Today we biked from Umina to The Entrance. We started by backtracking to Ettalong then continued on a busy road through Bensville (we thought nephew Ben would like this) and a string of towns. The towns started to join up and then it seemed like urban biking with lots of roundabouts and traffic lights. There was a good cycle lane for part of the route and traffic was good to us. We ended up at The Entrance which is a town at the mouth of Lake Tuggerah.
The Entrance has long been a holiday town for Sydney people and looks like it has seen better days. We set up the wet tent and walked across the bridge to do some groceries. The day seemed to disappear and we’ve decided to make an earlier start tomorrow to leave more time in the afternoon after biking. Tomorrow we will bike to Swansea on the outskirts of Newcastle then on Thursday we will bike into Newcastle, the 6th biggest city in Australia. We are looking forward to visiting Newcastle as we’ve heard good things about it’s architecture, art and culture.
Yesterday, day 42, was a day off in wonderful Manly. We slept in after our big night out then had brunch. We then went for a walk along the Manly promenade and spent some time watching the surfing competition. After that we walked along the pedestrian Marine Parade to Shelly Beach and climbed the headland. We found a big rock to sit on and each lunch and we watched the humpback whales cruising up the coast chased by a small flotilla of boats. We then walked back to motel and relaxed for the rest of the day. When cycle touring and spending all day outside, it’s nice to occasionally spend time indoors on days off.
Today we left Sydney by cycling from Manly to Palm Beach then caught the ferry to Ettalong. We started by cycling along the beach then through beach suburbs. It was slightly frustrating navigating through the streets but we finally found a marked cycle route. We made our way through the northern beaches with great views of the ocean. It is Queens Birthday Monday so traffic was heavy on main roads and got very busy as we worked our way up the peninsular. Fortunately everyone was very patient and relaxed driving which made it OK. We arrived in Palm Beach which is a nice holiday seaside town on the end of the peninsular. We then had a very relaxing 2 hour wait on the wharf for the ferry. The ferry from Palm Beach to Ettalong took 30 minutes and just as we arrive the weather changed and a few spots of rain started falling. We then biked along the foreshore to the Ocean Beach Holiday Park and quickly set up the tent. Luckily the rain passed and the evening was OK.
Writing this blog we usually stick to the rule ‘if you haven’t got anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all’. In this case, the Ocean Beach NRMA Holiday Park is the worst we’ve stayed in. Reception staff were perfunctory, no kitchen, TV lounge closed at 5pm, shower and toilets were weird with low doors anyone could look over. We don’t need bouncy pillows, swimming pools and kids clubs. All we need is somewhere to sit with lights as it gets dark at 5pm….so we went to the pub.
Highlight of the day: Waiting for the ferry in Palm Beach
Today was a truly fantastic day in Sydney. Our goal today was to get from Cronulla in the south east to Manly in the north east of Sydney. We didn’t want to cycle through Sydney as that doesn’t sound like fun, so as always planned, we took public transport.
We walked the short distance from the hotel to the Cronulla train station. We had lots of little questions in our minds. Things like ‘will our bikes fit on the train with panniers?’; ‘will we have time to load our bikes on the train?’; ‘how does it all work?’. It couldn’t have been easier! We arrived at the station, bought our tickets (bikes travel free) and wandered through the mega wide gate to the platform. A train was waiting to depart in 15 minutes which gave us plenty of time to put the bikes on the train. They easily rolled on and off and the whole exercise was very easy.
The train went directly to Martin Place in the Sydney CBD. From there it was a short stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Opera House. We pushed our bikes past Circular Quay and took some photos from The Rocks side. We had a nice lunch then jumped on the Manly Ferry. Again it was easy getting on and off the ferry and there were even bike racks on the ferry.
We arrived in Manly at 2pm and walked through the bustling pedestrian mall called The Corso to the beach. Manly beach was a hive of activity with surfers, volleyball, walkers, rollerbladers, runners, bikers, kids, a large surf competition, and lots of youthful fun. We slowly biked along the beach to our motel, checked in and then headed straight back out to soak up the atmosphere. We watched the surf competition, strolled and ended up at a cool bar that faced the beach and had big cane chairs, funky music and Moa beer on tap. After a beer we headed back to the motel, got changed, and then took the ferry back to the city to watch Vivid Sydney. It was madness as there were lots of people on the ferry and thousands of people packing Opera House and Rocks areas.
Vivid Sydney was spectacular! Buildings and art installations are lit up with video and effects. See the video Will took below of the Museum of Contemporary Art building and the Opera House. After watching the displays we headed to The Rocks area and found a great classic old Australian pub called The Mercantile and had dinner while watching the Lions vs Reds rugby match. After the match we made our way back through the crowds to the ferry and headed back out to Manly. Today was a rare late night out on this trip.
Reflecting on the highlight of the day, we had difficulty pinpointing one event. We enjoyed taking the bikes on the train and ferry, youthful and vibrant Manly, spectacular Vivid Sydney, having a beer in great bars and watching a surf completion. Today was a memorable day in the great city Sydney, one of our favourites!
We can’t imagine a better way for cyclist to arrive in Sydney. We started the day in Stanwell Park. It was a bit of a shock to the system as the hill rose straight out of Stanwell Park. It was also nice knowing this was the steepest hill of the day which was over within 30 minutes. The day’s riding was through the 2nd oldest national park in the world, Royal National Park. Almost 95% of the park was burnt during the 1994 bushfires but from the road we couldn’t see any evidence due to the Australian flora’s ability to regenerate. We cycled through tall trees with very little traffic. We saw many lycra-clad road cyclists and chatted to them as they overtook us.
By noon we arrived in the pretty harbourside village of Bundeena which is surrounded by the national park. Although Bundeena is the end of the road and a considerable distance from Sydney by road, it is only a short ferry ride from Cronulla. We had a two hour wait for the ferry and so we sat on a park bench with a great beach view and ate lunch then chilled. The ferry was quiet busy with a large Probus group who were very chatty. The small ferry delivered us to Cronulla with great views of the harbourside homes of the rich and famous. Our accommodation was then only a few hundred meters from the ferry.
Cycling into a big city is always daunting and usually involves suburbs, industrial and commercial areas and busy roads. We got to arrive in Sydney by cycling a quiet forest road in a national park to a beautiful beach then a quaint ferry ride. An amazing way to arrive in Sydney for cyclists!!
Highlight of the day: A national park then ferry ride arrival into Sydney.
We started the day in Shellharbour by packing up the tent and setting off at 9am. Today was rare as the first 30km was on the fabulous Wollongong cycleway. It’s a real treat to cycle on a purpose built cycleway for so long. From Shellharbour we travelled along the coast with great views of rolling surf, surfers, people strolling and nice houses. We then crossed the bridge and headed towards Port Kembula on the cycle path.
Port Kembula is one of the most industrialised areas in all of Australasia. We have never seen anything like it. Factories, steel works and heavy industry. Chimneys belching smoke and steam, huge flare towers with flames over 5m high, dust, weeds, trucks and trains, an acrid smell, noise and low clouds. It seems surreal to be cycle touring on a great path through all this heavy industry. After Port Kembla we biked on the cycle path next to a very busy road before arriving in Wollongong at the foreshore. It was immaculately groomed with people lunching, kids playing, yachts and the sun came out. We stopped for lunch and soaked in the view.
After lunch we then cycled, still on the cycle path, through the northern beaches of Wollongong. Some were covered in graffiti and dog poo but as we headed further north the suburbs got flasher and flasher. We stopped in Austinmer to go to the supermarket and we must have talked to 6 or 8 people who were interested in our trip. All were posh well-spoken ladies. Houses and cars got flasher and this is obviously a desirable area to live.
Things got a little hilly and the cycle path finished but all drivers were extremely courteous and it was fun cycling. To top off the day, we next cycled over the amazing sea cliff bridge. We couldn’t take a photo that did justice to how amazing it was so we’ve included a stock image. We arrived in Stanwell Park at 2.30pm and settled into the apartment we rented for tonight. We had considerable trouble finding somewhere to stay in this area and it took many phone calls yesterday to find this apartment.
Today has had extreme variety between beautiful surf beaches, posh suburbs, some less salubrious areas, and the extreme heavy industrial area. Most of the day was on the excellent cycle path and the people of Wollongong who initiated, backed, implemented and maintain the cycle path should be applauded.
Highlight of the day: The cycle path through such a variety of landscapes.
Cycling through suburbs with the huge ever-present chimney
Nothing much to report. We spent most of yesterday getting the bikes serviced. We cycled on a great cycle path along the beach then along the shores of Lake Illawarra to the bike store. The staff were friendly and we left our bikes to get serviced and walked back via Shellharbour City Centre, a mega-mall. We went to the movies (The Great Gatsby in 3D, 5.5/10) then did some groceries before cooking dinner for Dan and Em. It was great to hang out and chat.
Today the friendly couple of grey nomads next to us offered to drive us over to pick up the bikes. It was very kind of them as we didn’t fancy walking back 10km. We cycled back from the store on shiny bikes and have just hung out looking at the view this afternoon.
Tomorrow we continue our journey north through Wollongong to Stanwell Park. Friday we’ll be in Sydney, exciting!!
Yesterday we had the day off in Nowra. We probably wouldn’t have chosen Nowra for a rest day but it rained most of the day so we hung out watching TV and relaxing. We also spent quite a bit of time researching our path through Sydney and booking accommodation. Up until now we have simply turned up at a town and found either a caravan park or motel. But Sydney in a different beast and it was challenging (entertaining for Will) to find places to stay.
This morning we set off from Nowra to Shellharbour where Dan and Em live. The first 25km was flat, amazingly flat and we seemed to fly along. We got to Gerringong and had an early lunch. We chatted to a nice mountain biker who confirmed our plan to take the coastal walkway. There is only one choice of road heading north from Gerringong, the motorway like Princes Highway. The other option was to use the coastal walkway which goes over the headlands and bay between Gerringong and Kiama to the north. We decided this would be safer and an adventure.
After crossing a short stretch of sand we had to unload the bikes and lift them over a gate, reload them then started pushing up a hill. The track was wide mowed grass and occasionally mud. Large parts of the 6km track could be ridden, especially on a mountain bike, but we chose to walk. We walked because it was kinder on our bikes which are hybrids and although happy on many surfaces, wouldn’t be happy on a track like this. With the weight of the panniers it would be easy to buckle a 700 wheel. We also weren’t sure if biking was allowed and didn’t want to cut up the wet grass track. The walk was nice and the views were spectacular with pounding surf and rocky headlands. It took us longer than expected and we arrived in Kaima at 2pm and had more food. We then biked on cycle path all the way from Kiama to the outskirts of Shellharbour. We wound our way through acres of suburbia to the pretty old beachside town of Shellharbour and checked in at the Caravan Park.
We plan to spend 3 nights in Shellharbour visiting Dan and Em plus getting our bikes serviced. We consider this the halfway point on our trip from Melbourne to Brisbane so it’s a good time to do some route planning, sorting and fixing of bikes.
We didn’t want to leave Huskisson but we have a plan. It is due to start raining later today and rain all of Sunday. So we wanted to move on to Nowra for tonight and probably tomorrow. We then aim to be in Shellharbour to visit Dan and Em from Monday to Wednesday. It’s probably not ideal for them to have us visit midweek but we will make our way through Wollongong and be in Sydney for next weekend. We figure it will be easier to transit through Sydney at the weekend, a long weekend here in Australia (Queen’s Birthday).
So we left Huskisson after a cooked vegetarian breakfast at a café and cycled along nice quiet country roads. We met the Princes Highway and had little choice but to cycle it for 5km. It was terrible. Motorway style with no verge, very heavy traffic, 110km/hr then road works. At least the traffic had to slow for the road works. It was bliss to get off onto BTU road, a quiet road that meant a little extra distance and a wee hill, but better than the highway. From here we will make every effort to not use the highway if possible as it’s a beast of a road that looks like a motorway.
We arrived in Nowra at lunchtime just as it started to spit although it hasn’t rained properly this afternoon. We checked into a motel and went for a walk around town. We don’t think many tourists come to Nowra but we like it as it has many services and some nice areas.
This afternoon we are relaxing. This time last week we were down in the Sapphire Coast. We have done 300km in the last week and feel we are making good progress heading north.
Highlight of today: Turning onto BTU road off the Princes Highway.
Today we passed 1000km and today was meant to be the second day of this hard stretch in NSW.
We started on a great cycle path that wound it’s way through bush in town. It’s always a nice way to start the day’s biking as it eases you into it. After such a nice start, we were then on the highway again. The first few kilometres were hard work as there was no verge and it wound it’s way through towns and had lots of traffic. After 20 minutes it opened out in the countryside and the verge became better.
There were some substantial hills in the morning. We cycled over some impressive viaducts that spanned gullies on the biggest hill. As we got further north the traffic increased and the road got more congested. It was a pleasure to turn off down a quiet country road to St Georges Basin then on a long cycle path all the way to Huskisson on Jervis Bay. We enjoyed most of the cycling today and it’s nice to know that is the hardest stretch finished.
We like Huskisson!!! Will went for a swim on a beautiful beach and then we walked along the beach to town, had a beer at one of the many bars then had a curry for dinner. Huskisson feels a bit like Wanaka and has a buzz even at this time of year. A very nice place.
Batemans Bay to Ulladulla didn’t sound like it was going to be enjoyable. The Lonely Planet says today and tomorrow are the hardest days in NSW, mainly due to the highway and hills.
We got up and were on the road by 9.20am. The first couple of kilometres were through suburban streets and on a cycle path. We then joined the Princes Highway for the rest of the day.
At this point we would like to make a confession. We’ve been calling the number 1 highway the ‘Princess Highway’. While turning onto the highway this morning, Will noticed the sign said ‘Princes Highway’ and thought it was a spelling mistake. When we saw another sign with the same spelling, we thought it might be a different road. This evening we looked it up and it turns out there is no ‘Princess Highway’, only a Princes Highway. It was named after the Prince of Wales during his visit in 1920 which annoys Will as it should have a possessive apostrophe and Prince’s Highway.
As soon as we joined the Princes Highway we saw two cycle tourists ahead. They were biking at the same pace as us and we eventually caught up with them when they stopped for a break. The two Korean cyclists are on a trip from the west of Melbourne to Cairns and they started the same time as us although have travelled a different route. We had a quick chat then carried on and then had morning tea with them and saw them again during the day. They are the first cycle tourists we have seen and we are the first they have seen. It was nice to swap stories and chat about cycling.
Although the entire day was on highway, it was a nice ride, there was a reasonable verge and traffic was OK. It was made special by seeing other cyclists.
Ulladulla was a pleasant surprise. Will didn’t have high hopes because the town has ‘dull’ in it’s name. In reality, Ulladulla is set on a beautiful harbour and the caravan park was in a prime location with great views and big trees. Today was warm, 22 degrees and it’s getting nicer the further north we get.
Highlight of the day: Meeting other cycle tourists.
