18.01. - 01.02.2015
Eden - Bega - Tathra - Bermagui - Narooma - Batemans Bay - Ulladulla/Mollymook - Falls Creek - Nowra - Kiama - Wollongong - East Corrimal - Helensburgh - SYDNEY
distance: 505 km
bikedays: 9
total distance: 19.018 km
distance Australia: 6.053 km
bikedays Australia: 71
(arrival Aug 2nd 2014)
In Eden I stayed at a motel. next morning I woke up and all bones were aching. I still felt the exhausting day before. and the next challenge came soon. the hill after Eden, long and steep again. up and down every day. New South Wales is very, very hilly .
Yes, Australians built roads very different to Europe. In Germany, due to ice and snow, roadbuilders try to make the roads more flat and decrease the gradient. Otherwise we all would be enforced to buy 4wheel drive cars ;-) . here the gradients between 12% and 16 % are very common, the pavement is rough, the very narrow shoulder quite bumpy.
but the reason for this is simple: Australia is so huge with only 23 million people living there, so there are less taxes.
one item is very annoying: since Central Asia, I never have seen so many broken glass bottles on the shoulder or bike paths as in Australia. Other cyclists confirmed me, that there a always some morons who hate cyclists and want to cause damages on their bike. Well, I am happy to have very good tyres with thorn-proofed tubes but it is essential to pay more attention on the road.
Along beaches, and through forests I came to Bega, where I spent three nights at a caravan park.
In Bermagui I stayed at James´ home. he is another awesome host from "warmshowers.org" and friends of mine recommended him.There is another WS-host in Bermagui, Simone and she joined the dinner. great evening , great stories to exchange :-)
In Narooma I had my first "Couchsurfing"-hosts. Col and Heather were so great. sight seeing, home-brewed beer, tasty food, a cude dog and lot of discussions.
the next day, Australia-Day I joined Col at a social ride. I had my full-loaded bike and people were quite curious, of course. big fun !
In Falls Creek another terrific hospitality by Maggie and Paul and in Kiama by Hugh.
I am honest: I can not always visit beaches and it is a young country, so very different sights are quite rare. I enjoy meeting people and to know more about their lives and experiences. It is not necessary for me always to tell about me and about my trip.
East Corrimal was a big highlight. Well, before I started my trip in 2012, still in Munich, I took lessons in Russian language. And what a suprise, six months ago my former teacher emigrateted with her family to Australia. Awesome reunion after quite three years !
On Feb 1st I arrived in Sydney. Cycling with a heavy loaded bike in a big city is a tough job. always stopping at the traffic lights, some car drivers are quite rude, chasing you like a rabbit. I will stay some days here, because I like this city very much, and after my first visit in 2007 , a good possibility to explore more.
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| steep upclimb after Eden |
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| bumpy gravelled road to Tathra |
in Europe we only know "Bunga Bunga" from the former Italian President, Silvio Berlusconi ;-)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8400591/Silvio-Berlusconi-and-the-bunga-bunga-parties-in-pictures.html?image=16
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| nice smalltalk |
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| James, my great "warmshower.org"-host in Bermagui |
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| short stop in Central Tilba, too many tourists... |
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| Col and Heather (middle), great hosts from Couchsurfing in Narooma and Laureline& Renaud from France |
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| what could be the name of this rock ? yes, the "Australian-Rock" in Narooma |
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| Narooma |
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| only three meters away from the track.... |
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| Max, the cude Border Collie from Heather and Col |
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| Col brews is own beer, named "Flying Fox". very tasty :-) |
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| social ride on Australia Day with the group from Col. |
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| I hate this sign, because a steep and/or a long upclimb is following |
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| hills and upclimbs... |
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| a Blue Heeler, an Australian Cattle dog. so cude :-) |
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| Paul and Maggie, my great WS-hosts in Falls Creek |
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| new highway before Kiama |
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| so true. |
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| Kiama Blow Hole |
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| so different to South East Asia..... warning, warnings, warnings. everyone wants to have 100% of safety |
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| Hugh, my great host in Kiama. he already was cycling many kilometers in Europe. |
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| very stormy in Wollongong |
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| after three years reunion with Katja, my former Russian teacher in Munich, and her family :-) |
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| my fluffy room-mate, a Russian Blue at my host in East Corrimal. |
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| beautiful bicycle path in East Corrimal |
after climbing up to 276 m , a beautiful view with many paragliders and hanggliders.
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| at Stanwell Tops. |
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| Yi Wo Ko from Hongkong, cycling from Melbourne to Sydney, met him at Stanwell Tops |
