Glen Innes hosted a posse of journalists riding top-of-the-range BMW motorcycles on the weekend as part of the launch for a new map detailing the best motorbike touring routes in New England.
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Member for the Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall officially launched the dedicated motorcycle touring map as part of a smart partnership between the six local councils of New England High Country, Hema Maps and BMW Motorrad at NSW Parliament on Wednesday, November 14.
Glen Innes Severn Council’s Graham Price attended the official launch at Parliament House in Sydney, with a group of fans waiting at History House to greet the touring group when it arrived on Saturday.
"We are punching above our weight with the partnerships we’ve been able to generate, which will bring more visitors to Glen Innes Highlands,” council's economic development manager Margot Davis said.
The partnership between six local government areas, BMW Motorrad and Hema Maps has put the New England High Country region literally "on the map" for motorcyclists.
The famil had taken them up the Oxley Highway to Walcha from Port Macquarie on day one of a five-day tour.
They then headed off to Inverell via Uralla on Thunderbolts Way and after overnighting there, stopped for lunch in Tenterfield on Saturday. They continued on to Glen Innes and stayed the night before riding to Armidale on Sunday. On Monday morning it was back to the coast along the Waterfall Way.
The launch of the map is at the centre of New England High Country’s My Favourite Corner campaign designed to entice riders to the region that boasts some of the best rides in Australia across Walcha, Uralla, Inverell, Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Armidale.
The map caters for a wide variety of riders and features the region’s top eight rides, covering Thunderbolts Way, Waterfall Way, Old Glen Innes Road, Gwydir Highway, Oxley Highway, Tourist Drive 19, Bruxner Highway and Mount Mackenzie Drive.
The chief executive officer of Hema Maps, Rob Gallagher, said his company was proud to have worked with the six local government areas, BMW Motorrad and New England High Country.
And to celebrate the launch of the New England High Country map, BMW Motorrad has chosen the region as the host of the 25th anniversary of the popular annual BMW Safari touring programme in 2019.
Next April the ride will start in Windsor, NSW, before trekking through the New England High Country.
This is an incredibly exciting partnership for us
- BMW Motorrad general manager Andreas Lundgren
"This is an incredibly exciting partnership for us," said BMW Motorrad general manager Andreas Lundgren.
"Not only have we helped create an Australian-first with the New England High Country map, but we are also able to properly delve into the region with the 2019 BMW Safari which is a wonderful opportunity for us and our customers.
"We're so proud to make the region more accessible to more riders through the map, and we can't wait to welcome our customers to the beautiful roads and tracks during the safari next year."