Day 32: Byron Bay to Tugun

We were keen to get on the road early from Byron Bay, and a bowl of açai later we were heading out of town. 

We followed minor roads as much as possible but www were soon back on the Pacific Highway with trucks flying past  

Tiger did find an amazing off road rout to get us down to the coast, cutting through the Byron Parklands festival venue on a gravel track. Despit liooking like it would be a dead end many times we pushed on and emerged a few kilometres later on the beach road. 

That led us to a coffee stop in Pottsville, where we used the cafè WIFI to book our flights to Bali on Saturday. This seems much more real now we have the flights booked and we know next week we’ll be in Indonesia. 

We carried on up the coast road until we eventually had to return to the Pacific Highway and churn out the last k’s to Tweed Heads.  

We were also back on familiar territory, as we spent some time here about Four years ago when we drove from Buron Bay to Noosa  

We hired a foame surfboard at Kirra and messed about in the water for a while, but I wouldn’t call it surfing. 

Then we headed along the coast a little further to Tugun to meet our Warm Showers host, Anna. She has a unit in an amazing spot just a few metres from the beach and we were able to ride all the way there along the coastal path that was inlay finished a few weeks ago.  

It was great to chat with Anna about some of her trips, including New Zealand by bike, kayaking the Murray with her young daughter. Amazing stories - just what Warm Showers is so good for.  

Day 31: Evan's Head to Byron Bay

The back way out of Evan’s Head was a nice quiet road, before being thrown back on to the Pacific Highway, in a section along the river that was a little narrow for the trucks on it. However, we go it done and soon the traffic turned across the river, and we continued our way along the south side in peace, towards the Burns Point Ferry.

Yet another ferry we’ve discovered in New South Wales, they just don’t seem to be in to building bridges. It’s a great way to miss the traffic though.

We’re in sugar cane country.  

Ballina was good for a coffee, then on north to Byron Bay. It was hectic busy - cars everywhere and everyone in a hurry, but we found our campsite and put our tents up on the worst pitch we’ve seen. Small, sloping and under a very bright street lamp. Still, we can deal with pretty much anything by now.

After a bit more Uni research for Tiger we headed down to the beach and Byron was kicking off. Fire twirlers, a silent disco, a Christian preacher all mixed up together. That’s Byron Bay.

Day 30: Grafton to Evan’s Head

A day of three halves.

We tried a new tactic today, getting up early to beat the heat at 7am. It worked too - with a bit of cloud cover helping out too. 

An extrardinary track bike in the coffee shop in Grafton. 650b front wheel, reversed forks, 74x11 gear and a reinforced stem. Motor-paced racer I reckon. Bob reckons it’s a stayer’s bike - but I don’t know what that means.

Then we we’re off on quiet roads, following the river along a narrow but tarmac sealed road. Beautiful, flat cycling. 

We had a fantastic coffee at Botero Café in Maclean, who also roasted their own beans on site. Their food was incredible and they also had a table of LEGO - all in white - to build whilst you caffeinated. Genius. 

 Then, we we’re soon dumped back on to the Pacific Highway, in the midst of the Woolgoolga to Ballina upgrade. That meant just grinding out the k’s in over 30°C, with dusty roadworks all around. Not fun, but we got it down. 

The last ten kilometres were a lot quieter, ending in Evans Head, a sleepy little town that had been invaded by a large number of visitors in a city of tents. We were allocated our 5 metre square, more than adequate for our tents and we headed off for a jump around in the surf.

Day 29: Coffs Harbour to Grafton

Not the greatest day. A big long slog along the A1 in 30° heat was not really quite what we set out looking for, but you have to take the crunchy with the smooth sometimes.  

Highlight of the morning was being able to witness the majesty that is “The Big Banana”. Indescribable really - so big, and unquestionably a banana. It made our day. 

Sarina checks the Big Banana for authenticity.  

We dropped by Emerald Beach for a coffee, saw an amazing VW camper and then we headed off north, on side road when possible, but often straight up the main Pacific Highway, which is essentially a motorway. 

We stayed at a Motel in Grafton and discovered that South Grafton and North Grafton are quite different. However, the swim in the pool and the Chinese meal down the road were gratefully received- the restaurant looking closed down from the outside, but offering a really nice meal.  

Day 28: Stuart’s Point to Coffs Harbour

A good chat with our neighbors at the Stuart’s Point Convention Centre campsite meant that we were a little slow getting going this morning - but the people you meet along the way are one of the most interesting things about this journey.

BAnother good person to meet today was Jet,, who I’d ridden with for years in Melbourne. He relocated to Brisbane about two years ago, and was in Urunga in holiday with his family. It was only during planning our day’s ride in the morning that I realised that we would be passing right through Urunga today - at about lunchtime. 

I got in touch with Jet and suggested we meet up for lunch and he was kind enough to invite us round to his caravan.  

Jet laid on a great lunch whilst we watched the Indians showing the Aussies how you play cricket, all in a campsite overlooking a beautiful estuary. However, Sarina just couldn’t get over how clean the wheels on Jet’s caravan were. 

Thanks Jet for a lovely lunch, and a sit down. We could have snoozed in the shade all day if we didn’t have more pressing kilometres to cover.  

​We did experience our second puncture of the trip, with Tiger getting a storage triple perforation in his inner tube. Nothing he can’t sort out with a quick stop under a bridge for shade.

Our target was Coffs Harbour, a large seaside town another 30km up the road​ and we rolled in to town at about 5:30 in plenty of time to get some supper. 

What we didn’t have though was a place to sleep. The campsites all said they were fully booked, as was every other form of accommodation under $500 a night. We did another round of calls to no avail, so decided to head up to a local forest and find a quiet corner to camp in there. ​

However, as we rode through town we passed one of the campsites we’d called in the morning who’d said they were full, and there seemed to be quite a lot of space. We investigated, but with the office now closed we couldn’t check there really was space, so we set up camp in a green shady corner and we’ll sort it out in the morning. ​

Day 27: Port Macquarie to Stuart Point

Breakfast with Padre coffee is never bad and we all agreed Port Macquarie was a pretty nice place. It even had a free ferry across from Settlement Point to get us on our way. 

​Some advice from a local on the ferry saw us choose a different road on the other side of the river. “I wouldn’t take my 4 wheel drive up there,” was his comment on the road we were thinking of taking, “It hasn’t been graded in 40 years.”

The alternative was still gravel, but well made and we made good time to Crescent Head. ​

Lunch overlooking the bay at Crescent Head was beautiful, in the shade of a Banyan Tree we could watch the surfers and marvel at the geometric but friendly design of the Surf Lifesaving Club.​

The road north then sat on the bank of the Belmore River. With many beech tree and chestnuts it was tempting to think we were cycling along a riverside road in Essex or Lincolnshire. We treated ourselves to a long lie down under a large elm for an afternoon snack in the relative cool.

​The last 30km were starting to wear us down a little as the hills kicked in again. Finally we made it to Stuart’s Head and managed to get some food before the shop shut. We also found a beautifully tranquil campsite in a convention centre run by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and run very well it seems. Lush grass and plenty of space gave us a nice break from the “sardine” sites we have stayed on at times. 

Day 26: Rest day in Port Macquarie

A gentle day helping Tiger get his admin together for his uni application. The local Library came in very handy as a quiet, air conditioned space.

Also went to see Bohemian Rhapsody- amazing film. 

Day 25: Black Head to Port Macquarie

A bit of drizzle to start the day, and we thought we’d better get some distance covered, so we aimed for Port Macquarie- over 100km away.  

As it turned out, it was quite a warm day again, and us riding hard along the Pacific Highway was a pretty hot business. 

Lunch in Kew, where the Corner Café was a real revelation, with a prepacked veggie frittata and salad that was just made for us. We met a guy from Rockhampton there who was down helping out a mate who is ill who just couldn’t get over what we were doing - “You are adventurers” he kept saying. 

A little while later we stopped in North Haven to cool down with an ice cream. The same guy comes past walking his dog with another guy - same story again but with two added Staffordshire Bull Terriers. “He just takes little nips,” I was told of the younger one as I tried not to lose an arm. 

In the end we were quite late into Port Macquarie - it was about 6:30 by the time we arrived at our very busy and overpriced campsite.  

Rest day tomorrow whilst Tiger gets his University application planned.  

Day 24: Shelly Beach to Black Head

Waking up with a view of the lake this morning was pretty sweet- with egg butties and a morning swim to start the day. 

Then off on the track again - with a bit of a mission to find some fresh water. We met the nicest couple of park wardens who gave us some tips on a good route. 

We came through Forster and had a nice lunch and then kept heading north into the Darawank State Park. That was pretty hard work, with some sandy tracks but eventually we managed to get to Black Head Back Beach where we’re camping. 

Sarina rustled up another amazing meal - tofu noodles with a nice Pinot noir.  

Now, we’re sat on the beach watching several firework displays and a distant lightning storm (but getting closer) whilst having a nice beer and wine on the dunes. Beautiful.  

Happy New Year everyone. 2019 is going to be amazing. 

Day 23: Anna Bay to Shelley Beach

Special guest appearance of the day was from Riccardo. We needed to cross the water from Port Stephens to continue north and up stepped and Captain Storr and his first mate Susan stepped in to help us. 

It wasn’t just your average ferry ride either. We took in the sights of Nelson Bay and The Heads on our journey, ending with lunch at the appropriately named Tea Gardens. 

We even got to meet the much lauded Edward - the “most beautiful grandchild in the world”, which was a treat.

A huge thanks to Richard and Susan for transporting us, and for sharing a little of their incredible world with us. 

Unloading the tandem (photo Riccardo) 

We then set off northwards heading along the coast - and what a coast. Rolling sand dunes and coastal islands make it one of the most attractive we’ve seen. 

We weren’t quite sure where we’d end up. We thought about camping on the beach, but it so happened that we were close the Shelley Beach campground by the end of the day, so we thought we’d take a look - and what an amazing place it is. 

A beautiful lake with a gum tree line shore and beach. It’s only reachable by boat, walking or bicycle, so we we’re only sharing with a few trailer sailors moored up by the beach.

We were able to swim in the lake, cook supper, light a fire, and then watch the most incredible sunset. Special.  

77km - some of them may have been aboard the food ship Storr, but the Comissaires have ruled it all counts.  

Day 22: Newcastle to Anna Bay

A day of successful bike surgery and then us cooking ourselves on the road.

We arrived at Two Wheel Industries, the bike shop, at 9 o’clock, pushing the tandem as it still had no chain. Marek and Levi set to work with the plan to replace the small chainring with a larger one, to improve shifting, but keep the low gears by fitting a new rear derailleur and an enormous 40 tooth rear cassette. 

The Strawberry with Levi from Two Wheel Industries

The Blue Strawberry is now shifting like a dream, thanks the the Two Wheel masters.  

We didn’t get too far in the afternoon, with the temperature rising to at least 37°C (also known as 99°F - or “flipping hot”) on the road. Frequent stops in the shade we’re called for. “Mad dogs and Englishmen (and women)...”

We made it to Anna Bay, drapped our bags at the campsite and rode to the beach for a cool, refreshing swim... and cool it was, the Pacific feeling like it was funnelling water out of the Antarctic. 

Hitting the beach

​More heat tomorrow, and a special guest appearance for a boat ride.

Day 21: Budgewoi to Newcastle

This is the first day we haven’t made our target - but we need to get the tandem sorted. We’ve got another kink in the chain and broken the chain once again, so it’s time to try and get this sorted.

We came across the bike shop Two Wheel Industries and the incredibly knowledgable and helpful Marek, and decided we were better sticking around to get the bike sorted than pressing on to Anne’s Bay, where we had been heading.

Hopefully we’ll be able to press on tomorrow, after a little more tandem surgery with Dr. Marek.

Day 20: Avalon Beach to Budgewoi

We were pretty slow off the mark this morning, after a very pleasant evening chatting with Jenny. She’d made the same trip but in the other direction about 30 years ago with her husband-to-be, Steve. It’s amazing how much has changed in that time, from the equipment they had on their tandem to the tent that was so much heavier, to the need for so much more paper - guide books and maps, now all replaced by the phone.  

For us, today was a day of ferries. First, the Palm Beach to Ettalong ferry that got us off the Barrenjoey Peninsula. Then, not long afterwards, the Woy Woy ferry got us a short hop across Empire Bay and saved us a short ride up a hill. Well, why not?

Waiting for the ferry in Palm Beach

Jenny, Tia and Aela waving us off from Palm Beach jetty.  

We eventually got going and managed to crack off some kilometres before stopping just north of Avoca Beach for lunch. I managed to have a quick swim between the flags too. 

We’ve ended our fist day on the very busy Central Coast at Budgewoi, a small town packed to the rafters with holidaymakers from Sydney. It’s getting harder to get camping sites, but still not impossible. 

Day 19: Miller’s Point to Avalon Beach

There was a yacht race in town, so we had to go and watch. Even better, the son of our friends, Will Harris was starting his first Sydney Hobart, so we had to come out and cheer him on. 

We were also able to meet Jenny, Tia and Aela for a picnic on North Head watching the boats come past. It looked like Beachball Envy Scooters made a pretty good start. Well done Will.  

Then we made the trip up the coast the Jenny’s house in Avalon Beach. We got to sit around in their amazing pool sipping sparkling wine and Jenny and Aela taught Tiger and I how to do tumble turns. I’ve always wanted to learn. 

Day 18: Christmas Day in Sydney

Happy Christmas everybody. ​

We’ve had a much needed rest day today, heading off to Bondi for a swim in the ocean- with several ​thousand others. 

It’s hot, about 26 degrees so far, so the beach was a bit cooler. 

Christmas dinner is crayfish and salad with a few roasties, accompanied by Cloudy Bay’s Pelorus, still the best sparkling wine I’ve tasted. 

A very heartfelt happy Christmas from the McNamara family in front of a fake fireplace.  

Day 17: Cronulla to Miller’s Point

​it should have been a quiet day, but it was nearly very dramatic when, early on in the ride, I misjudged the gap on a bridge and sent us tumbling into a fence. Sarina hit the fence with her shoulder and for a horrible moment we were thinking our adventure might be over as we both imagined her collarbone could be broken. 

Luckily, a bit of a sit down and things recovered a little and Sarina was able to be sure nothing was broken. Be assured that we made some changes to make sure it doesn’t happen again. ​

​The rest of the trip was less eventful, thankfully. We stopped at a couple of bike shops to get a new pump and a bag for Sarina to keep stuff handy whilst we’re riding. We’re still looking for some new shoes for Tiger - the glue’s just setting on repairing his old one now. 

We made it to our Christmas hideout, an apartment in Miller’s Point, just south of the Harbour Bridge. We’ve done the shopping for a crayfish lunch tomorrow. Looking forward to it. ​

Day 16: Kiamo to Cronulla

Big day. Really big day.  

We started with a challenge we were riding the tandem with a tyre boot repairing a slash in the tyre wall.  

To add to the challenges, the sole fell off Tiger’s shoe and Sarina got locked in the toilet at the breakfast café.  

A bit off sticky tape to repair the shoe, a spanner to fix the toilet door and we were away.  

Tiger’s shoe with tape “fix” 

We had a deadline today. We needed to ride the 100 km to Bundeena in time to catch the last ferry to Cronulla - at 6pm, and we weren’t off to the best start  

Of course, the patched tyre gave out after about 10 km. Fix two included the $5 note that Mark had given us, and was much more effective, getting us as far as the nearest cycle shop. All the shop had was a Bontrager tyre that was 32mm wide, rather than the 40mm we normally run, but at least it didn’t have holes in. 

Mark’s $5 note to the rescue  

By the time we’d sorted the tyre and bought lunch it was gone 11am, and we still had over 80km to go. Time to get rolling.  

We were travelling along the beach track, heading north and had lunch on the beach at Wollongong. Pretty smart for a steel town, Sheffield could learn a little from the beach front.  

The next section of the ride started to climb the impressive escarpment north of Woolongong. Impressive until you’re fringing a tandem with panniers up the 10% slope..

We had to walk a bit of it. Not because it was too steep but because some genius had blocked the cycle path with a series of barrier as this gradient was deemed too dangerous. Insert rant about banning cars in that case, as they are much more dangerous. 

Ridiculous barriers rant rant rant... 

We made it too the top, with parascenders and hangliders swooping around us, and then headed into a national forest. A beautiful toad through the trees, with an inconvenient amount of climbing. The numbers showed we were still on track to make the ferry, and as we created a hill we saw Sydney in the distance.  

The summit! 

The ferry was no bigger than Rob’s boat in Paynesville and a bit of a squeeze, but we made it over the water to Cronulla for a night  in the Backpackers.  

Squeezing on to the ferry.  

Day 15: Mollymook to Kiama

A big day in the saddle. Some drizzle, but a big tailwind kept spirits up.  

Tiger went off on a solo expedition to follow the coast - of which more later.  

Got through the day fine, but after arriving at our campsite the rear tyre on the Strawberry exploded. Hopefully all fixed now.  

Update: Tiger set off this morning and the sole fell off his shoe. We’re falling apart! Sole now secured with tape. 

Day 14: Moruya to Mollymook

Another day in the office. An office that’s a little damper than expected, but no less fun.

It was an up and down kind of day, and drizzle joined up quite a bit. We kept our spirits up with a pizza in Bateman’s Bay, before tackling the last 55km.

No pics today though - camera stayed dry in my bag.

Day 13: Bermagui to Moruya

The day started with breakfast with Simone, then down to Bermagui central to buy some lunch. It was our luck to stumble across the bakery Honorbrrad. Not only did we get some gorgeous olive and rosemary sourdough for lunch, we had a sneaky second breakfast with a lovely coffee and pastry. 

We had time for a nice chat with everyone there too - the people of Bermagui are lucky to have such a world class bakery in town. 

Onwards we went, for lunch in Narooma and the along the coast on the Kianga trail.  

It was then we were hit by a “weather event” as the news called it later. There was 31mm of rain In around an hour and we got quite wet.  

Not cold though, so all good.  

Tonight we’re in Moruya being hosted by a lovely couple Jo and Les and their son Ben. A warm shower, a good meal and a comfortable bed is just what we need.  

More of the same tomorrow apparently.  

Update: the NSW hailstorm has been declared a “catastrophe.”  Presumably a bunch of media type city folk got a bit wet. We are all good though and looking forward to our ride today.