Rain, Rain, Rain!

Sydney to Melbourne Stage 1 – Sat 4th March 2017 – Waterfall to Koonawarra (62 Km)

Weather: 19⁰C min – 23⁰C max, steady soaking rain

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“You are never too old to set another goal, or to dream a new dream” ~ C.S. Lewis

Finally the day has arrived for us to set off on our bike tour to Melbourne. Nothing can stop us now, not even the Bureau of Meteorology’s SEVERE WEATHER WARNING for HEAVY RAINFALL in the Illawarra and South Coast regions: “HEAVY RAIN and  thunderstorms may lead to FLASH FLOODING on Saturday, with 24 hour totals in excess of 100 mm possible in some parts of the warning area”. Hmmm not an ideal start, but full steam ahead anyway.

Setting off from Wollstonecraft Station at 8.01 am, we caught the train to Waterfall so as to avoid riding through the city … and to get our ride jump started. We found ourselves in a carriage full of characters in high spirits after just finishing a cruise to Vanuatu. In no time at all we were standing on the platform at Waterfall, forlornly looking out at the rain teeming down. After 20 minutes our impatience got the better of us so we decided to set off anyway, as it was now almost 10 am.

For the first 9 Km we felt reasonably safe following the old Princes Highway, with fairly low traffic and a reasonable shoulder to ride on. From there we turned left towards Helensburgh, continuing down Cemetry Road to avoid the first section of Lawrence Hargrave Drive. Not only did this route take us through pleasant farmlands, but it also took us past the spectacular Sri Venkateswara Temple.

Steady rain was still falling when we reached the section we had been dreading: a descent from Stanwell Tops (300 m altitude) to Stanwell Park (sea level) down the busy Lawrence Hargrave Drive, with only a narrow shoulder to ride on. Breathing a sigh of relief at reaching the bottom safely, we continued on through a string of delightful seaside towns including Scarborough, Coledale, Austinmer, and finally Thirroul, where we turned onto a magnificent off-road cycle path that followed the coast all the way to Wollongong and then on to Port Kembla. What a pity the weather prevented us from capturing any photos of this beautiful part of the NSW coastline.

About 20 Km south of Wollongong we reached our destination of Koonawarra, where we are enjoying wonderful hospitality from Sharad’s good friends, George and Gail. How good it feels to have such a soft landing after braving the elements for 63 Km. After a hot shower, dry clothes, a great home-cooked meal, we can look back on what has been a most enjoyable first day, in spite of the weather conditions.