On the Road Again
Sydney to Melbourne Stage 6 – Fri 10th March 2017 – Ulladulla to Malua Bay (65 Km)
Weather: 17⁰C min – 22⁰C max, fine and sunny, clear blue sky!
“Happiness, not in another place but this place … not for another hour, but this hour” ~ Walt Whitman
Leaving Ulladulla under a glorious blue sky, we soon reached the busy Princes Highway which we followed for the first 50 Km until Bateman’s Bay. The two small towns of Burrill Lake and Lake Tabourie had coffee shops, but it was too soon for our coffee/chai latte fix so we kept riding.
The scenery along this section consisted of eucalyptus forests on both sides of the road, pleasant enough but a bit monotonous after a while. We can expect several stages like this before we reach Melbourne.
Although the traffic was heavy, riding on the generous shoulder of the highway was safe and we soon settled into a rhythm. On days such as this it is all about the riding. Enjoyment comes from rolling along smoothly and efficiently, glancing occasionally upwards at the perfect blue sky or sideways at the heavily treed forest. The only noise you hear in between the roar of cars zooming past is the crunching of our rubber tyres on the grit and rubble strewn across the shoulder of the road.
Another cyclist gave a big wave as he passed by on the other side of the road, travelling much faster than us of course. Not long after he turned around and caught up with us, so we stopped and chatted to him for ages. Brian is his name and he was riding a magnificent Lapierre bike that cost nearly $15,000. What he doesn’t know about bikes and cycling is not worth knowing. It was so good talking to somebody who is even more passionate about riding than us, so we continued down the hill together to continue the conversation at a nearby coffee shop.
We made no attempt to keep up with Brian on the last few Km into Bateman’s Bay. It was there we enjoyed lunch on the waterfront overlooking the Clyde River, before finding a nice bike path that followed the coast around as far as Batehaven.
The NSW Coastal Path took us on a beautiful scenic route to Malua Bay, where we were greeted by our delightful AirBNB hosts, Sue and John, who could not be more helpful.
Dinner consisted of a good old-fashioned “hamburger with the works” enjoyed at an outdoor café overlooking the beach.
Can you see why we enjoy bike touring so much?
Yes it is true your happiness is riding. Your blog makes relaxing reading.
Another day of hard long yet enjoyable riding.
Hope the weather stay dry for you both. Just be safe on those busy roads!!
sounds wonderful .
I’m glad the sun has come out for you – must make the ride all the more enjoyable! Beautiful scenery shots, and a nice pic of each of you on the beach.