(Temporary Backup) Day 2 Dunstan Trail 70 kms

The day started at 6.30 am with us up for a shower and pack our bags ahead of taking the van to Ian’s place for breakfast at 7.30am

Breakfast was great with cereal and toast then we were on our way to start the days ride at Smiths Way at 9.45 am. The route today was along lake Dunstan which is a man made lake used to store water for the hydroelectric system . The country was very dry as is most of the central Otago region which does have a lot of wineries… when I say a lot it really is something to behold!

The trip along the lake to Cromwell was delightful with some very expensive holiday houses on the bank of the lake and some beautiful inlets with boats etc.

The properties along the lake are in excess of $1.00 million! The owners live in the bigger cities of NZ and fly to Queenstown and take the short drive to their holiday homes.

The weather started coolish but warmed up as the day went on with it being quite hot on the afternoon! The Garmin was registering temps of 32 degrees centigrade!

At Cromwell we had morning tea at the bakery with good coffee and carrot cake for me.

Then it was on to Coffee Afloat on Lake Dunstan for lunch. This is a cafe located on the lake on board 2 speed boats which are fitted out with expresso machines on one board and a grill on the other for the food which for me was a venison burger… all good EXCEPT after lunch we had a big climb of about a km and about 400 metres….silly me for having the hamburger!

The views as we progressed along the trail were stunning and the track was quite interesting in places with some parts quite narrow and some interesting bridges attached to the rock walls all very interesting engineering!

There was a second quite big climb of about 1.5 kms with several switchbacks and some interesting views again at the top…

The next stop was the Dunstan rowing club for a break to get water in the lake which was a blessing. Ian, the van driver had a swim and advised that the water was quite warm for the first few feet but cooled off as you got deeper!

After a short break we then traveled the last 15 or so kms to Alexandra where we had our accommodation at a caravan park. The cabin we had managed to fit all 8 of us comfortably and the facilities are good.

After cleaning bikes and sorting out washing we had a Mexican dinner in the town which was good.

The day was a good one for us all as discussed at the end of the day and we almost completed 70 kms 

My health situation seems okay with the change of dressing on the leg wound

Looking forward to tomorrow on the Central Otago rail trail 

Here we are at the start of the ride!

Handsome bunch all kitted up!

View of lake Dunstan and you can see some of the trails 

Lunch at Coffee Afloat!

Venison hamburger was great but not good for the climb after lunch!

Another view of the lake from the top of the climb

Hugo’s bridge along the tail

The Dan wall and hydro power station at Alexandra near the end of the ride

Day 1 NZ Ride

Today was the first day on the trail ride in the South Island of New Zealand 

We have 5 Aussies being led by 3 Kiwis including my riding pal Chris Jones. I have done several rides with Chris over the years and he has been keen to host me in his home country!

It was an early start for the 4 of us who left from Melbourne being Rob Baker, Steve Seymour, Ellio Stocco and myself. The cab arrived at 3.30 am to take Rob and I to the airport with another cab picking up Steve and Ellio at the same time from their homes.

We arrived at the airport around 4.15 am and we’re almost the only ones there!

Ellio and Steve had a bit of a problem with space and had to come in 2 cabs…

After waiting at check in until 5.00 am we then made our way through checkin and had a well earned breakfast in the Qantas lounge 

The plane left on time at 8.00 am and the plane flight was uneventful to Queenstown 

Our arrival was terrific with Chris, Ian and John from NZ there to meet us with the special tour sign.

After the special welcome it was off to Arrowtown to Ian’s “Bach” to unpack our bike boxes and assemble the bikes which was done with the help of plenty of bike tools and equipment.

My bike unfortunately had a gear cable problem which needed help from the local bike shop back near the Queenstown airport which fortunately had a great bike shop where the repairs could be done. I then road tested the bike by riding a couple off kms to the airport where I was helping Chris welcome Phil Eager who flew in from Brisbane. Once again the sign was part of a special welcome for Phil!

We then traveled back to Arrowtown to help Phil set up his bike and load our bikes on to the trailer specially modified by Chris to transport our bikes between trails on the 3 weeks we are here in NZ.

After this it was off to dinner at a lovely restaurant and a walk in the lovely historical town.

After this it was back for a briefing at Ian’s batch and to the youth hostel/ holiday park for the night 

A great first day with warm weather which suggests the ride should be great!

Looking forward to a sleep after an early start to the day!

Bikes loaded on the trailer with Phil looking very pleased!

Loading the bikes!

The bike trailer and van at the Queenstown airport 

Ian on right and Chris with the welcome sign as we came through immigration!


Bike packed and luggage for the trip at home 

Day 14 - Broadford to Melbourne

Today started with a bit of fog when we woke at about 6.30 am!

After getting dressed we made our way across the road to the local cafe/service station to pick up an egg and bacon roll and fruit juice for breakfast.

We were on our way at 8.05am and the fog had cleaned….Ellio’s turn to navigate…. We started in the wrong direction but after a short time we realised the error and made amends. 

The ride to Wandong was through lovely country and the road was very good with the sun shining and birds singing….a wonderful day!

After coffee and cakes at Wandong it was again good riding to the outskirts of Melbourne but the traffic was building up. A reasonable road shoulder made it reasonably safe but for a couple of clowns yelling at us and honking.

On reaching the outer suburbs we made our way to the Darebin Creek Trail for most of the ride home. 

We stopped on the trail for a sandwich lunch near Thomastown and met some lovely people having a bbq waiting for their disabled son to join them..unfortunately he had to cancel.

We had another stop for afternoon tea at “Stephen Seymour’s coffee shop” which was a good break!

The rest of the ride was interrupted with trail flooding where the Yarra and Darebin creek met and through the flood plain near the Burke rd bridge 

We finally made it home to Kenmare st at 3.15 pm in the sun!

It was the end of a magnificent and challenging ride from Sydney to Melbourne 

We have covered 1136 kms and climbed 10,443 metres 

Our only mishaps were the rain preventing us from doing the leg from Wagga to Albury and one puncture!

We had some challenging days with the weather but overcame them with typical Aussie and Kiwi determination.

Special thanks must go to Chris for organising the navigation and keeping both Ellio and I honest to use navigation rather than our gut feel. Also for teaching us new tricks on our Garmin's and using cycle.travel.

Also special thanks to Ellio for joining the ride from Albury…. He had a great time.

The initial reaction on finishing the ride and having a tea at Kenmare st was joy in completing the challenge. I am sure we will all reflect on the achievements we made on our journey  and savour the special moments we had.

Well done Chris and Ellio for your special friendship!

The start of the days ride…

On the road….

Here is Melbourne…. Almost home!

My 2 riding buddies!

Oh … oh. There is no way over this water on the trail near the meeting of the Yarra and Darebin creek 

My tattoo!!!

No it is grease from the bike chain!

Day 13- Euroa to Broadford

Today was just a beautiful day for riding…

- there was virtually no wind

- there was virtually no rain!!!

- the temperature was coolish to start off with but warmed up as the sun came out !

So we started riding after a quick breakfast at a cafe in Euroa. We were on the road by 7.30 am and made our way to Avenal for morning tea. It was in a cafe which previously housed the station. It was a hive of activity when we arrived as the food and coffee were great.

We then made or way on to Seymour for lunch.

As we made our way to Seymour the land become more hilly. This was in sharp contrast to the past couple of days where the roads were dead flat!

At Seymour we had lunch outside the station with takeaway pies and cakes from a lovely cafe.

After lunch it was on to Broadford with the roads going through more hills as we made or way.

We finally arrived at our hotel at around 3.15 pm.

Great day of riding with the enjoyable company of Chris and Ellio. 

Breakfast at Euroa at the cafe which was open early!!!

Morning tea at Avenal… great cakes and coffee and a real buzz of action!!

A creek we crossed where the flooding has recently receded 

A view of the foothills near Broadford 

A view towards Broadford 

Note the sun!!!!

Day 12- Wangaratta to Euroa

Todays ride was again in the flat country north of the great dividing range in Victoria.

Looking at the weather map earlier this morning it was looking ok for most of the day but it was rather cool. It was time to layer up with gear.

We made good time to Glenrowan where we had morning coffee and had a look at Kelly’s last stand.

After this it was on to Benalla for bike repairs as Ellio had a broken cable on his rear brakes. The repair shop was called Wheelie Awsome!

Whist the repairs were underway we had another coffee and sausage roll in the next door cafe which was run by Headspace a disability provider. It seems they run the bike shop as well. We had a delightful chat to a local couple who were in the cafe and as usual they were interested in our ride.

After coffee it was on to Violet Town but we were held up with a tyre puncture from Chris’s bike which was duly repaired.

Arriving at Violet Town we had a late lunch and drink and were able to chat to the local council representative who was full of information on the region. 

After this it was on to Euroa along a road that turned into a real bog which even the biggest tractor would struggle to make progress!

We pressed on for about 7kms in the slush and to make matters worse it started to really rain hard!

Now throughly saturated we made our way on sealed roads into Euroa!

I made a trip down the Main Street to see whether Phil’s bike lock was still on the bike stand….. well no it was not there…in fact there is an entirely new stand there now…. Sorry Phil!!!!

At this stage the rain was really coming down and so I waited to make my way to the motel.

Now thoroughly saturated, dirty with mud it was in to the shower for a thorough clean and warm up.

After this we organised the laundry with the motel owner and then we went to dinner at the Seven Creeks pub where I enjoyed a meal of bangers and mash

Today was a good day of adventure and I am pleased we made it through relatively unscathed!

It was a day where we travelled about 92 kms and climbed 262 metres 

Euroa…. No lock on the bike stand Phil!

What a bog!!!!

Chris fixing his puncture 

Travels along Harrison Road!

Day 11- Albury to Wangaratta

Last evening we were joined by Ellio Stocco from my riding group in Melbourne…. He caught the train up from Melbourne to join us on the last 4 days into Melbourne….

After briefing him on the ride and sorting out his Garmin to download rides etc we had a delightful roast dinner at the hotel…. Roast pork chops and vegetables!

After a good night of sleep we awoke to a reasonably good day with some clouds and even a bit of sun!

We started at about 8.30 am and made our way through  aaaaqAlbury to the Murray River which was right up to the bridge almost. There was water everywhere along the floodway near the river!

After crossing into Victoria we then made our way to Barnawatha for a lovely coffee stop run out of a caravan next to the post office. The lady serving us was delightful and it seems the place to go for bike riders as several groups of riders from Albury stop there.

After coffee we made on to the lovely town of Chilton and enjoyed the history of the place which started during the 1850 gold rush. 

Being not ready for lunch, Ellio and I found a lovely cafe/ winery where we were able to get a toasted sandwich to go. The venue in Chilton was called Posh Plonk which is work another visit sometime.

After this the fun began with ever increasing showers along the way to Wangaratta. We also managed to organise ourselves to draft into the wind hitch proved to be very helpful to progress towards Wangaratta.

When the rain became very heavy we stopped to have our toasted sandwich in the shelter of the CFA station in North Wangaratta…. Thank god for this shelter as the rain was very heavy!

After this it was on to the final push in to Wangaratta and the closer we got to the to the town the heavier the rain became!

We finally arrived at the motel at 3.30 pm after doing about 90 kms with about 450 metres of climbing.

We were absolutely drenched and it was off with the clothes and on to a warm shower….

The accommodation tonight is in bungalow style buildings such as you see in caravan parks

We are a little out of town so will do an Uber to somewhere for dinner 

We are on the road again tomorrow to Euroa and we all hope the rain eases!

Finally in Victoria!!!

The wet state!!!

The mighty Murray River in full flow and flooding 

The lovely place in Chilton 

Posh Plonk … must come back here

It is in the old Masonic Hall which has been beautifully renovated 

Some of the flooding on the bike path whic we went through today!

Day 10 - Rest Day Albury & Ride to Ettamogah Pub

Today was another rest day on the ride in Albury… 

The weather was cloudy with passing showers for most of the day. There were some sunny periods to make it a mixed bag really! The temperature was around 20 degrees for most of the day.

Again we awoke early after a night of watching the Budget speech by the new Australian Treasurer and it was full of the entirely predictable comments from the press which makes the whole event pretty “ho hum”

As Chris said nothing really changed for us on our ride today in the budget.

The good news is that we have continental breakfast included in the room charge, so after showers we made our way to the dining room. The breakfast was good and filling!

E then made our way on the bikes to the Ettamogah pub along bike paths and roads and enjoyed the scenery along the 20 km route. The pub itself was okay but not spectacular and we had morning tea.

After waiting for the showers to clear we made our way back to Albury along a more direct route and we’re back at the motel around 2.00pm

I then made a 2 km walk to the laundromat to do the washing.Once again this was between showers!

Some silly women at the laundromat accused me of staring at her, to which I apologised and made sure I did not look at her again. To be frank she caught my eye as a typical bogun type!

After making my way back to the hotel we awaited the arrival of Ellio Stocco who is traveling to Albury by train to meet us for the ride back to Melbourne.

Tonight we will have dinner in the dining room at the hotel ahead of an early night of rest before we make the way to Melbourne over the next 4 days 

Another good day on the journey!

Another pub on the way to Ettamogah… a day of pubs really!

A view from the road towards the Hume weir 

The Ettamogah pub!

Day 9 - Wagga to Albury

Well another interesting day on our journey!

Last night there was considerable rain for a fair bit of the night and the weather forecast looked bad so when we awoke there was unanimous agreement that the train option was on!

To be frank the road conditions with potholes and riding in the rain had very little appeal.

So we booked the train to our next stop at Albury. The cost of the train was $ 31.82 for the two of us plus a further $24.20 for our 2 bikes…. Fancy that the bikes almost cost as much as us!

As the train was leaving at around 2.00 pm we had some time to kill so we went on a walk down the Main Street which was nice. We stopped in at the bike shops for a chat and found they were not too friendly to a couple of blokes on a ride from Sydney to Melbourne.

We found a lovely cafe serving roast pork and vegetables and had a good feed covering us for lunch and dinner.

Then we thought might be a good idea to sort out the bike situation at the train station and low and behold we had to box our bikes up for the train ride!

Why can’t the trains cater better for bike riders….Grrrrr!

Fortunately the train station assistant was good and found us boxes for the bikes and we disassembled our bikes for the boxes.

We then had about an hour and half wait for the train and had time to chat to a fellow traveler who was going to meet his lady partner in Melbourne. He is a heart specialist and we had a good chat about his practice in various parts of NSW. Amazing who you meet 

The train ride to Albury was about an hour and a quarter and the weather seemed brighter with sunny spots and the odd showers 

 After arriving at Albury we reassembled our bikes and rode to the motel in Lavington which was our only biking for the day. Total of about 5 kms!

Th e accommodation is good and the weather seems fine now with warm sun 

Let’s hope this continues as we travel through to Melbourne!

All in all a good day….

Day 8 Cootamundra to Wagga

The weather Gods were with us again today. Virtually no rain and a tail wind for almost the entire journey!

We were also on a descent after a hill out of Cootamundra for nearly the whole way to Wagga 

The day started with a coffee in the Main Street of Cootamundra then we were on our way.

First stop was Junee which was about 40 kms from our start.

We originally planned it to be our lunch stop but arriving at 11.00 am we made it a brunch stop at the bakery. Food was okay but wouldn’t write home about it!

Then on to Wagga along a secondary road which was quieter than the Olympic highway which was our route to Junee.

The ride again was fast reaching speeds of over 40kph at various times.

We arrived at Wagga at 1.00 pm after travelling 92 kms at an average of 22 kph for the whole ride!

The climb total today was a pultry 575 metres!

A good day of riding to take us well over half way on the ride!

Let’s hope the weather god’s continue to smile on us!

Looking forward to the ride to Albury and a day of rest!

Day 7 - Yass to Cootamundra

The good news was the rain stopped today!

Thank god as it was another big day for us both as we rode 119 kms and climbed 1708 metres!

As I said it was great that we started with no rain and all through the day we only had slight drizzle very infrequently and the sun was quite hot when it came out from the clouds 

The first stage of the ride took us on to the Hume freeway for a short 3 km time which was ok as there appeared to be very little traffic including trucks.

The shoulder was also very good thankfully 

The first stop was Bowning for morning tea which was in a delightful replica of a bush hut and the coffee was okay… can’t say the scones were fresh but they filled a spot.

We chatted to the owner who was a delightful woman who with her now deceased husband built the coffee/ cafe shop and the adjacent house!

It was also good to catch up with the Melbourne Wheeliebinners who were at coffee on their Sunday ride .

After coffee it was on to Harden for lunch and I have got to say the rolling country was at its splendid best with green pasture, some wheat growing and plenty of canola just about to flower!

The only issue was there were plenty of shortish climbs with thrilling descents.

At Harden we went to the Harden Country Club for lunch and had a delightful and big roast chicken meal.

The meal was excellent and meant we could have a snack dinner!

Now full after lunch it was off to Cootamundra… once again we passed through delightful country where there appears to be more beef farming.

The other thing was there were a few challenging late ride climbs just to test the legs!

We arrived safely at the motel in Cootamundra shortly after 5.00 pm which was good timing.

Of interest is the sights today of animals…. There were kangaroos, tortoises ( on the road), a fox and a dead snake!

The birds have been delightful but every now and then we get swooped by magpies!

All in all a challenging day with good rewards for the effort!

Coffee at Bowning… delightful reproduction of a bush home!

View of the rolling hills of the ride and the road… generally ok today but there are plenty potholes!

View of the road and rolling farmland 

Day 6 -Canberra to Yass

This was supposed to be an easy day!!

Well no it turned out to be one of the more difficult rides on this journey….why you may well ask!

We part of the answer lies with advice we got in Canute take the “scenic” route to Yass… the other park related to the weather….rain!

On the weather front there was considerable rain overnight in Canberra and as we started on our normal 7.30 ish ride the rain was gentle but steady.

We made good time to the scenic road which included travel on the wonderful Canberra bike paths. The road out of Canberra to Yass was terrific until we reached the crossing of the Molonglo river where the road was closed. With no alternative roads available it was back to Canberra again and on the bike paths for what seemed an eternity until we met the Barton Highway which leads to Yass 

The Highway road had a good shoulder which made for good travelling but the rain was fairly steady for most of this part of the trip. We made a couple of rest stops which broke the journey which seemed to be timed to the heavier downpours luckily 

We arrived at the Australian Hotel in Yass which is a traditional Aussie pub. After some mucking around we headed for a warm shower and a clean up after a heavy day of riding. 

Today we rode 124 kms and climbed over 1300 metres. The original plan was for us to do about 70 kms and about 1000 metres of climbing… so a lot of additional work!

I/we w were pleased with the day despite the additional challenges and all the additional riding makes us a lot stronger for the days ahead…. Hopefully the rain will ease!

Bugger! The road is closed!

Back to Canberra!!!


WTF we do now Chris?

Hooray we have finally reached the start of the Barton Highway!!!

Day 5 Rest in Canberra

This morning despite being a rest day we were up at around 7.00am and after breakfast in our room we rode to the nearby bike shop called Lonsdale Bikes to get a few bike bits!

We left the bikes for the day at the shop and after trying the scooter hire app we agreed public transport was probably a better way to see the sights of Canberra. We walked to the tourist information centre at Regatta Point where we were able to obtain bus cards to allow us to travel on the bus network. Being seniors this was all free!

The first stop was Parliament House which was great to visit. First time for me in the new Parliament House.

We then took the bus over to the War Memorial which was again a great place to visit.

After a bite of late lunch we made our way back to the bike shop and from there we rode back to the motel.

After doing the washing and cleaning the bike we the Ubered our way to the local shops for dinner.

The place we chose was a lovely pub and we ordered our meal….. then to our surprise the music went louder and a lovely young lady proceeded to undress herself to the music…. Yes we could not believe what we were seeing…. And no it was not a sleazy strip joint!

The rest of the diners were mainly ladies and they loved the performance!

It was straight out of the Moulin Rouge text book!!

We stayed and ate our meal and low and  behold she did a second performance!

After this we had a chat to her and a few of the younger girls in the audience and all were staggered on   our riding holiday and we ended up swapping Strava links!

Well I must admit this was a memorable night for us both…

A good day of rest ahead of the next 4 days of riding to Albury…. Let’s hope the weather is kind…. Although as I write this blog there is thunder, lightning and heavy rain!

War Memorial 

View from War Memorial to Parliament House 

Chris at the reflection pool at the War Memorial 

VC winner who was a scholar at Wesley College… my school!

View from the Parliament House to the War Memorial 


Parliament House

Day 4- Goulburn to Canberra

We started the day early but were held up having coffee at the bike shop where inevitably we were attracted to getting helmet lights as mine was not working all day on the rides so far. I think the battery is stuffed!

We made our way out of Goulburn around 9.30 am on a route that avoided the major highways and took in some lovely farm land initially and then some challenging climbing. All up we climbed nearly 1300 metres which is the record for the ride…

The interesting observation made by us both was the lack of farm animals in the paddocks … I can only think that it might have something to do with the wet weather in the region recently.

The other observation we made was the poor state of the sealed roads with significant potholes on all the roads! Presumably this also relates to the wet weather taking it’s toll on the roads.

After lunch at Collector at a lovely cafe where we had smashed avocado sandwich. Quite a surprise I the middle of nowhere but it was very popular!

After lunch it was on to a “killer “ of a climb up along to a razorback which we travelled along to the outskirts of Canberra. The initial climb had me walking for about a km with gradients of over 20% in some parts!

The view from the top was quite outstanding as the photos show.

The ride in to and through Canberra was enjoyable despite being on unmade roads for most of the traverse along the range.

The Canberra bike paths were terrific and took us through many of the suburbs which are interspersed with big open fields.

Quite outstanding planning.

The day was a big challenge but I was pleased to finish in okay shape but tired.

Dinner tonight was in our room with roast pork and coleslaw rolls…. All good to replenish the energy stocks

Looking forward to the day off tomorrow 

For some reason I am having trouble getting the photos to download and will have publish them later 

Enjoy the blog!!

Day 3- Mittagong to Goulburn

Today was always going to be a tough ride and it certainly did not disappoint!

We did 120 kms with 1316 metres of climbing!

The good news was the weather was really good for riding and the roads were quite quiet apart from a short 2 km ride on the Hume freeway!

The route took us through some lovely country from the Southern Highlands through to the Southern Tablelands.

Around Bowral, MossVale and Bundadoon the houses and properties we rode past were quite spectacular!

We stopped for coffee ( and scones for me!) at Moss Vale in an exceptional cafe in the old post office and had lunch in a cafe in Marulan.

The last part of the ride from Marulan to Goulburn was probably the most difficult with a really long climb ahead of a lovely downhill into Goulburn.

The other difficulty was our map route took us through a road that was closed and turned into a tip!

Unfortunately we has to make a backtrack and travel for a short period on the Hume freeway. The noise of the trucks was terrible but the road shoulder was very wide so there was good distance from the trucks and cars!

I was pleased with my riding today after an adjustment to the seat height and courtesy of a good night of sleep!

I must admit not doing longer rides has left me a bit out of shape but by the end of the whole journey I should be back!

At the end of the ride we had a bit of a SNAFU with the motel bookings with the room only having one bed!

We sorted this out by canceling the boot and going to the motel next door 

I am a little annoyed with this as I booked through booking.com with a special request for 2 beds which was ignored by the Carlton Suites motel…. Don’t book them.

Interesting to be in Goulburn which has some family history from my mothers family. Her mother was a Gray and the family were involved in the wool auction business in the early 1900’s. We also had many family holidays in Goulburn visiting family over the early years of my life… interesting fact was Dunc Gray is related to my mother as I said earlier and he won an Olympic gold medal for cycling at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The event was the mens track time trial!

How about that…. And here I am in Goulburn doing a bike ride from Sydney to Melbourne!

All good so far and Lind forward to the ride to Canberra 

Interesting trail along a river near Moss Vale

Coffee at Moss Vale/ Chris is posing for the photo 

Day 2 - Sydney- Melbourne ride/ Campbelltown to Mittagong

We had an early start again this morning being up at around 6.00 am. The weather was good with a cool start and temperatures in the low 20’s … and no rain!!!

We had to make a choice early on in the ride whether we took part of the ride along the Hume freeway or not!

Not much of a choice really as the thought of going along the road shoulder with BDouble trucks and a lot of traffic really made the alternate route much better and as it turned out far quieter and more scenic!

We had a coffee stop at Camden and lunch at Picton following in a large part the old Hume Highway. The road was good with some traffic…. Every now and then our route took us on side roads which were both challenging in terms of climbing and rewarding in terms of being quiet where we could enjoy the countryside.

The country between the major town’s was interesting in that there were a lot of very expensive houses on farm lots. Seems an ideal place to have a place to chill out if you lived in Sydney!

To be frank… on a couple of the climbs I walked my bike as my legs were “ cooked “…seems the legs are struggling at this stage. I am sure they will come good as the ride progresses.

Today we rode about 75 kms and climbed about 1160 metres!!

Big day.

Looking forward to a lighter day tomorrow!

A nice view of the Camden valley 

Another view of the Valley…. Note the bike paths are well organised 

On one of our climbs…recent road erosion from the rain!

Home for the night…. Melrose Motel. My dads middle name was Melrose!

Day 1 - Sydney Melbourne Ride- Sydney to Campbelltown

After a restful night of sleep it was up at 6.00 am and breakfast before heading out on the ride

It was with great trepidation we looked out the windows to see it was raining….bugger!

Getting our bikes from the garage we were met with a huge downpour of rain and waited for it to subside which it did thankfully!

So off we went in the drizzle which cleared as we moved out of Sydney 

The travel for the day was mainly on bike paths which were pretty well looked after 

The first part of the trip included travel past the Olympic Park which looked completely deserted and frankly a Bit tired!

We tried to get in to the main stadium but were prevented by security guards 

The trip to Campbelltown included stops for coffee near Parramatta and lunch at Leppington

We arrived at the motel at about 3.30 in the sunshine 

The motel is very comfortable with good facilities 

A good day 1 of the ride with 82 kms covered and about 700 metres of climbs 

A great first day despite a wet start!

The Olympic stadium….not a soul in sight!


A wet start!!

Shakedown After Arriving in Sydney

Yesterday was an early start with my son , Chris picking me up at 7.00 am for the ride to the airport. Very grateful for the ride as the bike box was rather large( see photo)

I was a bit concerned that the box might be too big for Qantas , but had no problem at all. In fact the bike transport was very smooth with the bike arriving intact at Sydney airport. 

After taking a taxi I arrived at the Sydney Youth Hostel which is right across the road from the main Sydney railway station.

I met Chris and it was great to see him again after a long time due to Covid and all the pandemic restrictions.

It was then time to assemble the bike which apart from trouble with pumping the tyres up was relatively quick. The issue with pumping the tyres related to the valve not seating when the pump was removed and we spent some time pumping and re-pumping the tyres when the valve blew off!

In the end we got one tyre pumped up and had to take the other wheel to a bike shop to get them to help.

After all of this we decided to go by ferry to Manly for dinner. It was a really pleasant trip across the harbour and after a short walk to the beach we found an Italian place for a bowl of pasta….good food!

After dinner it was back on the speed ferry and tram to the youth hostel and in to bed!

This morning we were up and about at 7.00 am and on our bikes at about 8.00 am for the shakedown ride

The weather was good for the day. Virtually no wind and warm sun.

The ride was planned by us using cycle.travel and was a loop around the inner harbour on the western side of the harbour… it took in some very pleasant scenery along Darling Harbour and crossed a number of bridges including Anzac, Gladesville and of course the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

On the way we had breakfast near the Opera House, lunch in North Sydney and made a visit to the bike shop in Sydney central to sort out a couple of things.

The ride was about 50 kms monsoon bike paths and was enjoyable plus it gave me a real chance to set the bike up for the days of riding ahead.

We arrived back at the Hostel and showered and sorted out washing and a few grocery items for breakfast.

Not sure where we will have dinner tonight but think it it maybe local with an early night ahead of an early start for the ride tomorrow.

A good couple of days to start the ride… looking forward to the days ahead!!!!

There are no photos at this stage as I am having trouble downloading them….sorry will send them later!!!!

grrrrrrr!!!!

Sydney Melbourne Ride

I am leaving tomorrow for a ride with my Kiwi mate Chris where we are looking to ride from Sydney to Melbourne 

The ride will take about 2 weeks and we are following the Hume Highway roughly. We have 2 rest days in both Canberra and Albury. It is unsupported and we are planning on staying at cheaper motel style accommodation most of which has been pre booked.

We will be riding about 1200 kms and climbing about 9500 metres 

Tomorrow I catch the plane to Sydney and have packed the bike and gear in the bike box.

Hope you enjoy the blog as we make our journey.

Bass Coast Ride

 Day 4- Yarrum to Home via Traralgon 

It was raining all night at Yarrum and we agreed at dinner that we would probably not ride in the wet!

Waking at about 7.00am it was still drizzling so all but Anthony decided that we would not ride but “ferry” riders to Traralgon to catch the train. In the meantime Anthony would make his way through the Strzelecki ranges to Traralgon. 

I set off with Gary, Frank, Stephen and Mike in the drizzle in the ute to the Traralgon railway station and after crossing the mountain range in the drizzle it cleared. We arrived about an hour early for the train courtesy of not adjusting the clocks for the ending of daylight saving!

The boys were left at the station and I returned to Yarrum….I managed to catch Anthony on the final hill on the climb out of the Strzelecki ranges and he was soaked through with the drizzle but determined to finish the ride….

Returning to Yarrum I met Rob and Phil for a coffee and “toastie” and after packing the ute we made our way through to Traralgon again….still through the drizzle!

We met Anthony just outside the Loy Yang power stations and after getting changed he joined us for the trip back to Melbourne….fortunately Rob drove most of the way home.

The trip was uneventful other than traffic getting to Phil’s flat in Richmond….

Arriving home, Rob and I unpacked the ute and the boys picked up bags etc

Ending these rides is always a bit sad but it gives us a real opportunity to see parts of our wonderful country with a group of similar minded cyclists 

Special thanks to Gary for sorting out the ride and to all who were part of a special time together

Here is photo of us all at the Yarrum Country Club having our final dinner 

Bass Coast Ride

 Bass Coast Ride-Day 3 Toora to Yarrum 50 km

The day started a bit late with us all sleeping in until about 8.00am!

The weather was cool with drizzling rain with a fair bit of gloom!

Little did we realise the day ahead would have plenty of adventure!!!

After breakfast we left at about 9.30 am with the ride along the Great Southern Rail Trail to Welshpool and Port Welshpool for morning tea….well the only place for morning tea was the general store…. To say the coffee was ordinary would be an understatement but at least we were out of the rain and wind!

After this we made our way to Telegraph Road once again in the drizzle. The road was sealed for the first few kms then gravel for the next few kms….then sand!

Well this meant we needed to walk the bikes potentially for about 10pm!!!After walking for a few kms we agreed we needed an alternate plan and resorted to putting the bikes on the ute 4 at a time to travel by car to the end of the road!

I was on the second group so we had a longer walk whilst waiting for the ute to return.

The guys in the first group ride on to Yarrum and we in the second group agreed to “cheat “ a bit by traveling all the way to Yarrum by car… a great option given the weather and the tribulations of Telegraph Road 

This experience takes over from experiences we have had previously with Ellio on the famous Allendale Rd hill!!

Big call to beat a 20% plus series of climbs!!!

Arriving at Yarrum it was off to the bakery for a lovely lunch and recap of our adventures 

After lunch we made our way to the caravan park and spent some time cleaning our bikes

All in all these are the days of some challenges but in responding to them it makes the day more meaningful and rewarding 

So thanks to all the group in working together as a team in the circumstances 

These are out of order…

Trying to unclog the sand from my bike!!

The order dockets at morning tea…

Very complicated really!!

Mine was 45

Happy birthday to Mike’s grandson above 

Followed by the start of the sandy part of Telegraph 

Yuck!!!

Bogged down!

Waiting at the road fork for the ute…

The start of the day of adventure at Toora 

Little did we realise what would come!

Loading up the bikes on the ute!