry Option 2 – Webbs Creek Ferry
As soon as you enter Wisemans Ferry, take your first left onto River Road and past the police station. Drive across the Hawkesbury River on the Webbs Creek Ferry (free and runs 24hrs) and follow St Albans Road North towards St. Albans (20km). St Albans Road is bitumen all the way to the township. Turn right across the bridge into St. Albans.

At the conclusion of the event try to make use of both ferries when travelling back to Sydney. If using Settlers Road, take it easy for the first 10kms as there will likely still be riders on the course. Due to the large number of vehicles you can expect delays getting across the ferries. Please plan accordingly.

When you get to St Albans follow directions from the RFS volunteers for Event parking.

As part of the St. Albans Fire Brigade’s fund-raising initiative, all vehicles accessing the day parking area will be charged a $10 parking fee. This will be taken at the gate, please have the correct change handy and help support the people who look after your well-being out on the course.

CAMPING

Various camping options are available on Friday and Saturday night.

• Camping in St. Albans Village ($10 per vehicle)
  There are a number of paddocks scattered around the St Albans village that are available for camping. Campsites will be available on a first come first serve basis. Once capacity is reached, all other campers will be directed to the day parking area on St. Albans road outside of town.
• Camping at the Day Parking Area ($10 per vehicle)
  Once all the campsites have filled up in the village, all other campers will be directed to the overflow/day parking area. This area is still within walking distance of the village. Camping is also charged at $10 per vehicle, with all proceeds going to the fundraising initiative of the St. Albans Bush Fire Brigade.

Please Note: There are no showers available at these campsites, only toilets. If you do have a camper trailer, you can bring a camper trailer to the event and park in the camping areas.

OTHER ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

Camping not your thing? Accommodation is available at the following B&B’s and guesthouses:

Retreat at Wisemans
The Retreat at Wisemans borders the majestic Hawkesbury River in the historic village of Wisemans Ferry, just 40 minutes from St Albans or an hour’s easy drive from northwest Sydney, Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley. With 54 comfortably furnished rooms, the Retreat offers delightful Hawkesbury River accommodation and conference facilities overlooked by the towering escarpments of Dharug National Park. Our friends at The Retreat at Wisemans are kindly offering all registered Convict 100 participants, family, and friends 15% off their bookings, just mention “CONVICT100”.

A: 5564 Old Northern Road, Wisemans Ferry NSW 2775
T: 02 4566 4422
E: Email

Settlers Arms Inn
A: 1 Wharf Street, St Albans NSW 2775
T: 02 4568 2111
E: Email

St Joseph’s Guest House
A: 1029 St Albans Road, Lower MacDonald NSW 2775
T: 0418 293 732
E: Email

The Sun Resort
A: Lower MacDonald NSW 2775

The Courthouse
A: 19 Upper Macdonald Road, St Albans NSW 2775
T: 0403 360 026
E: Email

Del Rio Riverside Resort
A: 3004 River Road, Wisemans Ferry NSW 2775
T: 02 4566 4330
E: Email

Price Morris Cottage
A: 37 Upper Macdonald Road, St Albans NSW 2775
T: 02 4568 2121
E: Email

Bandusia Country Retreat
A: 1056 Upper Macdonald Road, Upper Macdonald NSW 2775
T: 02 4568 2036
E: Email

FOOD

Dining is available at the following locations:

Event Centre

Temporary food vendors will be cooking up a storm at the Event Centre on Friday and Saturday. CASH ONLY. There is no phone reception at St Albans.

Coffee Van

Caffeine junkies take note – There will be a coffee van stationed in the village to take care of your coffee needs. They will also have a variety of muffins, cakes, soft drinks and other odds and ends for sale. The coffee van is open on Friday and before the race starts on Saturday morning. CASH ONLY. There is no phone reception at St Albans.

Settlers Arms Inn

Appropriately named, this is the third oldest pub in Australia and a great location to get stuck into some real country food. They’ve got a number of items on the menu ranging from $10 upwards. They’ve also got the usual beers on tap for any last minute carbo loading!

The Pickled Wombat

The Pickled Wombat is a new licenced café located one street back from the river on Bulga St. It’s open for breakfast, lunch & dinner from 9am to 9pm on Friday and Saturdays, and 9am to 3pm on Sundays, serving fresh, quick meals and tasty treats such as bacon & egg rolls, scones & cakes, burgers, & pastas.