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.

Highlight of the day:  The cliff top walkway.

Another great cycle path.

Jen looking happy!

Will taking a rest from pushing the bike.

Jen on the cliff top walk.

Relaxing by the tent in Shellharbour.