Day 3 - Tough going in the Tablelands

Sun and a truck, in case you were wondering

Today was the day the ride got real. If planning to undertake a trip like this you have to be a bit bullish/blasé/idiotic about advice you’re given, otherwise you’d never even buy the flight. But there is always a moment when it suddenly gets serious and you realise you can’t be bullish, blasé or idiotic when it’s really on, or else this thing is going to get the better of you.

Realistically the most likely worse that can happen is I through in towel, thumb down a passing lorry, call the whole thing off and sit on Bondi for 4 weeks. Personally like to think I’d call it off before it got proper proper dangerous, but dented pride is no small matter. So today was about being shaken out of my happy go lucky stupor and starting to take the whole thing slightly more seriously.

 

Vineyards in the Southern Highlands

It all started in a pretty relaxed. 07:15 on the road after a great coffee and porridge with the weekly Telegraph (it was that or the Express!) in Mittagong. Bar a few sharp hills early doors it was cool, over cast and more downhill than up, cruising along the Illawarra Highway through the Southern Highlands. All wine farms and classic Aussie rolling brown countryside under an overcast sky.

Was feeling pretty confident as I hit the Hume motorway, but rapidly my piss poor planning unstuck the whole day’s plan to make Goulburn by 11:00, pick up a couple of things (new card reader, extra spare tyres etc) and push on to Yass. Two things became very clear very rapidly. I am not out on the plain yet, it’s hilly and it gets very hot here. Obvious I know, but there you go.

As the minutes ticked by on sweaty climb after sweaty climb up the motorway hard shoulder, I started to question the delayed leave from Mittagong, pleasant as it was. Rapidly I clocked my time frame to complete the first proper crossing of 50 miles between Goulburn and Yass without services or shops in the afternoon was narrowing from the planned 8hrs to barely 5.5hrs.

In temperatures heading towards 40C it just didn’t seem sensible to race on, especially as my left pedal has started to make an unnerving click sound every rotation. On top of that my forearms got beasted in the sun yesterday, after months with little more than a computer screen to give them colour. The midday heat was agonising beating down on my bright red trotters and factor 50 sun cream was offering little relief.

Rocking heart of Goulburn, prizes if you spot the baby blue bum bag

At 13:30 I rolled into Goulburn, a mere 52 miles into my planned 104 miles. I was frankly a little shaken and frustratingly resigned to the fact I needed to stop there for the day.

In hindsight it’s been a good decision. The last town of real size before Griffith Goulburn had everything I needed. An electrical shop for new plugs and readers, a Coles supermarket for my early breakfast tomorrow, a K Mart for 2 long sleeve T-Shirts to cover my arms, and a brilliant bike shop cum café bizarrely called the Greengrocers.

A good place

In the Greengrocers they looked at my pedal and gears for free. The mechanic insisted, being a cycle tourer himself. He had some good tips for the road up to Griffith, and was generally great company. And the café was also spot on, and sorted me out with a delicious lunch.

Goulburn it’s self is the first proper country town I’ve come across. The accents are noticeably stronger, and the “bugger the rest of you” approach to life (especially dress sense – Pink side split running shorts with baby blue bum bag on a 70 year old, leopard print hair on the bank teller, that kind of thing) very much to the fore. And it’s all the better for it. It’s a gloriously sun dried version of the best of British/Irish small town eccentricity. I approve thoroughly.

I’ve spent the rest of the day getting my plans a lot tighter for the next few days, and rethinking my daily schedule, diet etc. Basically being a bit more grown up about things.

With the current heatwave predicted to break on Saturday, I’m just going to have to work round it up to Griffith. I’ve attached a new rear light for early morning riding, and have scouted stops for 12:00 – 15:00 every day, so I’m not riding in the full on heat of the day.

Let’s see how it goes, but very glad to have had the wake up call this early in the trip.

Miles: 52 – Mittagong, Bowral, Moss Vale, Goulburn

Breakfast – A banana, Porridge and coffee in a café by the post office. Very civilised, if subsequently disruptive

Lunch – Ham salad wrap, quality potato and pumpkin salad, homemade yogurt with fruit

Supper – Big bowl of veggie pasta from room service at the Comfort Inn. Surprisingly delicious and virtuous.

Day 2 – Sydney to the Southern Highlands

3/5 of the launch party looking more bemused than impressed, potentially because of the uber geeky head cam I'm sporting

Today split into three. A slog over the hills of North Sydney in rush hour topped off with an awesome view, a dull but easy cruise out to the motorway, then some proper graft on the motorway hard shoulder, deep into the beautiful winelands of the Southern Highlands.

It was always going to be a challenge navigating a fully loaded touring bike over the short sharp hills in rush hour traffic of North Sydney, and it didn’t disappoint. The cycling gods were kind, and bar a slight headwind it was cloudy and cool all morning, taking some of the sting out the whole experience. As did help from other cyclists.

We’ll see if Sydney is an exception, but two cyclist in particular were brilliant today. The first one was a full blown MAMIL who spotting I was looking confused guided me 3 miles down to the harbour bridge cycle path, gave me the thumbs up, and disappeared without a backward glance. Seriously decent of him.

Awesome view, gloomy day, sexy bike

And what a cycle path. Running along the side of the road and rail line on the Bridge it has got to rate as one of the World’s coolest. Once the other side, I wiggled my way down for the obligatory photo in front of the Opera House. There is no denying this is a very beautiful city, and it seemed a shame to rush off in such an hurry, but time tight.

Hard shoulder good times

The rest of the trip out of Sydney was uneventful. Simple routes out to the light industrial areas round the airport, a quick loop round the end of the runway and a little slog through some dull SW suburbs,  in the last of which I picked up the trail that runs next to the M5 motorway (one of the main roads out of Sydney).  And second hero cyclist appeared. An old man who had done a fair amount of touring he rode up beside me and got chatting.

Once I explained my plans he rode me out 20 miles in the right direction and set me up on hard shoulder riding. It sounds silly, but for some reason the thought of this made me nervous, even though it appears to be very much the form here, and sign posted by the council no less. But riding out on to one of the busiest roads in Australia does make you think twice. And if it wasn’t the old guy helping I’d have procrastinated round the task for hours.

As it was, once you have your eye back in for the joys of the hard shoulder cycling (trucks in your mirror, glass and tyre wire on the ground, and how to read the hills that can look deceptively shallow) it is a great way to chew through the miles. It’s surprising how quickly you phase out the noise of the road, and the rest of the day was about grinding out the miles to Mittagong.

I left the motorway about 18:00 then it was a beautiful 5 miles ride through the rolling Southern Highlands. All in all a good day’s riding and very happy to have made my stretch target location for the night, albeit this is the quietest town I’ve been in in years.

Mile zero smile was more impressive than my sock choice. Behind it however I was mostly questioning how I'd got myself in such a silly position again

Miles: 87

Breakfast: Cherrios at Emily’s followed by a sausage sandwich made by Tom with my 4 year old cousin Robert’s mustard selection in front of the Opera House. A delicious pork treat to top off the excellent view.

Lunch: Cliff bar to tide me over, then late lunch of Chicken Avocado sandwich, Mars Bar and Coke at the Peasant Nest Services 7eleven. Was edible, was hungry.

Supper: ½ a grilled Chicken, Pasta Salad, and Greek Salad from the dodgy Charcoal Grill in Mittagong (only place open on a Monday night). Followed by motel biscuits. All passable if mildly depressing.

Melbourne and Sydney – Final prep and Day 1

Not that I expect any sympathy, but prepping for this trip in the UK had it’s down sides. Apart from everyone explaining the plethora of ways I was going to die, and listing out films about attacks in the Outback, practice riding the week before leaving was brutal. With one glorious exception on the River Test, it was cold, wet and miserable rides everyday.

However all this made the final week’s preparations all the sweeter. Below are the two locations where final plans were made. Jet Lag aside, I really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect way to set up and set off for the trip.

After a rather undignified night sleeping on Perth airport floor, I flew into Melbourne to stay with two friends, Mike and Claire, who are getting married in the summer and moved back to Claire’s hometown 3 years ago. With an awesome flat in the cool Ripponlea area of town, the beach 10 mins away and all of Melbourne at their disposal they have a seriously cool life out here.

Quite apart from showing and sometimes shepherding me around town to get the final bits and bobs required, they showed a seriously good time. With trips out to the beach, cracking bars and restaurants, a cycle round most of the city (including the beautiful Yarra trail) and a belting night out for Claire’s uncle 70th that included drinks in a suite 40 odd floors high in the Crown casino (the largest in Oz no less) and a huge and delicious Chinese meal.

It was a very cool way to start the trip, and I can see why everyone always raves about Melbourne. It’s cracking.

It was then over to Sydney staying with my cousin Emily and her family who moved over 2 years ago. From the moment I arrived I realised my departure would need to be delayed a day. It was just too cool to see their life there, rushing straight on seemed silly. Also a technical hitch with the bike chain meant one final trip for a bike service.

So instead of rush in, rush out, I got to see what a great life they have in the space and sunshine of North Sydney.  Beaches short drives away, huge houses, lovely neighbourhoods, and a way of life that would be the envy of almost any Brit.

The two highlights though were a trip out to Dee Why beach for a swim and fish and chips on Saturday night. And starting the cycle trip with a ride round the block with my little cousin Ellie.

Rather than spend the first day flogging out to the beach before heading south west I decided to head off to do the beach  bit in the cool of late Sunday evening. So the trip started the moment I headed off to the beach. As I was going cycling, Ellie wanted to show me round her local area. So pre the beach, the whole cycle started with a quick cycle round the block to see her school and the local shops. Surely how all adventures should start.

It was then a hilly ride back out to Dee Why Beach to dip my wheel in the Pacific and question why I wasn’t just spending 5 weeks sitting on a beach.

Then back for supper, final adjustments and packing.

Background reading

The beast in front of the Statue of Liberty

On the off chance, I’ve not bored you with the details of my plans or the even rarer chance you’ve just stumbled on this blog and I don’t know you, I’ve decided to try and cycle across Australia from Sydney to Perth.

Enough people have asked if I will be blogging for me to arrogantly believe there might be some vague interest in my self indulgent dribblings about cycle comfort, road quality, dietary choices and ill informed views on Australian history, culture, and nature.

A few questions have come up again and again, so I’ll answer these up front:

1. Why are you doing this?

A few years ago I did this: uscoasttocoastwillwhite.blogspot.com. Ever since I’ve had a nagging thought that a lot of the success of the US trip was down to luck (which it was) and I guess I want to see if I can get lucky again.

Also, finishing in New York that time was one of the most incredible feelings I’ve ever had. I’ve found myself between rental properties in London without serious ties like a mortgage, and work agreed to the time off, so figured I’d like to see if I can get anywhere near that feeling again.

On the slightly more hippy front I figure we all have roughly 1,000 months on earth, if you can’t spend the odd one trying to do something silly, that seems a shame. Would kick myself in the old people’s home, if I’d come up with a plan, found few reasons not to try  it and still not gone ahead.

On the slightly less high-minded end, have a couple of weddings in early summer, and fancy looking sunkissed and leaner for them. If big dream guff doesn’t get me there, pretty sure vanity will.

2. Why Australia?

After the US trip a mate mentioned the idea of cycling across Australia. It was one of those ideas that lodges in your brain, and makes you smile everytime you think about it. Also it’s a heck of a lot easier than Africa or Asia, and warmer than Europe at this time of year.

Australia’s also full of deserts. From my perspective, there are few things more amazing in life than waking up pre dawn in the desert and riding out at sunrise laden up on water and supplies, hoping and praying you make it through the day. It’s an awesome mix of fear, beauty and wonder. And Australia would appear to offer a fair few of such opportunities.  Obviously my perspective might be slightly coloured by the fact I’ve not got married or had kids, which I would imagine surpass such feelings by some margin.

3. Why are you going Sydney to Perth?

North South through this country sounds insane, and misses the Nullabor Plain. There is something that really appeals about 900 miles flat and treeless in a straight line.

The whole trip was going to go the other direction, but a last minute research on prevailing winds in February and March, meant a final shot in front of the Opera House had to take second place to not having the wind flat in my face for 5 weeks.

4. Will it be too hot?

We’ll see. 40C does sound a little terrifying, but hoping it will only be for a few hours on a few days. But we’ll see.

5. Will you be bitten by a snake or spider/caught in a bush fire/hit by a road train and many other inventive ways to die?

Hopefully not. People appear to have a rather morbid fascination with the scary side of Australia. Snake and spider related deaths are few and far between. Will be watching out for road trains in my mirror like a hawk, and provided I keep abreast of them, the chances of actually being caught on the road in a bush fire appear extremely slim.

I’ll take all the precautions necessary, but after a point you feel a little fatalistic. If it’s you day, so be it. Way I look at it, you could be knocked down by an Espace after buying eggs at Tesco Metro in Bracknell, but you would be slightly nuts if you changed your plans to avoid that eventuality.

There were also a load of practical questions around where I will sleep, clothing and the bike that I’m hoping will just come clear during the trip.

So with all that cleared up, onto planning.