Round Australia Bike Ride - Day 001 - Terrigal to Tea Gardens

Day: 001

Date: Thursday, 02 July 2020

Start:  Terrigal

Finish:  Tea Gardens

Daily Kilometres:  133

Total Kilometres:  133

Weather:  Clear and cold early, changing to mild and breezy, then warm and sunny in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Apple pies

  Lunch:  Pie/Sausage Roll

  Dinner:  Fish & Chips/Hamburger & Chips

Aches:  Some niggles and unmentionable chafing

Highlight:  The ride into Nelson Bay in warm sunshine alongside the mirror calm Karuah River estuary on a leafy bike path.

Lowlight:  Traffic.  In contrast to some very pleasant bike path riding, the roads were busy.  Cars and trucks were constantly whizzing by.  Fortunately, most of the time, there was a breakdown lane we could ride in, but the traffic noise was constant.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We got up at 4am, intending to get away from the Central Coast before the traffic built up.  We were also concerned about a couple of stretches where we knew we would be riding directly into the rising sun, making us invisble to vehicles approaching from behind.

We were on the road by 5:15 on a clear and cold morning, trying to adjust to our heavily-loaded bikes (the solidy-built touring bikes are heavy, even without a load!), but making good time in calm conditions.  The first 30 kilometres were familiar to us and we were keen to get into new territory.  After a stop in Swansea (50km) for breakfast and a ride across the narrow drawbridge spanning the entrance to Lake Macquarie (where we clearly annoyed some early commuters who let us know their feelings), we turned off the main road and joined the well-known Fernleigh trail, which passes through much of southern Newcastle following the route of an old rail line.  Despite it being well-known, neither Julie nor I had ever been along it, and we really enjoyed our journey through mangroves and forest.

At the end of the trail, we turned east through some of Newcastle's less salubrious suburbs, swerving at one point to avoid a syringe lying in the road, to reach the Newcastle waterfront and the Stockton Ferry.  It was cool and breezy waiting by the water for the next ferry after just missing one.  After the short harbour crossing, it was then a long flat slog north into a moderate wind until we reached Williamtown where we stopped for lunch in a small picnic area adjacent to the airfield.  Lunchtime entertainment was provided by low-flying military jets apparently practicing take-offs and landings.

During lunch we decided that we could get to Nelson Bay, our target for the day, in time for the last (3:30pm) passenger ferry across the Karuah River to Tea Gardens, so booked seats and set off for the remaining 36km.  The wind had dropped and it was warm enough for us to cycle in short-sleeves.  Apart from the endless traffic, it was a pleasant journey through flat green rural country.

The last stretch along the Karuah River estuary was just beautiful (see above) and we reached the ferry jetty at 2:15pm, leaving plenty of time for a pleasant afternoon tea with Thel, one of Julie's aunts, who lives nearby and came down to meet us.  The hour-long ferry journey to Tea Gardens was very enjoyable across the mirror-smooth estuary surrounded by green hills, sandy beaches and mangroves.  En route, I booked a motel in Tea Gardens, and we arrived there around 4:45pm after an excellent first day.

I was quite apprehensive about my fitness, particularly a lingering hip injury, but it was no more troublesome than usual and survived the 133km in good shape, though it was through easy terrain.  It was a good first day on heavily-loaded bike for both of us, but I suspect tomorrow will be a lot harder.  Our new touring bikes were excellent.  So far, so good.