Archive for January, 2019

Sydney Rides #11: Sydney Harbour

Posted: January 23, 2019 in Australia, Cycling, Sydney Rides
Tags: , , ,
6

Start: Home
End: Home
Total distance: 107km
Strava link

With uncertain weather forecast, this was a ride staying near home. The goal was to visit the three heads of Sydney Harbour – the north, middle and south heads, and to swim at as many beaches as possible.

Sydney harbour is amazing with so many beaches, heads and points of land, many as parts of the Sydney Harbour National Park. This gives the feel of being far away from it all, even though you are only within minutes of civilisation.

Sunrise at the North Head

Sunrise at the North Head

View from the North Head

View from the North Head

Looking at the South Head from the North Head

Looking at the South Head from the North Head

My little friends

My little friends

The Middle Head

The Middle Head

The Middle Head

The Middle Head

Bradleys Head

Bradleys Head

Shark Beach

Shark Beach

Sydney Rides #10: Baal Bone Gap

Posted: January 22, 2019 in Australia, Cycling, Sydney Rides
Tags: , , ,
4

Start: Lithgow Station
End: Lithgow Station Station
Total distance: 120km
Strava link

This ride through the backroads behind the Wolgan Valley interchanged between the racket of a group of motorbike rides and the serenity of being along gazing over the beautiful expanses of the Wolgan Valley.

After a mud bath standing next to a sizable puddle (see the video) and traversing some steep rocky roads, I pushed my way out onto the Glen Davis Road which was the start of a race to get back to Lithgow to catch the last train leaving at a reasonable hour. I arrived at Lithgow station at 19:47 and the train left at 19:48. *Happy*

The back road behind the Wolgan Valley cliff faces

The back road behind the Wolgan Valley cliff faces

View out over the Wolgan Valley

View out over the Wolgan Valley

The Wolgan Valley back road

The Wolgan Valley back road

The bikers near Baal Bone Gap

The bikers near Baal Bone Gap

The road down from Baal Bone Gap

The road down from Baal Bone Gap

Heading towards Glen Davis Road

Heading towards Glen Davis Road

Heading towards Glen Davis Road

Heading towards Glen Davis Road

Sydney Rides #9: Royal and Dharawal National Parks

Posted: January 12, 2019 in Australia, Cycling, Sydney Rides
Tags: , , , ,
4

Start: Home
End: Macarthur Station
Total distance: 135km
Strava link

With thunderstorms forecast at lunch time, I started cycling from home at 3am to get some kilometres done. Wattamolla Beach in the Royal National Park for sunrise and the Dharawal National Park for the isolation before returning to the train at Macarthur.

Wattamolla Beach at sunrise

Wattamolla Beach at sunrise

Maddens Falls

Maddens Falls

Dharawal National Park

Dharawal National Park

Dharawal National Park

Dharawal National Park

Sydney Rides #8: Tin City

Posted: January 3, 2019 in Australia, Cycling, Sydney Rides
Tags: , , , ,
5

Start: Newcastle Station
End: Newcastle Station
Total distance: 88km
Strava link

Tin City is a collection of tin shacks on an endless beach surrounded by sand dunes. 4x4s drive along the beach, and so I thought I could do that too – with my bike.

At my first attempt, I failed to make it to the beach at all, being hemmed in in the soft sand by nesting birds on the shore side, and active mines on the far side.

At my second attempt, I made it to the water by pushing my bike through soft sand. The sand was also soft along the shoreline, forcing me to return to the road.

My third attempt saw me leave my bike at the base of the sandhills and walk to Tin City.

Sunrise at Newcastle

Sunrise at Newcastle

The soft sand highway

The soft sand highway

The bike and the sun

The bike and the sun

Looking down

Looking down

The road to Tin City

The road to Tin City

Tin City

Tin City

Tin City

Tin City

An Adelaide pie floater in Newcastle

An Adelaide pie floater in Newcastle