Satellite Dispatch / Onroad / Don's Epic Journey / #7

Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 18:46:16 +1000
To: nnews_don-l@netnews.peg.apc.org
From: Don Pattenden <dpattenden@pegasus.com.au>
Subject: Melbourne to Sydney

Hello,

I would like to be able to tell you that I have at last completed the Melbourne to Sydney leg but I'm sorry to say that I didn't quite make it. From Thursday March 20 until Tuesday April 22 I travelled from Melbourne to Jervis Bay quite without mishap and then on that Tuesday afternoon as I was riding the 20 km from Huskisson (Jervis Bay) into Nowra I had a tumble just 12 km out of Nowra.

At that point I was less than 200 km from Sydney, so I had lugged that heavily laden bike of mine some 850 km (265 miles). That morning had been a very pleasant one. I had spent the night at a caravan park in Huskisson only a few yards away from the water's edge. It was one of the many times during my ride up the coast that I had slept to the sound of crashing waves & had my breakfast while watching the sun rising up from the ocean. Wonderful.

What's more there was another cyclist camped alongside me so we were able to exchange a lot of useful information. His name was Roland & he was from Holland; in Australia on a working visa and riding from Sydney to Melbourne. In some ways Roland was a lot better organised than I so I was able to get a lot of useful tips. For one thing he had one of those flashlights that strap around one's head (like miners' lamps). I've just got to have one!! He lent it to me to use while I was putting up my tent & unpacking my gear in the failing light (always seems to happen to me!) and it made the task just so much easier, having the point of light just exactly where you need it.

He also had an "all-in-one-tool", a complete tool kit for the bike all in one piece. It was spanner, screwdriver, Allen key, everything and would loosen and tighten absolutely everything on the bike. There are of course lots and lots of gadgets and devices I'd like to get if only I had the funds -- most of them way beyond my means, but these are two items I'll have to give priority to. And Roland well and truly put me to shame in the area of regular maintenance -- cleaning and lubricating. I tend to be far too lax in that direction so I came away with a firm resolution.

So, all in all the morning passed very congenially, swapping tales and experiences & chatting about the highs and the lows of bicycle touring. I had the prospect of a short ride of only 20 km into Nowra so for once it didn't really matter that it was well into the afternoon by the time I was packed up & ready to ride. Packing up is by far the worst part of touring for me -- I hate it and it always takes me ages, and when I'm talking as well, it takes even longer.

In general the New South Wales roads are less than ideal for cyclists when compared to the Victorian roads. There are long stretches which are extremely narrow with very little shoulder and what shoulder there is consists of gravel. Victorian roads by contrast tend to have shoulders which are firm and wide enough for a cyclist to ride on -- not exactly a bike lane as such (the ideal arrangement, but all too rare unfortunately) but the next best thing.

At the time of my tumble I was on the Jervis Bay road and approaching the point where it rejoins Highway One. It was a downhill stretch and there was one section where the road surface dropped down very suddenly onto the shoulder -- a step of (as I recall it) some 2 or 3 inches. These things always happen very quickly and I can't be entirely sure of exactly what went wrong, but I think that my front wheel must have dropped down that bump & caused me to loose balance. With the bike laden as it was, it was just impossible to recover and over I went in a very undignified sprawl.

By luck I was alone on the road at that moment: there were no vehicles following behind me so I was able to stagger to my feet and drag (with great difficulty) my heavy bike to the road edge & recover my shattered spectacles. Blood was dripping from my forehead and I had no idea how badly hurt I was -- I was just grateful to be conscious & able to move all my limbs. I didn't even dare to contemplate what might have happened if - - -. (Somebody up there likes me!)

The time that I stood there by the roadside, dripping blood, feeling dazed, waiting for assistance, was probably only a matter of minutes but seemed an eternity!! One car after another went zooming past without even bothering to reduce speed and no more than a glance in my direction. That was by far the worst part of the entire ordeal. Then at last came the good Samaritan. He was a council worker travelling in the opposite direction (towards Huskisson) and saw my plight. He turned his van around and came to my assistance. In no time I was on my way to the Nowra hospital, with my bike & gear safe in the rear of the van.

The gash above my eye required several stitches, but apart from that the various grazes on my hands, elbows, hip and knees required no more than a clean up & dressings. When the hospital had finished with me the same kind gentleman drove me around to the YHA hostel where they also were very kind to me & gave me a room all to myself. The next day I took a taxi to the railway station with all of my baggage (wondering how on earth I had ever managed to fit it all onto one bicycle) & caught a train direct to Bondi Junction. So ended the Melbourne to Sydney leg of my journey - a rather less than triumphal arrival!!

So here I am at Bondi, with a new pair of spectacles (and a very empty pocket - they don't come cheap) and a splint on the end joint of the little finger of my right hand. That was the only other consequence of my accident, a slight sprain requiring a splint to be worn for 6 weeks. There was some damage to my bike too: I'm going to need a new rear wheel. So it's likely to be a few weeks before I'm ready to depart on the next leg -- Sydney to Brisbane. Or I should say, Nowra to Brisbane, because I have every intention of resuming the ride just exactly where I stopped - that exact stretch of road. I want to be able to say that I have cycled *all the way* around Australia without any gaps.

And actually, now I reflect on it, the distance I cycled from Melbourne to Nowra was considerably more than the 850 km shown on the map. That's the distance along Highway One and in fact I took a number of detours. To begin with I rode right round the Mornington Peninsula, then to Phillip Island, Wilson's Promentary, Port Albert and Seaspray. From Seaspray I travelled up to Sale & joined Highway One for the first time. And since the "Subtitle" of my journey is "Around Australia on Highway One" this was for me a significant moment.

But it didn't take me long, having joined the highway to wish that I could get off it again. I had relished the quieter roads of South Gippsland. By and large though, I was to remain on Highway One all the way from Sale to Nowra with only a few detours here and there (one of which was the dirt road from Tathra to Bermagui which I'll tell you more about at a later stage).

The journey was not without a little nostalgia. When the children were small (still in primary school years) they and I had a very memorable holiday at Lakes Entrance. In 1983 I think it was (I was already separated at that point). They and I have very fond memories of that holiday. We stayed at a place called "Settlers Lodge". So, while in Lakes Entrance (I stayed there for 2 nights) I made a point of making a visit to Settlers Lodge just to refresh those old memories.

As well as that, there were many reminders along the way of the first time I cycled from Melbourne to Sydney back in 1985. That was actually the trip that gave me the taste for bicycle touring so It was very interesting to retrace that previous journey.

Actually, when I look back on that journey now it amazes me that it went so smoothly and was so successful in view of my total lack of experience and minimal amount of preparation that went into it. I had decided to take some of my long service leave (I was working in the Public Service at the time) and take a holiday of 6 weeks or so, mainly for the purpose of "babysitting" Heather's cats while she in turn had a holiday in Beijing (she had grabbed one of the tempting packages that were available at the time). As it turned out, that didn't happen anyway (babysitting the cats I mean). By the time I got to Sydney, she'd made other arrangements.

In my complete naivety I said to myself "What's the cheapest way I can get to Sydney? I know; I'll ride there." That was quite fallacious anyway because it's certainly not the cheapest way of travelling anywhere once you take into account the cost of accomodation, even the cheapest available. And I didn't even have a tent. I had a sleeping bag and actually slept in the open several times. It was November (i.e. springtime) and I was really very lucky indeed that the weather was kind to me.

The other thing about that trip that surprises me now, looking back is the distances I managed to ride each day, given that I had done no training at all, that my bike was just a 10 speed racer and that it was my first exerience at touring. For example, I managed to travel up the entire South Coast of NSW, from the border right up to Nowra in just 4 days, including a second night at Narooma: I stopped at Merimbula, Narooma, Pebbly Beach (just outside Bateman's Bay) and at Nowra. It took me much longer than 4 days to travel the same section this time.

On that first occasion I remember clearly that Narooma was a definite standout: it left a strong impression and was my clear favourite of all of the many, many picturesque towns along that stretch of coast. That time I stayed at the Youth Hostel; this time I went to the caravan park on the surf beach, taking a tip from a cyclist I had met on the road. The view from my tent door and from the table where I at my meals was just superb -- a view of waves breaking on rocks with cascading spumes of white foam, in a co-ordinated display as each wave broke in turn and forced its way in through each nook and cranny of the intricate rock formation. It's the sort of seascape that I can spend hours gazing upon without even noticing the passage of time. In tune with infinite. Yes, once again Narooma was my clear favorite.

I mentioned earlier the psychological importance of arriving at Sale and meeting up with Highway One for the first time. Here at last was the highway that is to take me right round Australia. Even more significant was the morning when (travelling from Genoa to Eden) I crossed the border between Victoria and New South Wales. "I'm in New South Wales!!" I yelled out at the top of my voice to nobody in particular.

That was an important moment in other ways too. Firstly it was roughly half way to Sydney, being about 500 km from each. Secondly it was at about that point where I "turned the corner" that is where I started travelling north instead of east. That was also a good feeling. North means warmer!! At last I could tell myself that every day would bring me just a little closer to the equator and to warmer temperatures.

When I reached Bateman's Bay I had to make a decision. My original plan was to travel inland at this point, i.e. to "climb the hill" -- to ride up and over the Great Dividing Range, through Braidwood to Canberra and from there to Sydney via Goulburn, Moss Vale and Bowral. One reason for doing this was to call in at my old high school at Glenfield, between Liverpool and Cambletown. As it happened the school (Hurlstone Agricultural High School) was planning to celebrate its 90th birthday with various festivities during April.

I thought about it and decided against riding up the hill. I had the prospect of riding up a very very steep pass on a very narrow road with a lot of traffic. Added to that, the overnight temperatures once over the Great Divide would be close to zero. Not comfortable for camping.

And lastly, it was already April 17 when I reached Bateman's Bay so that I realised that I had Buckley's chance of making it to Glenfield by pedal power in time for the festivities if I went via Canberra. I wanted very much make it all the way to my old school under my own steam, but I didn't want to miss the festivities.

So, instead of heading inland, I rode on from Bateman's Bay to Ulladulla and Jervis Bay. And then, as things turned out, I arrived in Sydney (though not by pedal power) on April 24, so I got here just in time to attend the dinner at Hurlstone on April 26, which also happened to be my own birthday. All those years, and nobody told me that my high school and I shared the same birthday. So, I turned 61; Hurlstone turned 90.

Well, this has been in the nature of an "overview" of the Melbourne to Sydney leg of my journey. Or to be accurate, it was the "Melbourne to Jervis Bay leg" as it turned out. Still, I feel pretty pleased with my achievement notwithstanding the unexpected mishap that brought about the premature conclusion.

Since departing from Melbourne I have riden through:-

I have been staying mainly at caravan parks i.e. paying for a tent site and cooking meals on my little Tranjia cooker. This was partly because there aren't many hostels available in this leg of the journey. Not like in Tasmania where there were lots of them. But anyway, tent sites are cheaper. Even if there had been hostels I probably wouldn't have been able to afford them every night. The hostel at Bateman's Bay for example cost me $15 a night. Tent sites are usually $10 or less. Occasionally they were as little as $6.

I camped in the bush a few times. In each case it was a situation where there were at least toilets and tap water available. I havent yet had to camp in a situation without any facilities. I suppose the time will come eventually when I have to bite that bullet, but I'm not particularly looking forward to it. I prefer at least some basic creature comforts. I'm no spartan!!

Oh, by the way, Heather (my sister) is doing very well. She looks well, feels well, and her doctor is very pleased with her progress. By the look of things I'll be here in Sydney for a few weeks at least, so I'll have time to send out a few more Newsletters. In future despatches I'll zoom in on some of the more memorable moments during this leg of the journey, and on some of the wild life I've encountered.

Needless to say, my original schedule is well and truly shot to pieces now. This is going to have consequences (mainly to with climate and weather) that I haven't even begun to think about yet. To begin with, it will be almost winter when I resume, so I bound to strike some "murky stuff" before I get to the tropics. And then, at the other extreme, by the time I reach Cairns I shall probably be perilously close to the wet season. What to do? I will have to consider "Plan B" i.e. staying in Cairns with Dani (my daughter) until the wet season is over.

But first things first. Right now I've got to get my body and my bikeback into shape and my gear reorganised. In my next letter I'll tell you in a bit more detail about some of my experiences over the past six weeks.

Don.

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