Tuesday April 22, 2014

Today was another rest day – I needed to get the taxes done and update the blog.  Graeme offered to take us around the area again and we took him up on the offer.  We went in to the wineries area and started drinking wine at 10:30 in the morning.  I was trying the Semillon and Chardonnay wines and Ralf was trying the Shiraz.  I think both of us had a bit of a buzz on by 11:30.  Graeme took us to four wineries, two smaller ones (family-run), one medium sized and a bigger more corporate one.

Graeme knew one of the people who works at this vineyard.  We got very personalized service and a lot of information about the area wine growers. All the tastings were free!

He also took us to a massive winery which all the tour buses usually stop at.  It had gardens and gift shops, very commercialized.  We didn’t do a tasting at this winery. We bought Sue and Graeme a bottle from one of the original smaller wineries, but didn’t buy any for ourselves as it is rather difficult to carry it on the bike.  The woman who is the Cellar Sales manager at Ivanhoe Wines is also from Nottingham (the world is getting smaller).

The wineries area was very pretty, but I am glad we didn’t have to cycle through this area, as it was hilly.

After we visited the wineries, Graeme then took us to the City of Newcastle.  It is a big city and has a large port for shipping coal and grain.  There is a lot of regeneration happening with plans for large apartment buildings.  On the outskirts of the Central Business District (CBD) were two very nice beaches.

We had a great day and saw areas that we would not be seeing on our trip as we are heading up the coast tomorrow.

Monday April 21, 2014

I was awake early as usual, but we were not going to leave until after 8:00 because the breakfast was free and we needed to get our key deposit back.

Last night we shared the hostel with a group of Irish/Scottish couples – the girls went out shopping in the afternoon and the guys were getting drunk in the hostel.  Why do I mention this?

At any of the hostels we have stayed at, we put our water bottles in the fridge in a bag along with any food that needs to be refrigerated.  We have not had any problems with people taking our stuff.  Last night, we put our water bottles in the fridge and added another bottle of water for our hydration packs that are attached to the bikes.  We needed to add another bottle of water in the fridge, so we used our wine bottle (rinsed of course).  This morning when we went to get our water bottles the wine bottle was missing.  I would have loved to have seen their faces when they thought they were drinking a nice glass of wine and it turned out to be water!!

Tonight we are staying with Sue and Graeme in Carey Bay (Toronto) we had met them in New Zealand (Masterton).

It was a lovely ride, fairly flat and bushland until we got to Morriset and then hilly into Toronto.  I love the names of some of the Towns,  so good they name them twice.

The roads were fairly good and for the most part had a shoulder. We arrived at Sue and Graeme’s just after 1:00 pm.  We had a lovely lunch and a nice shower and then they took us for a drive of the area around Lake MacQuarie.  The Lake is about 150 kms around and is very pretty with lots of nice little bays with coffee shops on the lakeshore.  It is similar to Lake Simcoe, except without the ice floating on it.

We also went out to the old mental institution!! This is an area that has hundreds of kangaroos.  Some people go out to this place and feed them (bread) not a good idea.  We could get quite close to them, but didn’t touch them.  As we were leaving we spotted these two having a fight.  Graeme was just saying they were playing, when they started kicking and scratching at each other – no they were really getting into it.

Best of all a mum kangaroo with a joey hanging out of her pouch – awesome.

Ralf caught this one, which I think the Joey looks very uncomfortable, maybe Mum is telling him its time to move out.

Sunday April 20, 2014

We are on the road again.  We decided to take the train out of Sydney to Gosford to avoid the traffic and I didn’t want to ride on a highway (motorway).

We were late leaving because my new tires were rubbing against my mudguards.  We spent about half an hour sorting out my bike and then we headed downtown to the train station.  The tickets cost $8.50 each for a 2 hour journey.  Because we started at the Central Station we were able to get the bikes in a carriage in a secure position and have a seat as well.  In NZ they had special areas where you could put the bikes, not in Australia.

When we got out at Gosford, we took the road to The Entrance. This is actually the name of a Town. It was quite a nice day, sunny and warm.  The route was very nice, a few hills out of Gosford and then flat to The Entrance.

When we got into The Entrance we went into the Information Centre and discovered that there was no camp sites available in the Town or up the coast, because it is the Easter long weekend and school holidays.  We are staying tonight in another backpackers hostel, it is clean and managed by a guy from Nottingham (small world).

The Entrance is famous for its pelican feeding.  At 3:30 every day the pelicans are fed, apparently it is very popular.  It started with the local fish monger feeding them the scraps at the end of the day, then the pelicans decided to wander up to the fish monger to be fed.  Now they get fed by a group of volunteers.

The Town is a very busy seaside town a bit like Wasaga Beach. There is a nice cycle path which takes you along the beach area for abut 14 kms.

Wednesday April 16 to Saturday April 19, 2014

Woo hoo we are in Sydney.  Twenty-nine years ago I had plans on coming to Australia, then I met Ralf.  We have finally got here together and I couldn\’t have wished for a better person to share this adventure with.  He is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Last night after we had settled into the YHA and had dinner, Ralf and I sat down and we both wrote down what we wanted to do while we were in Sydney. Then we checked each others list and they matched, the only extra thing on Ralf’s list was the Military museum, but not bad for 28 years of marriage and we still agree on things we want to do together.

We then had to decide when we would do what, not forgetting the essential stuff like updating the blog, and cleaning the bikes and planning a route out of Sydney to Brisbane.

We were both awake early and had breakfast and was out of the hostel by 8:30 am.

We decided we would check out the Harbour Bridge walk and walk inside the pilon, take in a tour of the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and maybe a ferry ride across the harbour.

We decided not to do the Bridge Walk, it was too expensive and although we would probably have got some awesome photos we decided we could get some good photos from the top of the “pilon”.

We walked across the Bridge and up the pilon and then had lunch on the other side of the harbour.

Ralf has got some great photos of the bridge and the Opera House.

After lunch we caught the ferry back to Circular Quay and wandered up towards the Opera House.

We were going to do the Tour of the Opera House but unfortunately we couldn’t get in because Will and Kate were due to arrive.  Bloody royals spoiling my plan.  Thinking of my friend Celeste, an avid royalist, I said to Ralf it would be really neat if I could get a photo of Will and Kate for Celeste.  We waited for them to arrive and then had to wait an hour and a half for them to finish their engagement inside the Opera House before they came out to greet the crowd.  Ralf got a great photo of them.

Thursday April 17, 2014

Today’s plan was to have a wander down town, get my tire replaced and check out bike shops, camp stores and just take in the atmosphere of the downtown.

This is the part of Sydney where we are staying, it is about 2.5 ks from the downtown and is very Bohemian – that is what the guide book says anyway. We were awake early again and after breakfast we walked towards the downtown area.  We spotted a local bike shop and popped in to see if they had any Schwalbe tires for my bike.  Yep they had the perfect tires for my bike, we walked back to the hostel for the bikes.  They replaced the tires and the tubes, Ralf also got his bike checked out as his back brakes were rubbing. His wheel needed to be trued.

After leaving the bikes at the bike shop, we continued to walk downtown again.  I stopped at a hairdressers and got my hair cut.  While we were downtown we checked out 5 other bike shops and no one else had 26” touring tires.  We also found the street that has all the camping/outdoor stores.  We both would really like to find a decent pillow.  The two things we really miss, are good towels and good pillows. Whenever we get to a warmshowers or stay in a motel/cabin it is so nice to have a good pillow and a fluffy towel.

Throughout the downtown of Sydney they had these statues of rhinos – there were about 100 of them in different guises.  They were going to have an auction at some stage in the future.  Joy I have put a bid on this one for you!! Not really.

This guy was a \”living statue\”.  We saw him again later when he was putting his stuff away and he told us about the busking licenses they have to get and where he can perform.  Apparently there are discs embedded into the side walk with letters in them for instance QP which means quiet performance area.  All the buskers have to get a license and abide by what the disc indicates – quiet, musical etc.

We have found a difference between the people who stay in backpackers/hostels and camp sites/caravan parks.

The campers we have met are primarily that, on vacation and staying at a camp site for a week or so.  They are generally interested in what we are doing and where we are going etc.  Some of them are permanent stays, but are still very friendly and like to talk about Oz and the Town we are staying in, giving us advice where to go and what to see.  Backpackers are not always young people, we have met a range in ages from 18 to 60.  Apparently there are 40,000 over 60 year olds ‘travelling’ and working in transient jobs throughout Australia every year.  The lady I spoke to was over 60 working in a variety of tourist related jobs around Australia.  She had decided to do it for 2 years and is still travelling and working 2 years later, she intends to carry on doing it for as long as she can.  The other backpackers are generally younger people who are on a ‘gap’ year and are travelling from one place to another.  Some are working, but they stay at hostels with other backpackers and in my opinion do not always get to see and talk to regular Australians.  We are so fortunate in the way we are seeing this country and able to talk to the average Australian, especially when we stay with warm showers hosts.

Friday April 18, 2014

We actually had a lie-in, until 8:00 am.  We made a lovely breakfast of cheese omelette and fruit salad with yogurt.  It kept us going for our visit to Bondi beach.  One of the things we have noticed about backpackers is their very unhealthy eating habits.  Part of it is because they don’t know how to budget and cook but today we watched a young couple eat the most unhealthy, bizaare breakfast ever – Tim Tams (chocolate biscuits) dunked in milk followed by white bread, also dunked in milk.

Today we took a bus to Cogee and then walked along the coastal route to Bondi.  When we arrived in Cogee, Ralf noticed this sky-writer and pointed it out to me.  I gave him a big hug and pretended that he had done it for me. People around us thought it was lovely.

It was a long walk about 7.5 kms but very nice.  There were a lot of people walking the route as it was a lovely warm day.

Ralf had to go out on this ledge.  I was having kittens and got annoyed at him, he could have fallen to his death. I thought I had better get a photo of him before the ledge broke off!!

We had a second breakfast at a café in Bondi, then had a wander along the beach and caught the bus back to the hostel.

Yeah I have actually been to Bondi Beach.

The YHA here offers various activities and different meals for a good price.  On Wednesay night when we arrived we joined them for their pizza night $5.00 a pizza.  Today, Friday is BBQ night, BBQ and a beer for $5.00 each can’t complain at those prices.

Saturday 19 April

Today\’s plan was to clean the bikes, visit the local market and go to the Convict museum.

I cleaned the bikes while Ralf headed into Town for a much needed hair cut.  He looks much better now.  I must admit I was beginning to nag him.  He had never let his hair grow this long before.  He hadn\’t had it cut since leaving Canada in December and he was beginning to look a little unkempt (in my opinion).

After a quick lunch we walked to the local Saturday market.  We thought it might be a farmers market but it was actually a market with local crafts, food and clothes.  We both enjoy wandering around markets, even if we are only window shopping and not in the market to buy anything.

We then caught the bus to the Historical Barracks, which houses the convict museum.  It was really interesting, you could type in your name and find out if you had any convicts transported from England.

Now my maiden name (Hall) is quite a common name and that is probably why there were 10 pages of Halls that were transported to Australia – not one of them, am I related to according to my Dad!!  There were only about a two pages of Coopers (my Mum’s maiden name) again it is a very common name.

We are now getting ready to leave Sydney tomorrow and head up towards Brisbane.  Our last leg of the Tour de Down Under.

Tuesday April 15 2014

We left Wollongong on a lovely bike path that took us all the way to Thirroul.  Wollongong redeemed itself with the bike path that left the Town.  The path is a multi-use all the way, and for the most part well signed.

When we took these photos of the steel works and the port area there were 9 tankers waiting to get into the port.  This port ships Australian coal to China.

Allan and Paul (warmshowers host) had recommended that we take the train from Kiama into Sydney – primarily because the route gets progressively more urban and the car drivers more aggressive.  We decided that we really wanted to see the Seacliff Bridge and we would deal with the car drivers.  Once again the majority of drivers were courteous and gave us ample room.

We were first told about the Seacliff Bridge from Noel (the Information Centre Volunteer) in Orbost.  Ralf at some time saw a photo of the bridge and really wanted to cycle along it.  The Seacliff Bridge was constructed so the piers and bridge deck are well away from the rock fall hazard.  It is 665 metres long and took 18 months to build.

Unfortunately, the Seacliff Bridge does not have a  cyclepath along it.  We decided to ignore the “No Cycling” and cycled slowly across it – giving way to pedestrians.  Share the road, that is the most important thing to remember.

Ralf and I on the pedestrian way, with a cyclist on the road!

After the Seacliff Bridge we headed into Coledale and then up the hill to Stanwell Park where we caught the train into Sydney.  The train cost us about $6.00 each for an hour and a half on the train.  There were no dedicated carriages or areas for the bikes, we had to stand and hold the bikes all the way.  New Zealand trains had dedicated carriages and on the train from Wellington a dedicated area that passengers had to give up if a bike commuter needed the space.

Once we got into Sydney we needed to find a hostel as we were unlucky finding a warm showers host.  We found a lovely YHA in the Glebe area of Sydney – a nice bohemian area with boutique shops and lots of little restaurants and coffee shops.  Easy access on the bus into the City or to the beach.  We have finally decided to sign up for YHA membership.  It saved us $55.00 for the 5 nights and we also get discounts at some attractions while we are in Sydney and possibly other places where we will be staying.  We will also be able to use it throughout Europe and the rest of Australia.

Monday April 14, 2014

A little overcast to start the day, then the sun came out and it was a lovely ride.

The route was an off-road bike path all the way to Minnamurra, approximately 20+ kms. We meandered along the bike path, cycling up little off-shoots of the bike path to see what we could see.

The surf was really quite amazing all the way along the coast – partly due to the weather and the cyclone that hit northern Queensland.  Although we are a long way down the coast, from where the cyclone hit, the weather for this area has been affected by the weather further north.

Even with taking the time to explore the coast a little we were making good time until we got to Port Kembla, when the heavens opened and it poured with rain.

I am convinced that Ralf and I are solar powered, when the weather is good and sunny we really make good time.  As soon as it starts raining or it is overcast, our speed drops.  It should be the other way around, we should speed up to get out of the rain.

The off-road cycle path started again south of Port Kembla and we could have outskirted the downtown of Port Kembla and the steel works. We should have continued to follow the bike path around Port Kembla but decided to take the road – the more direct route to Wollongong.  The problem arose when we arrived on the out skirts of Port Kembla/Wollongong and got to the steel works, which is a massive plant and goes on for about 4 kms.  We could not find the cycle path again and when we did we were on the wrong side of road, we had to cross four lanes of traffic to get on the other side of the road to get back onto the cycle path.

Entering Wollongong from this direction and in the rain did not show Wollongong at its best.  Our first impression of Wollongong was that we were coming into the back-side of a very industrial City.  According to the guide book “Wollongong is a beautiful and sophisticated city that has outgrown its reputation as an industrial backwater”.  Unfortunately with the steel works and the coal port, our opinion is that it still is an industrial backwater.

Once again we enter a town in the rain and this time the closest camp site is another 5 ks away.  We decided to stay in a backpackers hostel.  It was a very interesting hostel, an old house which needs a lot of work to maintain it.  The house had a myriad of Thai and Balinese furniture.  When we decided to make dinner, the kitchen was absolutely chaotic and messy.  The residents were primarily young backpackers and surfers.

After settling into the room and having a nice hot shower we walked back into the downtown to find a grocery store.  The whole of the downtown core is being dug up.  Not sure for what purpose, but 4 city blocks are in accessible to cars.  You cannot see from one side of the street to the other due to the boardings that have been put up to protect the public from the road works. The Town, in the meantime it looks like a construction site from one end to the other.

Wollongong is also the first time that we have seen beggars, in Australia.

Sunday April 13, 2014

Once again we had an early start.  When we do not have a tent to pack up we tend to get going quicker.  The forecast is for more rain, but the day started clear and dry and the sun came out later – it was a good day.

We followed Paul’s directions towards Nowra and then took the coastal route towards Gerringong. Nowra is a big industrial town.

The coastal route was flat but a fairly busy road as this is the start of school holidays for NSW and as we found out later there were some major road works on the Princes Highway. Often on this ride we have cycled through a town which is just a dot on the map and there hasn’t been anything else there – just a dot on the map. As were coming up to the dot on the map called Gerroa, we were hoping for a small café that we could have lunch (or a second breakfast) it had this wonderful sign – Ralf commented let’s hope it has more than a road sign and is not just another dot on the map.

Gerroa has a lovely caravan park, and next door to it had a great café, we had a very good bacon and egg sandwich and coffee which was reasonably priced and carried us through until dinner time.

As we cycled out of Gerroa and towards Gerringong the road turned gradually upwards and we started climbing up the hills through Gerringong.  At Gerringong, we couldn’t find the coastal route to Kiama so had to take the Princes Highway.  It had major road works for about 3 kms, as it was Sunday no works were being undertaken. We managed to get on the other side of the concrete dividing wall and were relatively safe.  When we joined the main road again we were on an incredibly busy road into Kiama.  The first exit we could take off the A1 we took it and we came into Kiama through Kiama Heights.  We cycled straight to the Information Centre and found the thing that makes Kiama famous and that is the Kiama blow holes.

The surf along the coast was very high due to the winds that resulted in the cyclone in northern Queensland.  Lower down the coast we got high winds and big surf.

The Kiama blow holes also were very active.  We spent about 2 hours watching the surf and the blow holes.  We found a great campsite right on the hilltop overlooking Kiama town site.  It was clean and had good facilities, and was inexpensive.

We managed to get a load of washing done and I have sent some emails out for warmshowers in Sydney.  There are a lot of hosts in Sydney so hopefully we should be lucky and get somewhere to stay.  The only disadvantage is that it is coming to the Easter week-end and it is school holidays.

Saturday April 12, 2014

We woke up with rain on the tent, a wet start to the day. This was the first day that we actually packed the tent in the rain. We managed to get the tent down without the inside of the tent getting wet.

The rain stopped as we set out but, it was a very grey and overcast day.  The route was undulating, not too hilly.  Unfortunately, it rained on and off all day.  Only 10 kms out of Ulladulla and half way up a hill I got another flat tire on the rear tire.  We replaced the inner tube and found the nail that had pierced the tire – definitely need to get the back tire replaced as soon as we can.  It also started to rain again.

We called our warm showers host to tell them we would be later than expected.  I must admit I was hoping that they would say they would pick us up, but they didn’t and really, it is not part of the warm showers responsibility.

We got the tire fixed and carried on in the rain.  It continued to rain for the rest of the ride.  Again no photos of this day, although the scenery was very nice.  We arrived at Paul and Maggie’s house at about 3:30 pm, soaked to the bone.  Maggie was out playing her ukulele and arrived home about 5:00pm.  We had a lovely hot shower, and settled in with a cup of tea.

When Maggie got home she suggested we go out for dinner to a lovely little town called Huskisson.  It is on the coast and has some very nice shops, coffee shops and restaurants.  The RSL Club we ate had a “Chippendales” show on that night, Maggie and I decided not to watch it!  When we got back to Maggie and Paul’s, Paul and Ralf sat down to plan the route to Kiama.  Paul suggested a route that was very scenic, but was 67 kms and we still would not get to Kiama.  Ralf and I modified the route to better suit our new riding style. Sometimes we do not take the advice of locals, especially if it is going to be a hillier ride than we really need to do.  Riding a fully loaded touring bike is a little different from riding a light road bike.

Friday April 11, 2014

We were up early this morning and we were on the road by 7:30 the earliest start for a long time.  Due to the fact that we were in cabin last night and had everything ready to go. The day started off overcast, and quite humid.  We had a couple of hills to climb out of Batemans Bay and then the rest of the route was undulating.  Most of the hills were very manageable, but because of the wet roads, we were not always able to get the downward momentum before going up the other side.  The weather was damp and humid with some rain, about two hours into the ride the sun came out and we arrived in Ulladulla in the sunshine.  Although the forecast was for rain overnight we decided to camp.

Because of our early start we were finished before noon.  The campsite is close to the harbor and the downtown of Ulladulla, which is very handy for shopping.

The problem with wet, rainy days, is that you don’t get the camera out to take photos.  Although the route today was mainly through forested roads and not very scenic.  Ulladulla is quite a large commercial town and apart from the harbor is not very scenic.  Apologies to anyone from Ulladulla who might be reading this.

The rain started again at 5:30, we will have a wet night in the tent.  Hopefully, tomorrow we will be able to get the tent dry. Tomorrow we are staying at another warm showers in Falls Creek (just south of Nowra).

Thursday April 10, 2014

I was awake at 6:00 (first light) and was packed and ready for breakfast by 7:30.  Marie cooked us a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and toast.  We were ready to go by 8:30 (ish), photos were taken of us with our loaded bikes and of we went along the continuation of the cycle path through Dalmeny and onto the A1 (Princes Highway).

The weather was rather grey and threatening rain.  Forecast for rain for the next couple of days.  Allan offered to drive us to Batemans Bay or we could stay with them for a couple of days until the weather cleared.  We declined both offers, although very tempting.  We need to press on.

We stopped in Bodalla to have a look at this lovely church.

The organ is only one of five that was shipped to Australia from England in the early 1900’s.  It is still used and is regularly serviced, which is why it is in good working order.

We met two touring cyclists on the road, they were from Quebec City – Pedro and Johanne.  They have been on the road for 4 years and will be back in Quebec in June of this year.  They have primarily wild-camped.  Not something I really want to do, but we may decide to do it, when the weather is better.

We had a lovely lunch in Moruya, baked potato, cheese, bacon and sour cream – it was huge.  Ralf and I shared one.  Unfortunately it was a lot of food to digest and both of us felt a bit stuffed for about an hour.

Of course by the time we had finished lunch it had started to rain and it continued to rain the rest of the afternoon.  We are staying in a cabin tonight.  It was awesome to stand under that hot shower and then put clean clothes on.  I could not imagine having to find a “safe” place in the woods, put up a tent while it is raining, prepare dinner in the rain and then snuggle down in a cool damp tent.  Not for me, I will spend the extra money and be warm and cosy.