Anything and everything is possible…

Day 15-18: Queanbeyan, NSW

… when you take it one step at a time. So we believe! Many probably think we’re out of our minds when we say we are going to Perth… on our push bikes. “Isn’t it like 4,000 or 5,000kms away?” is a common expression.

We used to commute approximately 15km one way to work with our bikes that takes about an hour. That makes 30km a day, and we were no pro bikies. Nope, we didn’t have our cycle shoes and jerseys back then. ;) If we commute the same distance each day for roughly 2 hours, in 150 days we would have clocked 4,500km cycling. Easy!

Given the extraordinary characteristics of human physique, our bodies learn to adapt and our muscles grow stronger (provided we nourish them well). For anyone starting to ride, 30km a day would become 40km, 50km and 60km... and eventually 100km a day. Then it would take us less than 150 days to make 4,500km. Easy!

Sue came across much more than a few websites on people sharing their stories about travelling on push bikes whether across Australia or around the world. Check them out!

Clea and Garrett Cycle Across Australia (pic above)
Their story inspired our trip when Sue first read an article about them in the Women’s Health Magazine Australia. Sue has been in correspondence with Clea, who has been very kind to share their experiences, tips and supportive words!

TravellingTwo: Bicycle Touring Around The World
Andrew and Friedel started travelling around the world on their bikes in 2006. When their tour ended in October 2009, they clocked an incredible 48,000km! They moved to the Netherlands and their blog continues to offer an abundance of stories, tips and advices on cycling and bike touring.

The Cycle Strongman Expedition (CSX)
This solo expedition by Chris started in March 2009 from Newcastle NSW. As Chris put it, “The eight year odyssey will involve cycling around the globe (covering Australia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas), sailing across two oceans and eight seas and (if luck, health and good winds have it) all the way back home again. The CSX is as much a personal journey about self discovery as a catalyst to inspire individuals.”

Across The Nullarbor on Two Wheels
This one-page website shares a story about a couple from Scotland that touches Sue personally. Colin wrote in 1986 about his travel with Louise across the Nullarbor from Perth to Sydney with bare necessities. They shared one towel, one sleeping bag and had neither a tent nor cooking equipment. 

So there you have it. Anything and everything is possible when you take it one step at a time. No matter what your goal is, set your heart to it and learn from the setbacks. Then, take the next step. Easy!

Are you ready?

Canberra, the next cycling capital?

Day 14: Queanbeyan, NSW

It was back on the road, without our packs and panniers! We could not believe the cycleway available. First we cycled from Queanbeyan, NSW to Fyshwick, ACT on bike paths. After a short stop in Canberra city centre, we rode all the way to Dickson for lunch. The giant ‘bagel’ (more like just a bun) made up for the light but frequent meals we had on our ride from Goulburn to Queanbeyan. But it was yumm~~ On our way back to the city, we went on the bike paths along a waterway.

We noticed many more people on push bikes in Canberra than we do in Sydney. Sue thinks when you do see people commuting with bicycles in Sydney, they are normally clad in cycle jerseys, padded bike shorts and pro-looking cycle shoes. Unlike here, where you can see moms with baby on bicycles, girl in dress with cowboy boots on vintage push-bikes as well as those in sporty outfits. Cool! “Not quite like the Netherlands though”, Lukas said. Well, it’s a start. Have a look at Copenhagen Cycle Chic, a fashion blog of people on 2 wheels and you’ll see what Sue means.

We were on the road home at the most inconvenient time: rush hour! Blessed with the bike paths, we still had to ride on-road on some parts. Although the rush hour traffic is nothing compared to Sydney, the stress and impatience of some drivers may be similar. All we have to say: Blink, people… blink! It is not the fault our judgement when drivers do not indicate when they are turning and having to slow down as we crossed.

That said, we both still look forward to our stay here in the next 2-3 weeks. We just need to avoid biking during rush hours. ; ) And not letting Oskar (Dan’s pet ferret) out of his cage. He bit Sue!!

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale – Goulburn – Queanbeyan

Bed? This foreign thing is so soft and comfy…

Day 13: Queanbeyan, NSW

For dinner the night before, Dan cooked up a storm (literally! You should have seen the food flying out of the wok) and made our favourite fried rice (Lee’s version) despite his long day at work. We also finally had a chance to call home and speak with our families.

After yesterday’s milestone, our first 3-digits kms clocked, we had the day off. We made sure that our 5am alarm was turned off and we slept in… on a bed, with mattress! Except for the times in Heathcote and Robertson when we slept in a hotel/motel room, our sleeping bags have become our bed since this New Year. Changing the way we live once in a while makes us appreciate that much more what we have. The rest of the day was R&R after we took care of some logistics. Oww… yeah~

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale – Goulburn – Queanbeyan

And we’re rolling, rolling, rolling…

Day 12: Queanbeyan, NSW
Distance cycled: 100km

Who would have thought?!?! (Not something you would expect to hear from someone – or 2 – who said they would cycle 4,500km to Perth) We made it to CANBERRA!

It was an early start, getting up at 5am for departure at 6am. It was still dark and chilly. Having to put away our tent full-o-creepy crawlies also put chills to our spine. Just a night before, we saw a palm-sized Huntsman spider ‘hanging out’ at the corner of our tent. Any noise we heard, Lukas suggested that the spider is chewing through our tent.

We enjoyed the sunrise as we rolled into Hume Highway towards Canberra. Less than a third of the way to our destination, we passed the Great Dividing Range. From then on, Sue’s imaginary picture came true: we were (mostly) rolling into Canberra! The conditions could not have been better: clearing blue sky, some breeze despite the sun shining, a bit of tailwind if any wind at all, wide shoulders along the highway, and a crazy couple on their push-bikes dreaming away.

We continued along the Federal Highway, partially hoping to find a service station along the way to take a break and have lunch. We never found one. But there were many rest areas along this Remembrance Driveway, which were dedicated to Australians who were awarded the Victoria Cross for acts of valour and extraordinary personal courage in WW II and Vietnam.

One of the highlights of the day was when a Wicked camper honked at us. It was Glen and Gail! We met this ‘Just Married’ couple from Saskatchewan, Canada at the campground the day before when we were making dinner at the camp kitchen. Glen and Gail shared some fun stories including a couple who cycled for a year from Canada to Mexico and back. They were planning to head to Canberra too and said they would pull over if they spot us on the highway. And they did! It was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for the stop and picture, Glen and Gail!

Before 3pm, we arrived in Queanbeyan! WE MADE IT!! It felt good… ;=)

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale – Goulburn - Queanbeyan

Next stop: Canberra/Queanbeyan

Day 12: Goulburn, NSW

And so we will! We decided to stay for another night to rest for tomorrow’s ride more than 90km to Canberra or Queanbeyan (where Dan generously offered us a real roof over our heads). We could also spend the day checking out Australia’s first inland city Goulburn, where the world’s biggest merino standing at 15.2m high and weighing 97 tonne stands as a celebration of Australia’s fine wool industry. Too bad (mostly for Sue) we just missed the Australian Blues Music Festival held here last weekend.

We got to sleep in this morning. It is quite amazing (perhaps a little uneasy) to discover how the creepy crawlies have warmly welcomed us and made our home as part of theirs. As we lay in our tent, we could see so many different types and colours of ants, spiders and caterpillars or worms roaming about and around (thankfully) outside our tent.

We headed into the city centre after breakfast and found ourselves sitting in the public library using wireless internet… gratis (free)... thanks to the Goulburn City Council and you, taxpayers! That is tax well-spent. We are finally able to check our mails, keep in touch with families and friends, and blog again. ; ) Thank you all for your patience! Speak soon from Canberra/Queanbeyan.

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale - Goulburn

Sun glorious, sun!

Day 11: Goulburn, NSW

Distance cycled: 67km

We recharged in Moss Vale and were ready to pedal on. It can make so much difference having a refrigerator and a kitchen to cook in, something to look out for in the next campgrounds.

After a wholesome breakfast, we took off at 8:30am. Humidity was very high. “It is just the highlands fog”, a friendly camper suggested as she gave us well wishes. We hoped the ray of sun will break through the mist.

It was a beautiful ride along Tourist Drive 8 passing one farm or ranch after another. Before long, we hit the Hume Highway. It was less stressful riding along the wide shoulder of the highway despite cars and trucks flying past us. Some even honked for support! Unfortunately, we do see a lot of litter and 2 dead turtles along the highways we took. As a gentle reminder: please do not litter… and give those who do an evil stare if not a piece of your mind. ;p

Yes! Sun glorious, sun! We made good progress and decided to stop for lunch at noon. We were dry! It felt good… ahh… the simple things in life. ;=) Despite the looming clouds, the sun was shining and the breeze kept coming. It was very comfortable to ride. The wind picked up and it became a little more challenging, especially with each gradual but seemingly endless climbs.

Before 3pm, we arrived at Goulburn and found one of the nicest campgrounds so far on this trip to stay at. Governor Hill’s Carapark was clean, has a large camp kitchen (that made us felt like home), seating areas and even singing ants! “Have a lovely stay”, said the office attendant. We sure will!

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale - Goulburn

We are singing in the rain… on Valentine’s Day

Day 10: Moss Vale, NSW
Distance cycled: 24km

Robertson, the town of the big potato, is a small town with population just above 1,000 people. Yesterday, we were checked into the Robertson Country Motel. The room is decorated with a personal touch. We liked it. It was also nice to stay dry once in a while and not thinking about how our tent will hold up to the forces of nature.

We wanted to keep our family updated of our wellbeing. Unfortunately, the credit in both our mobile phones accounts was empty and there were no wireless broadband reception. We hope they are not worried. Happy Chinese New Year, the Ds (Dan & Dad)! Happy Fasching for the Austrian families and friends!

As usual, 5 minutes before the alarm buzzed off, there was a downpour (seriously!). There goes the thought of going for a walk to check out this charming little town. We savoured every minute we had until check-out time at 10am when we had to brave the wet weather again.

It was a smooth and mostly flat ride. The symphony of nature orchestrated by frogs, birds and sometimes cows cheered us on. In 1.5 hours, we arrived in Moss Vale. The thought of retreating to a cabin instead of a tent was very tempting. No chance. All cabins in the caravan park were fully booked. We were told that there is a music festival this weekend (we later found out it was Rob Thomas!) and about 8,000 people will be attending. That might explain the $4 ‘surcharge’ we unexpectedly had to pay despite the price listed on their website checked only a few days ago. Well, at least there is a camp kitchen undercover. Lukas had his fair share of steak and potatoes for lunch.

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson - Moss Vale

Goodbye, Wollongong! From sea-level to 721m high…

Day 9: Robertson, NSW
Distance cycled: 63km

We decided to head towards Moss Vale, and not stay in Shellharbour for a night as what we had in mind initially. 5 minutes before the alarm went off at 5am, raindrops pounded on our tent. Once again, we were farewelled with rain. 7:03am: Goodbye, Wollongong!

Once we arrived at Windang (where we thought was Shellharbour), we paused for breakfast by Lake Illawarra. It was beautiful. We could see through to the bottom of the clear-blue lake as we cycled across the bridge into Shellharbour.

It never stopped raining. We took shelter at the Albion Park City Stadium. Then, we recharged with Subway for lunch at the Albion Park town centre. By 1pm, we were at the start of the Macquarie Pass National Park at 200m elevation. In 8km, we ascended 400m in altitude. After about 2km of the incline, we literally took it step-by-step. It was not easy given the weight we carried and the heavy fog with merely 20m visibility. Nevertheless, it was quite an experience! We made it out of the Pass in 2.5 hours! ; )

Few more kilometres down the road, we arrived at Robertson. This is our home for the night.

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong - Robertson

Day 8: Wollongong, NSW

We finished what we wanted to do at the library and set off to the beach to have lunch. Sitting at a beach side kiosk, we enjoyed the sun, sand and sea. It was ironic. The last few days, we sat in the library, staring out the window at sunny days. Finally, when we were outside, the clouds took over shortly after lunch. We wanted to have a dip in the rock pool too, only our feet got wet. It was too cold.

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong

“Someone stole my water bottle!”…

Day 6 & 7: Wollongong, NSW

…said Lukas, when his water bottle was not in his bag where he said he had it. A common phrase heard from Lukas when his forgetfulness prevails. Oh well! Sue breaks stuff and Lukas loses stuff. Makes us a great couple, eh? Luckily that ‘someone’ didn’t take any of our more valuable possessions. ; )

As we were mostly working away at the university’s library during the day, followed by the council library in town, there is not much to report, except that progress is great. Here are some more pictures as a glimpse of our current ‘home’.

This off-road path for pedestrian and bikes stretches from Thirroul (about 15km north) and takes us all the way to town, and we’re lovin’ it!

There weren’t a clear view of the mountain ranges when we arrived. Now there is!

We only returned to the resort after 9pm. The next thing we know, a fortress of tents, armed by excited kids and teachers trying to take charge, was set up across from us. We had a better glance in the morning.

Today (Thursday) we are highly motivated! We arrived before 8am at the university and had breakfast while awaiting the library to open at 8:30am. Lukas could not wait to start working on his manuscript.

***News flash!! Water bottle found and retrieved! It was sitting at the countertop of the café where we bought our afternoon snacks. So that ‘someone’ was the countertop that took his bottle hostage!***

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong

What a beautiful day!

Day 5: Wollongong, NSW

For the first time since our departure, we see sun! Except for a brief downpour last night that woke us up when we left our tent ‘window’ open, it has been fairly dry. After brekkie, we hand-washed our laundry and hung them up on the clothes line at our ‘resort’ (and hopefully our tent smells better tonight… if not, we know who’s the one to blame for his unusually shorter showers).

It is mostly work today with the day spent at the University of Wollongong’s library.

Here’s some pictures of the university grounds. (Keyword: ALL hand-planted)

Thank you all for reading our blog and the supportive comments!

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong

Day 4… of rain

Day 3 & 4: Wollongong, NSW
Distance cycled: 25km

We have been on the road for 4 days and it has been showering for 4 days. It didn’t stop us, and sure not the Aussies! As we rode past town after town, we witnessed one crowd after another braving the waves surfing or rowing, walking their dogs and going for a run. It was an easy and fantastic ride literally along the coast, especially thanks to the bike path shortly after we left Coledale, starting from Thirroul.

When we first arrived in Wollongong yesterday, taking shelter by the promenade and contemplating whether to cycle further south to the Windang Beach Tourist Park or backtrack towards Towradgi, a friendly stranger came up to us and said “We couldn’t have picked a better time for our ride, could we?” Charlie, on his bike with 2 dogs on tow, chatted with us and shared his cycling trip around Europe, down Mount Kosciuszko and the surroundings of Wollongong. We have spoken to at least 5 people who cycle frequently for leisure. We decided to go back north again as it is the closest place to camp near Wollongong and the university, where Charlie said only 3 trees used to stand on the university’s ground. All 3 were knocked down by wind. The trees on campus now are all hand-planted and it is a forest!

So we took the rest of the day off, cleaning ourselves and our bikes (Sue made a promise to her bike she named Reed that she would clean her!). After another go at Scrabbles with Lukas getting better and coming up with ingenious words like “brr”, “moo”, “op”, “pic” etc (that are words according to the official Scrabbles dictionary), we hit the hay early and got almost 12 hours of good rest.


It still drizzles but it could have been worse. Having found our way to the University of Wollongong’s library, we will base ourselves here for the next 2 days for Lukas to work on his manuscript and for Sue to start learning R (if she doesn’t stop procrastinating) ;p
Ciao!

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale - Wollongong

Back to sea-level!

Day 2: Coledale, NSW
Distance cycled: 33km

From riding overlooking top of trees to setting up our camps by Coledale Beach, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! Despite our roof never stopped leaking and we were told that it will not be fixed for the next week (in other words it is raining non-stop), we rode through a foggy forest, along the coast with ocean view and being fully embraced by our surrounding where we used to fly by in our car. It was priceless!

We started off a little later at 10am, but more than 10kg lighter. Last night, we prepared a parcel to send to Sue’s awesome brother, Dan (thanks, Dan! ;p) and left behind some food and other things that we think we can live without. After fixing and cleaning the bikes, we rode off from Heathcote along Pacific Highway conquering one hill at a time.

We made it to Helensburgh 20 minutes before the post office closed to send off our 5kg parcel. We took shelter and re-fuelled waiting for the rain to stop. After 2 hours, we just pedalled on and warmed up quickly from the hill we climbed shortly after leaving the town.

By about 3:30pm, we arrived at Coledale. The campground office was closed and we waited nearby before setting up our tent. The nicest thing happened! As we sat at the ‘Table of Knowledge’ overlooking the beach, an elder man from a campervan treaded towards us. Without much of a chat, he handed each of us freshly-made still-warm pikelets sandwiched with jam and butter and said, “We just made some extra pikelets and you both look like you could use some”.

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote - Coledale

The 2 Ps

Day 1: Heathcote, NSW
Distance cycled: 43km

The 2 Ps are patience and persistence. On our first day of our adventure, Sue came up with these two principles that will be important and helpful for us to reach our destination. It was a fantastic day discovering Royal National Park and some of our own physical limits.




After 5.5 amazing years in Sydney, we departed at 6am on our bikes heading south from North Sydney. We arrived in Mascot around 8am with almost 80kg of ‘stuff’ on our bikes. We pedalled on to the Royal National Park. As we descended the slopes toward the Visitor Centre at Audley, fear loomed that we would have to ascend the same altitude on the way out. We went through Lady Carrington Drive, an old road dating back to the 1800s. As you can imagine, it was a bumpy and slow 11km ride but we made it through! At the end of the trail, we decided to take the short but tough mostly-inclined 5km out towards the Pacific Highway before heading towards the coast. Boy, was it an ascend (especially after about 7 hours riding)! It was not easy for Sue but Lukas was patient and persistent (not to mention a superman who helped Sue with her load).

We finally got out to Waterfalls, taking shelter at the train station. It was around 5pm. We learnt that there were no campgrounds or other accommodation options in Waterfalls. Sue not having the energy to power on, we backtracked and took a train to Heathcote, where we were told that there is a caravan park. It was somewhat a relief as we walked into the park. It got better. There was neither vacancy for cabins nor tent sites. While Sue waited at the train station with all our ‘stuff’, Lukas finally found us a room at Heathcote Hotel. It was ‘luxury’. After today’s experience, we will ride tomorrow with a vertical learning curve.

Oh and by the way, our roof leaked today. In other words, it rained. ;)

Locations: [NSW] North Sydney - Heathcote

Tick, tick, tick… off our to-do list!

Sydney NSW

It rained heavily last night and early this morning. In 2 days, we will not have a roof over our head when it gets wet. We will not have 2 fans cooling us down in a tiny studio apartment when it gets hot. However, we will have enough clothes to put on in layers when it gets cold. ; ) A rainy day like today makes us appreciate every minute of having a shelter we call home.

In the travel doco ‘Journey to the End of the World’, Billy Connolly said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes”. We (hopefully) have all the right clothes for all types of weather ahead of us.

Yesterday, we finally had a chance to test run our just-pampered bikes (new tyres, new chain, new cables, new brake pads) thanks to Bruce, our mate from work. We rode around Iron Cove in the morning clocking about 26km before we returned to Milson’s Pt and said farewell to Bruce. Thanks for riding with us, Bruce!

The day continued with preparation for our departure. By the end of the day, we are that much more ready for our new adventure. 2 more days!

Location: [NSW] North Sydney

We’re almost there… at the start

Sydney NSW

We have had our last day at work. We have sold all the things we wanted to sell, arranged to store all the things we wanted to send, given away all the still-good things to good homes (or Vinnies) and trashed all other worn-off things that have made our lives better in their own mini-way. We have said our goodbyes to our friends and our acquaintances in Sydney. We have informed our family that we ARE serious and we WILL cycle to Perth from Sydney, starting this Friday on the 5th Feb.

Our 6th night will be under the stars. The earth will be our bed, the moon will be our nightlight and our bikes will be our ride that carries us and all our belongings across Australia through rain and shine, along with the pedal power fuelled by our sheer determination.

We are counting down the days! ; )

Location: [NSW] North Sydney