Looping the Lakes
Looping the Lakes: Stage 01 – Ettalong to The Entrance 47 Km (Mon 16-Oct-2017)
Weather: 16⁰C min – 23⁰C max, clear and sunny
“An engineer designing from scratch could hardly concoct a better device to unclog modern roads – cheap, nonpolluting, small and silent…” ~ Rick Smith, International Herald Tribune, May 2006
It might only be a 5-day mini tour, but there is always a feeling of child-like excitement when you wake up to bright sunshine on the first day of a bike tour! This time I am heading north of Sydney with Sharad Tank (the mate I rode from Sydney to Melbourne with in March) to explore the Central Coast area of NSW. Our route passes around lots of water ((Brisbane Water, Lake Tuggerah, Lake Budgewoi, Lake Munmorah, Lake Macquarie, Hunter River) so there should be plenty of photo opportunities, particularly if the weather stays kind like it is today.
Catching the 10:11 am train from Wollstonecraft, I arrived at Woy Woy about 11:30 am to meet Sharad who had caught the 10;30 am ferry from Palm Beach to Ettalong, then cycled 11 Km to Woy Woy. Naturally we had coffee/chai there before setting off along the pretty Point to Pelicans path that took us to Gosford. From there the route was less attractive (but nevertheless safe riding along good shoulders on busy roads) until we reached Tuggerah Lake where we picked up a nice path around the lake that took us all the way to The Entrance where we are staying tonight.
The Entrance is a very appealing seaside town that bought back fond memories of family holidays spent there about 30 years ago. I can still remember the taste of the fresh whiting I used to catch in the estuary when the tide was turning.
After wandering around the almost deserted shopping centre for a while, we went back to our hotel, put our feet up and contemplated what has been a pleasant start to our mini tour.
