Whale of a Time

Sydney to Melbourne Stage 10 – Wed 15th March 2017 – Kalaru (nearTathra) to Eden (51 Km)

Weather: 20⁰C min – 25⁰C max, perfect sunshine

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“There is nothing impossible to those who will try” ~ Alexander the Great

It was so good this morning to be accompanied by Ken and Bev for the first 10 Km to the foot of Moncks Hill, where we waved goodbye and commenced our climb of 140 m over the next 1 Km. Now we know why they decided to turn back at the bottom of the hill!

Riding through the Bournda National Park was pleasant enough, with nothing much to report until we came to road re-surfacing work near the Tura Beach turn-off. Slipping up to the front of the queue of cars we befriended the flagman while waiting for more than a thousand cars to pass in the other direction followed by another thousand from the Tura Beach direction. When it was our turn to go our friendly flagman laid out the red carpet for us, stopping the traffic in all directions as we laboured up the long hill.

Soon we were descending into the very attractive seaside town of Merimbula, a place that just begs to be re-visited for a holiday. The thing that really sealed it for Sharad was the excellent chai latte, a very helpful and informative bike shop owner, and the magnificent golf club we passed as we left town.

A few Km further on we came to the trendy village of Pambula, with specialty shops such as an artisan bakery, coffee roasters, whole foods, and a wood sculpture gallery. From there we enjoyed riding through breathtaking countryside until one final heartbreak hill at the 45 Km mark, before the descent into Eden where we are staying tonight.

Eden is renowned for whales, with more than 70 whales spotted off the Eden coast in a single week last November. The town boasts a whale festival, a killer whale museum, and even a soccer team called the Eden Killer Whales Club.

For us the highlight of our stay in Eden was the fish and chips at the wharf tonight … just sensational.

Sharad and I agree that today was one of the two most enjoyable stages so far, the other one being from Malua Bay to Narooma. You could say we have been having a whale of a time!