A fantastic ride! The first 400km of this journey were characterized by bad wind-karma, and I’d have gladly sacrificed a goat if I thought it would’ve made the slightest bit of difference.
3 to 14 September 2017. Around Sydney |152 km|
I chilled out for 10 days in Sydney – got the bike serviced, changed the oil change on the Rohloff gearbox, replaced the broken rear light – and even got my watch fixed.
Thursday 14 September 2017. Petersham · Coledale |87 km|
I managed to get away at 10.00am after packing and repacking a few dozen times and attempting to resolve the age-old weight-versus-necessity dilemma, unsuccessfully, for the nth time. I didn’t take any food, but did pack some extra “civilian” clothes and a few more tools and spares.
Only a few kilometers into my ride I had to wait for a long time at bridge deviation works near Sydney’s main airport and had a good chat to one of the workers. It turns out he is Irish from the same immediate locality (Wellingtonbridge, Co. Wexford) as my lot and even knows a couple of the brothers-in-law. Small world!
My route south took me into the Royal National Park, and I charged up for nearly 2 hours at the Audley tearooms in very pleasant surroundings. Not far after Audley, as I reached the coast at the scenic Stanwell Tops lookout, I started to encounter the strongest head- and cross-winds I’ve yet experienced cycling, and battled them for the rest of the day. The bike handled a bit weirdly, but there were no real dramas.
In spite of the head wind I made pretty good progress and got to my intended destination for the day, the surfside municipal caravan park at Coledale by 5pm, where I was beset by a vicious gale all night long. The tent held firm; not so the rubbish bins in my vicinity – you know, those big green ones with the yellow lids that are prevented from opening too far by a metal yoke-thingame – well, the lids kept slamming repeatedly until they smashed themselves to pieces. Back to design school on that one…
Friday 15 September 2017. Coledale · Berry |177 km|
I noted in my diary at the time “…the hardest day’s cycling I’ve yet done, due to the vicious and nasty buffeting head- and cross-winds; but very fulfilling and enjoyable all the same, especially the section from Bulli to Shellharbour that is mostly cycleway along the beachfront.”
I covered a record distance on that second day out of Sydney from Coledale to Berry, but managed only 80 km range per charge due to the fierce head wind, and so 3 charge-up sessions were required.
The nice lady in charge of the Berry campground let me stay for free, so completely lathered did I look when I got there.
Saturday 16 September 2017. Berry · Ulladulla |86 km|
The wind was just as strong as the previous day for the first 3 hours after getting away from Berry at 8.30 am.
Then the sky began to darken and it opened up 4 km short of the town of Milton, where I sheltered under the bus stop in front of the court house and took the opportunity to charge up for 2 hours.
With my poor karma, the rain almost stopped for that whole time I was waiting, only to pick up again in earnest as soon as I moved off, and it continued to rain steadily all the way to Ulladulla. All wet and bedraggled, I decided to stop in Ulladulla for the night, at the Headland Tourist Park camp ground.
On the plus side, my pitch was right next to the kitchen and so I could relax in there a bit: on the minus side, the ground under my tent was completely waterlogged, and also I was right under a powerful street lamp that burned all night.
Sunday 17 September 2017. Ulladulla · Narooma |125 km|
The wind died down a lot. Just as well, because it became quite hilly.
I quickly plowed on through Bateman’s Bay, which looked like an interesting city but a bit touristy, and stopped for a while at Moruya at the 80 km mark, where I had some nice seafood in a public BBQ shelter on the banks of the Moruya River, slightly marred by a group of uncouth youths who decided to use “my” electric BBQ (there were plenty of other ones free) to ‘cook’ some oysters and discard them, stinking up the generally trashing the place. Never mind, the council workers will clean it up – it’s their job – was their attitude.
Moving right along, I got to Narooma, where for $30 I was given a nice dry level pitch with my own table and bench at the Surf Beach Caravan Park, right next to a retired couple in their van who shared a bottle of red with me.
Dinner was cheap, plentiful and of high quality close by at the local Golf Club – for $22, I had salt and pepper squid starter and roast lamb for main course.
Monday 18 September 2017. Narooma · Eden |134 km|
Well, the wind may have abated around Moruya alright but then I had endless bloody hills to complain about.
Both Muga and Bodalla deserve a mention as nice towns to stop at if you’re ever coming through that way. A strong easterly picked up after Bermagui, but hills were the main challenge now, and would remain so right into Victoria and past Cann River. Endless hill after bloody hill. I charged up in Tathra for nearly 2 hours and still only just made it the remaining 80 km on to Eden.
So, exhausted, I decided to treat myself to a night in a soft bed at the Whale Fisher Motel in downtown Eden, which is right across the street from the Eden Fishing Club. I don’t know how they got the planning permission for it, because it is completely out of character with the rest of the main street, but the Club is one of those licensed premises typical of most NSW country towns where gambling subsidizes the meals, so I got to pig out on a cheap and wholesome seafood basket.
-ends-
Always entertaining. Keep up the pedaling & photo taking. Cheers.