Sydney to Brisbane - Day 7 - Yamba

What a crazy day this turned out to be!! I had a much bigger feed than normal before getting started today (normally just a banana and a coffee) as it looked like there could be a bit of distance between services. Also I was turning the pedals at 6.20am to try and beat the heavy traffic at Coffs, it was crazy busy yesterday. There is a steep climb first up, with some very hairy sections of road with very little space. Maybe the downside of my early start was that most of the traffic seemed to be trucks.

After cresting one of the hills I was zooming fairly quickly down the other side and heard the roar of both truck engines and braking...I have a small rear view mirror mounted which has saved my ass many times...and again it did here. 2 big rigs side by side were looming and there was very little shoulder. The truck closest to me couldn't manoeuvre as it had another truck right next to it, but it was trying to slow down. With no time to think at all there was a sharp left turn approaching and I pulled off some freakish breaking turn as the steel monster thundered past. It wasn't 'near death' or anything, there could have been enough room for them both to pass...but rule #1 with riding long distance in Australia is to get the hell out the way when more than 1 truck is passing!

Incidentally, Rule #2 is that a rear view mirror is your most important piece of safety equipment... more so than a helmet for long distance riding.

The road widened right up just a few km further on...and there was plenty of room for everyone! Up in the distance I could see a heavily laden touring bike powering up the hill...its always amazing to meet someone like minded...Ben was on day 70 of an epic from Perth, making my own ride seem like a jaunt to the shops and back. It was a good laughing & talking with him and swapping a few road stories...he was only a few days from home. 

Bianca made a friend

After riding together for a a while we parted ways at a servo...he was doing some roadside first aid after standing on a tent peg this morning. Ahh the glamour of cycle touring....first aid at a Petrol Station.

Onward I went...grateful for topping up water as there really is nothing north of Woolgoolga. South of Grafton there are massive roadworks and all bicycles have to take the old highway. The tarmac is rough here but totally empty of cars. I bumped into this Wild Horse which had a young foal in the bush on the other side of the road. 

Horsey!

It took a while to get past these awesome animals...the foal kept moving away from mum and towards the freeway whenever I moved. Also saw a large Roo here as well as the biggest snake I have ever seen....the thing was huge...it was roadkill...hate to see what happened to the vehicle that hit it.

Anyway, the route to Yamba got a little fiddly here...but went down some cool back roads like these:

This also turned out to be Home of The Birds...I got swooped and helmet pecked no less than 4 times in one area by Magpies. Unfortunately I don't know how to whistle 'I mean you no harm' in bird language while the birdy mums protect their young.

By the time I got back to the highway it had been 90ish km without a break and I was very hungry...like a beacon from the very heavens...near Tyndale, a bakery called 'Plantation Organic' appeared...and the food there is very yummy.

I got chatting to a couple who were on a "running holiday' with their toddler. Super friendly people and they had a few quick stories about their own adventures.

From here it was 30km into Yamba, and into an increasing NW headwind. The road here is not good for cyclists...take great care. But of course I always get there eventually.

Yamba is a wonderful town...stunning wild beaches and a sort of artisan natural feel to the shops and homes, it is surely a brilliant place to live in.

Sydney to Brisbane - Day 6 - Coffs Harbour

Kempsey wasn't the most glamorous town I have passed through. It was not possible to find anything for dinner that was not fast food, despite having a good walk around. The town had clearly fallen on harder times, with many boarded up businesses. Since most of the accommodation was booked up, I wondered what all the other visitors were eating, apparently many were fire crews and I'd imagine they'd want to eat well.

Anyway I got cracking at 7am and had a good solid push all the way to Macksville, about 50km. It was on the freeway again, and still very smokey...but quick miles. At Macksville there was 1 excellent coffee shop and I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine at the front, with a delicious brew.

After that it was a relatively short hop to Nambucca Heads, using a combination of rural roads and bike paths. The roads were narrow and hairy...so grateful to get off them. Nambucca Heads is stunning, rugged mangroves, perfect golden sand, and stormy winds. It is worth the short but steep climb to the various lookout's. Amazing how much smoke is around still...even here on the coast.

Nambucca Heads in Smoke Haze

From here I took Glinagey Way,  a rural B road which hugs the freeway north. The shoulder is not great here and I personally believe the freeway is safer...but admittedly the scenery is much better here!

Once in Urunga, I was a bit ragged and looking for shortcuts that were not really there, to get to Coffs. The better option is the suggested looping 41km on the coastal trail but this road was closed because of fires. So I just had to push on. Even a fairly big town like Coff's had amazing beaches.

Coffs Harbour

Tonight I washed my cycle gear as I've started getting saddle sores...a good Indian Meal and a good sleep will hopefully encourage a strong day pushing pedals tomorrow.

Sydney to Brisbane - Day 5 - Kempsey

Over a good meal last night and some online research it seemed the road north out of town had reopened and although a large fire was still burning close to the town, it was not threatening the route. 

The sunset at Forster, unable to get through the smoke

I packed up Bianca and was on the road before 7 this morning.

Originally I was planning to head into Port MacQuarie via rural roads recommended by the NSW Coastal Cycle trail. Problems is, there were 2 other large fires out of control East and South of the city. Risk, and road closures  forced my hand to take the highway option.

This also was not easy. Thick smoke blanketed the road and the ground was still smoldering just off the side of the road. My photos don't do it justice, I just wanted to get through as fast as possible...the main problem was breathing in the smoke, a NW headwind was blowing it all right at me. [and I later found out experienced as far south as Sydney].

Once on the highway, the smoke thinned a little before I got close to another cluster of fires near Port MacQuarie. At Johns River I took a break at a gorgeous cafe there. One staff member told me god was punishing us. The other busied herself with minor tasks, clearly a bit rattled. The nearest blaze was 16km away but the cafe remained open. I saw constant fire trucks and aircraft...folks with a tough job trying their best to protect other folks like the locals in the cafe.

Not robbing the cafe....it was for the smoke

Using a scarf over my face helped a little. I thought once I got past the turn off for the Port the NW headwind would push the smoke away and the turnoff was not far. There were no flames near the roads which remained open. So onward!

This was good motivation to ride hard. I ended up at Kempsey with 151km done by 2pm...a good run! I fell asleep within minutes of sitting down at my accommodation.

Sydney to Brisbane - Day 4 - Forster

There was no 8.30am morning ferry running this morning over to the oddly named town of Tea Gardens on the other side of the water, so I had till 11am to relax and refuel. I took the opportunity to wash and dry my cycling shorts...no doubt my butt will be very grateful (salt build up will encourage saddle sores...no thanks!) The harbour area is really pretty here, although I noticed a lot of haze to the north...and could smell bushfires.

Bianca was secured on the roof of the boat, and I was off. Its an hour crossing here and this is one you need to plan ahead and book.

For me this meant I would not be cycling till after 12pm and there are afternoon headwinds forecast. So, a shorter day was on the cards...maybe I will be able to get going very early tomorrow. After disembarking at Tea Gardens (yeah that really is the name of the place) I had a little explore out on the Western Coast. The wind was really picking up here and Bianca got blown over while I was taking this shot North:

But I managed to keep my pants on....

This does not mean, what you think it means

I road up to Bombah point on the beautiful and quiet sealed road, but into a strong northerly...as described here from some cam footage

Here there are 2 options: Either 22km up a dirt track to seal rocks, or take the Bombah ferry ferry crossing followed by a much longer round route north, but probably on much better roads. All enquiries I had made previously indicated the dirt road to seal rocks was very rough, even for MTB's...so I took the Bombah ferry option.

Bombah Crossing

Its a very short winch ferry situated in beautiful mangroves. No timetable...operates on demand and a bike will cost you the grand sum of $2. On the other side I had not managed to learn much info about the road, and found it quickly became unsealed, with a few corrugations in places...but OK on thin tyres...and for about 5km before becoming sealed again.

At the village of Bulahdelah, I stopped, very thirsty at its lone shop to get more water. A friendly old chap took a great deal of interest in the bike, in fact I was unable to steer the conversation any other way...I guess life takes a different pace in Bulahdelah.  Resupply turned out to be wise. Turning onto Scenic highway 6 there was a significant climb and by the time I'd pounded to the top, I was utterly dripping and immediately wishing I'd taken another water bottle or two. This is a beautiful forest, however keep your wits riding, the shoulder is poor.

There is a very small village at a place called Bungwahl, with 1 shop and a huge relief to get another cold drink...I wasn't in a good state here! Took a gel to get through the final leg into Forster.

This section of the road was amazing, especially in the Booti Booti national park area.

Due to the very late start the sun was going down and I really had to push to get to Forster before dark. The air here was thick with smoke as well, from a very large bush fire still burning just north of town. I have learnt to always check the state fire alert websites in Australia, plus this one was all over the news...so the fire wasn't a surprise. The volume of smoke however, was a surprise.  There was a chance I'd be in Forster a while till things settled down. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

Sydney to Brisbane - Day 3 - Nelson Bay

I got going just after 7am this morning after a light breakfast. It was a beautiful morning, clear sky's and no wind.. should be a cracker! On the other side of town after crossing the bridge over the harbor entrance, a good bike path follows the lake shore for a short while so I took that to warm up.

The path didn't last long but the road at least had a bit of a shoulder. There was plenty of traffic. Bianca has been making some horrible creaking noises and there is a vibration coming from the crank, so I had scouted out a bike shop to get her checked out...a slight detour of a extra few kms. Hadly cycles were amazing...the mechanic stopped what he had been doing and took a look her. It turned out just to be some bolts on the crank that were loose...the two I had not checked of course....duh...

With that all sorted I was back on my way and rejoined the route at a sensational railway incline bike path that connects up with the southern part of Newcastle. Whether in a hurry or not, take this route as it is both very beautiful but also quick if you are that way inclined.

The Fernleigh trail

I stopped midway here as I ran into another cyclist who'd had a breakdown. there were inner tubes and co2 canisters all over the place but all he needed was a pump and he was grateful for the assist. He warned me of bogan traffic in Newcastle.

Newcastle

Once in town I made the foolish decision to climb the hill over the harbour at Newcastle....shes a steep one!! But I was feeling strong today and enjoyed it. After that and a bite to eat I jumped on the short ferry trip across the harbour...this one seemed to run every 20mins or so, no planning required.

Bianca...isn't she pretty?

With roughly 40km to go, it was a mix of conditions on a busy road but an ok shoulder most of the time, just a lot of debris on it from the hot winds a few days prior. I took marsh road once closer to Nelson Bay, this is quiet and a good ride.(Note: no water here).

There are a couple of small but very steep hills just as you hit Nelson Bay. Great day! I felt really strong today and probably should have kept going had I checked the ferry situation more carefully.

Sydney to Brisbane - Day 2 - Lakes Entrance

Thankfully, I awoke early and feeling recovered from the effects of yesterdays hot weather, I got going as early as possible to cross the rest of the south side of the city. It was a Sunday morning and that surely helped! The other win, was the improvement in the weather as the brutal westerly had died off and cooler temps in the 20s prevailed...much better for cycling :)

Selfie

I got to Circular Quay without any major dramas and enjoyed the cyclist friendly ferry ride across the harbor to Manly. I'd broken my pump trying to get 80psi in my tires overnight and didn't want to ride further North without a replacement. Manly beach was a great place to get caffeinated and wait for the bike shop to open at 10am....the beach was crazy busy with surf schools and beach volleyball.

Manly Beach

I had a funny dream the night before that my tires were going constantly flat so it felt good to mitigate that risk...and soon after 10am I was on my way north with a couple of short steep climbs around the northern bays. It was a bit of a race actually I wanted to make the 12pm ferry to Ettagong. There was another one 2 hours later, but I prefer to be done riding earlier in the day...so made a crack for it and made it with a few mins to spare. The roads are not great around here...not much of a shoulder and the traffic was....ample. Gorgeous wooded sandy bays abound though...

Palm Beach, from the Ferry

It was a very nice boat trip however, and I then had time for this eggs bennie before leaving town. There was a good bike path initially of the town, great riding and loads of huge Pelicans in this area.

2nd Breakfast, 11'sies or Lunch?

Pelicans

Its a fiddly route needing many map checks and it took me ages to get the 100km done. A special highlight was a random runner who stopped to ask about my cycle shirt which is branded with the challenge. He was training for 21 half marathons in 21 days...sounded hard...

Bianca (the bike) is creaking a lot and I am now worried the bearings in the crank are going. I will try get her seen too tomorrow, though maybe lucky to get an on the spot service. Fingers crossed!

Sydney to Brisbane - Day 1 - Across Sydney

Time to get started! I wanted to begin this tour at the exact spot my last ride in to Sydney ended, at the train station Gymea. This may seem like a weird place to start or end a tour, but I had a breakdown at the time and was walking a broken bike. By starting this trip at the exact spot, I gave myself the option later on of completing a round Australia circumnavigation. I'm not certain I actually want to do this...but its all about having options!

For this trip I will be riding bike packing style and travelling light, but sleeping indoors. Goals for this trip are:

1. Complete the Great Cycle Challenge by riding 2000 km in the month of October and raise some money for https://www.cmri.org.au/
2. Ride from Sydney to Brisbane, unsupported

This is the bike setup:

So after getting the bike out of her box and putting her together amidst many staring tourists at Sydney airport....I got the train down to Gymea and then started cycling back north!  It was a stinking hot day in the mid 30s with a very strong westerly gale blowing, and not much fun navigating the industrial area around the airport especially...but at least I got this done.

By the time I rolled in to the Youth Hostel at Bondi, I was feeling sick and probably had a bit of heat stroke. I'd also broken my bike pump, so fixing these starting off pains was top priority for the 'real' start of the ride tomorrow.

As always on day 1, I have plenty of self doubts. Am I fit enough for this? What about all this traffic....and so it goes on...