Dave and his Bike

Days 141 to 144.

Day 141.

No bike day.

Last night I was convinced into not riding today. We’ve planned a couple of nights in Brisbane, staying at a campsite on the south side of the city. Local knowledge (thanks Gary & Suzanne) informed me that the traffic volumes and road conditions would not be conducive to a pleasurable ride, and when I woke up this morning I was glad I had made that decision. Despite a good nights sleep, I felt a bit like I had a cold – bunged up sinuses and a sore throat.

A good cup of coffee, France beating Wales in the Six Nations Championship, and a bacon and egg butty made me feel heaps better. Gary and Suzanne then took us for a drive-out-guided-tour of Caloundra and all of their haunts (coffee shops and the like). It’s a really lovely place and easy to see why they have settled here.

We drove into and through Brisbane, mainly on the motorway. I didn’t miss the bike. Having spent some time this morning being advised on routes between here and Sydney, I’m excited to be heading off (hopefully on smaller roads) inland to National Parks, wine growing country, and the Blue Mountains. We still have three weeks until we want to be in Sydney, so plenty of time to explore New South Wales and get some decent miles in.

The camp site is big. Mainly holiday homes with a few touring pitches. It also has a pool, a restaurant and laundry facilities. We now have clean clothes, and have cooled off with a swim.

Dinner was a very average pizza at the camp restaurant, Jane had very nice fish and chips. We both had an early night.

Day 142.

Brisbane.

After a bacon sandwich / egg on toast breakfast, in the company of Colin, a very interesting grain farmer from Victoria, we headed to the bus stop just outside the campsite. The bus only took dedicated travel cards, which we don’t possess, but the driver just smiled and said ‘take a seat’.

A second bus took us down the dedicated expressway into the centre of Brisbane. It is like the Underground, but buses as opposed to trains. 50 cents (25p) per person, anywhere. Quick, cheap, efficient. Brilliant. It was so quick that we missed our stop, but still ended up at South Bank, as recommended by everyone we’ve spoken to.

It’s a great area to wander about. Market stalls (a bit touristy), cafés, bars, restaurants, gardens and even a lido with a beach. Being Sunday, it was busy but with a great atmosphere. We mooched about, had an iced coffee, and then remembered the river ferries. We crossed the river on one of the many footbridges, and jumped on a boat which was the equivalent of a bus on the river, stopping several times as it went down the river. After half an hour or so we got off, then back upstream on another boat. Great way to see the city and its waterfront suburbs. And not expensive.

Once back on dry land, we realised that the building in front of us had a roof terrace and viewing platform. The Star Hotel allows the general public to visit the glass platform free of charge, so once we found the correct lift, up we went. Great views of the city, amusement at Jane and her fear of looking down, an expensive beer (to calm her nerves). All in all a good way to spend a couple of hours.

We crossed back to South Bank, continued bimbling about, walked past the Maritime museum and HMAS Diamantina (which looked quite interesting), and after about six hours in the city got the bus back to the campsite. Brisbane has been well worth the visit.

I’m pleased that I haven’t ridden again today. My cold had dropped onto my chest a bit, and I’m still bunged up and feeling a bit crap. Hopefully if I can get a decent nights sleep I should be good to go tomorrow. I suppose if I’m going to be ill it may as well be when I’ve got the option of not riding.

Day 143.

Another day off the bike.

Didn’t sleep well. Properly bunged up which woke me frequently throughout the night. Felt rubbish in the morning, but contemplated riding until I looked at the route and the weather conditions. Basically built up area for the first 50+ kilometres, with a strong breeze headwind. Nah.

So back in the van it was. Firstly a supermarket hit, then a motorway drive followed by frustrating traffic light hold ups all the way to Gold Coast – more specifically Surfers Paradise. Just about everyone we’ve spoken to has turned their nose up at the mention of Gold Coast, but we’d rather make our own minds. The beach was nice, and we had a great coffee stop where we spoke with an English waiter (from Bath). But it was very high-rise – big apartment blocks and hotels and not as much of a feeling of character and charm as we’ve experienced in other places. Back in the van.

A short way further down the coast is Byron Bay. Allegedly home to the stars. Much more peaceful, great beach, and altogether nicer. We swam in the sea (sort of. Big waves). It’s obviously more affluent, as you have to pay to park at the side of the road. Maybe it’s just a New South Wales thing, which we entered on the way there. NSW also subscribe to daylight saving, so we are now a further hour ahead of home (10 hrs France, 11 hrs UK).

We went up towards the lighthouse – the most easterly tip of Australia, but refused to pay another $10 to drive past it (nice views though). Instead we dropped down the road to a campsite, and swam again. This time in the pool.

The beaches we saw today were all amazing in isolation. At the risk of sounding complacent, I’ve seen that many beautiful (and I mean really beautiful) beaches over the last few weeks and months that it’s about time for a change of scenery, as they don’t have that ‘Wow!’ reaction that they deserve. Tomorrow we head inland again. This time for a lot longer – a couple of weeks or more. Ultimately we are aiming for the Hunter Valley area, and the Blue Mountains, so the search for impressive roads and scenic routes is now on. I’m really looking forward to it.

Oh yeah – we had sausages and green beans for dinner. I almost forgot to mention it. And a beer. Don’t forget the beer.

Day 144.

Back on the bike. Hooray!

After a better nights sleep I felt much more like riding today. We still had a leisurely start to the day – tea and toast and a chat with Lottie, before I finally cycled off the campsite sometime before 0900hrs. I decided to take it steady, and call it a day if my chest wasn’t up to it. That plan, however, was scrapped quite quickly. Within a kilometre of leaving camp, I turned off the main road towards Bangalow. The road went straight uphill, to the tune of 13% in places. So much for a gentle start. That set the theme for the rest of the morning, with plenty of ups and downs to test my legs and chest. Both fared ok.

The scenery had changed as soon as I had left the coast, losing the holiday feel, and becoming very much European. No longer does it feel tropical like Queensland, save for the occasional palm tree, and with the weather being overcast it is several degrees cooler.

I met up with Jane after 25km in Clunes, at a really nice chilled out coffee shop. I tore myself away after 45 minutes, and headed to Lismore – bigger but not overly attractive. It wasn’t far, but we met again just past the town in a little side road where we had lunch in the shade of the van. The side road crossed the old railway line, which has been turned into a cycling and walking trail which is not shown on the map. When I set off, it was a theoretical 20km to Casino, our destination for the night.

I anticipated a few kilometres on the well graded gravel trail, rejoining the road quite soon. Information boards along the way suggested I could go further, adding a bit to my mileage, but I was more than happy with that. Where old wooden bridges carried the tracks, new sections of route had been laid (unfortunately), but the old structures looked great.

When I met up with the road again, new information boards appeared, showing that the trail now goes all the way to Casino. Brilliant. It kept me away from the traffic for another 12km. At Naughtons Gap there was is short tunnel which is now a bat conservation area. A road has therefore been built over the hill. The 13% hill. Short and sharp, it really stretched my legs after the railway gradients which are a maximum of 2%.

I did, however, benefit from the immediate steep descent followed by a few kilometres of -2% into Casino. Overall it had added about 10km to my day, but was well worth it. Sadly I only saw three other cyclists in the 26km I was on the trail – I hope it gets a bit more use than that as it is well thought out and engineered, and an all round lovely ride.

By the time I arrived at the campsite Jane was fully installed. I was greeted with a cold drink then we went for a dip in the pool to cool off. En-route she had managed to pick up a bottle of local Sauvignon Blanc. It would be rude not to try it.

It even went well with the beef, onions and pasta that we had for dinner.

Distance cycled so far: 7480km.