Tues 28th Oct – Adelaide to Sydney
After a great week in Adelaide licking our wounds from what felt like a failed expedition to the Mawson Trail we decided to return early to Sydney and do some more cycling around there. After all we still had 2 weeks before we had to return to work! Amazing Adrian (the name by which we will forever be known to us!) dropped us off at the airport for what was probably one of our worst airport experiences with bikes to date – we had already checked in online, but had to check our baggage in and then wait for 2 hours before we could drop it off. And in that 2 hours the airline couldn’t decide where we would drop it off – and yet another check-in was required. We also had to open the bike boxes (which were taped closed) so that the baggage handler at the over-size drop-off point could sweep or bikes for explosives! But eventually it was done, no excess fees other than what we had paid and we were on the home run for Sydney. Got picked up by a very moan-y taxi driver who told us everything awful about living in Australia as well as his health problems. It was a relief to get back to base. We could then put down roots for a few days before heading off again – during which Nigel’s nephew Max and his girlfriend Beth came to visit, which was lovely.
Monday 3 Nov. Austinmer —>Kiama —> Nowra 50km
A short ride to Thirroul to get the train to Kiama, which was fairly straight forward and just over an hour. Around the corner from the train station was the famous Kiama blowhole – a sea cliff cavern that spouts seawater upwards and the largest in the world apparently. And it makes a great “woomph” noise when it does it. We were lucky enough to see some really big surges in our short time there.
Then we were off to Nowara where we would base ourselves for the week.
The start of the ride was fairly enjoyable and not too hot. Just before we had to join the Princes Highway we met 2 cyclists coming in the opposite direction who were one day 74 of crossing Australia from Perth – and they had one day left to go. They looked pretty skinny and knackered!
We had no way to avoid joining the Princes Highway for 5km, which was pretty awful with lots of speeding traffic and trucks. And if that wasn’t bad enough we had a magpie swooping us to scare us away from her nest, which was slightly petrifying.
A coffee break with lovely sea views in Gerringong and then back on the coastal riding path. There were quite a few hills on the journey so far and this continued until Gerona where it then flattened out a bit. The route took us through Seven Mile Beach National Park, where unfortunately you can’t see the beach from the road….
…so we made sure to take a lunch break on the beach, which is a pretty spectacular…
…but also a hostile beach in that the waves were big and rough and there was lots of sand flying around. Our sandwiches really did have sand in them! Back through the National park, which is always interesting in terms of the sounds you hear along the way.
The rest of the route was pretty dull to be honest – we stopped at Shoalhaven Head which had nothing of interest and then through a very industrial Bondaderry before we got to base in Nowra.
Showers, a supermarkets visit, dinner and an episode of MKR – My Kitchen Rules which is our reality TV show of choice at the moment…a cooking show where various couples compete against each other.
Tues 4 Nov Nowra —> Currarong —> Callalla Bay & Calalla Beach 82km
We set off to explore the area around Jervis Bay and our route took us on quiet rural roads with wide open fields and farms and then through Jervis Bay National Park which similar to yesterday had some great gum trees and plenty of weird whooping bird noises.
There was no where to stop really until we got to Currarong and although Google showed 3 cafes/coffee shops in the area none of them existed. The grey sky that had lingered all morning decided to give us an almighty rain shower – luckily we had a picnic shelter and toilet block to take refuge from it. Currarong beach was nice enough and had a nice river flowing into it…
…but once the rain cleared we headed off again – back the same route with a plan to stop at Callala Bay. We realised Calalla Bay does not mean beach or sea area, but the townstead. But it had a cafe and bakers so we decided to stop. Pulling in, an old boy, John, stopped us to chat about our bikes because he is interested in touring bikes. After a lovely chat and a recommendation for the bakery rather than the cafe he also gave us his number in case we had any problems while in the area. While munching on a rock cake and caramel slice outside the bakery, another not-so-young cyclist stopped to chat. Brian was 80, originally from Norfolk and was a £10 Pom who arrived in Australia in the seventies. He’s now 80, cycles 25km every day as well as walks, and was a very inspiring person to chat to for 20 minutes! He recommended we visit Calalla beach which was only 5km away so off we went. It was definitely worth the visit …
…but just as we were leaving the heavens opened again and for the second time that day we had to take shelter around a toilet block!
The ride back to Nowra was tough as we had a really strong head wind and side wind – and gusts were up to 45mph so at times we really had to hold on tight and try not to be blown into the middle of the road – and that was hard as we had had a long day on the bikes. We also hit rush hour so the road was a lot busier than it had been in the morning.
We were also chased quite a long way by a very determined Jack Russell along the way. No idea how we had disturbed it but we obviously had. And this was our second dog “incident” of the day as we had one run alongside us barking as we came into Currarong earlier!
We were pretty pooped when we got back to base – so the usual routine of shower, dinner and MKR!
Wed 5 Nov – Nowra —> Berry 25km
Opted for a shorter day today so we took a 10-minute train from Bondaderry (the industrial hub we cycled through on Monday getting to Nowra) to Berry – a lovely little tourist town with nice shops and cafes. We wanted to do a short hike to Drawing Room Rocks (a recommendation) for views over the valley – and to get there we had to cycle up a fairly steep hill. The gradual ascent became tougher and tougher and although it was hot and sunny we were predominately in the shade, which was good, as the final 25 mins were particularly tough. When we got to the top we locked the bikes and set off through forest bush on our hike, which was also uphill.
But absolutely worth it for the views when we got to the top. We could see from Gerrora along Seven Mile Beach all the way to Nowra!
When we arrived there were quite a few people there but they eventually left and we had the place to ourselves for our lunch.
The descent back into Berry took us only 15 minutes!
…and we spent the rest of the afternoon people watching over coffee and cake before taking the train back to base in Nowra.
Thursday 6 Nov Nowra —>Tianjara Falls 81 km
We decided to go inland today towards Tianjara Falls, which was a pretty uneventful 40 km ride along a quietish road for most of the way. And it’s the type of riding I love – very little around us other than the sounds and smells of the forest.
You could still see signs of scorch marks on the trees from the bush fires of 2019 which was quite shocking. We were cycling across Australia at the same time so remember it well.
Along the way we passed a HMAS naval base and there was a certain stretch of the road that had quite a few speeding trucks and towed caravans on as there was a turnoff to the Princes Highway – and they didn’t always leave a lot of space for us so with Nigel’s rear view mirror we could get off the road for these.
When we got to the Falls it was boiling hot. And there was only a little trickle of water to be seen…
…but it was a pleasant place to have lunch all the same. Three Germans/Dutch tourists arrived while we were there but they didn’t stay long and we had the place to ourselves again.
Although it hadn’t been the easiest ride to get there I hadn’t realised how uphill it has been until we started for home and we freewheeled about half the way home which was great.
We were back to base earlier than our usual time, so decided to go for a walk. Ben’s Loop is the local favourite and at 5km not too long so off we went. It was a stunning walk along a river, forest, chunky outcrops of rock, and a suspension bridge.
Apart from one runner along the way we met no one else – until Nigel heard a rustle in the bushes and saw a red bellied black snake cross about 3 feet in front of him. Once the shock subsided he was quite chuffed he had seen it – and Robin our AirBnB host told us it’s quite rare to see one so Nigel was doubly chuffed. And it is Australia’s no. 10 most poisonous snake!
We had been invited by Kris and Robin from our AirBnB to join them at their local trivia quiz tonight Kris couldn’t make it but we had a great evening with Robin and friends Paul and Paula at the local bowling club (aka the bowlo). (We thought it was a 10-pin bowling club but it was actually bowls!). We didn’t win the quiz but came joint second, which wasn’t a bad show for two blow-ins on a short visit!
Leave a reply