Bicycle Touring Sydney to Brisbane, Australia

• QANTAS Airlines international and domestic flights
• Virgin Blue Airlines budget airline
• Cityrail Sydney's public rail system
• CountryLink provides rail service right up the East coast
• McCafferty's Coaches bus service Australia-wide
• YHA Hostels budget accomodation

I took the train from Melbourne to Sydney to start the trip. The trip takes about 11 hours by train. This trip could be done anytime of year, although I chose the winter months of May to July. Some cold weather and rain should be expected this time of year, but for the most part the weather was good. top

The train trip was pretty uneventful and not very scenic except for going through the mountains in New South Wales. After 11 hours we arrived in Sydney after dark at about 7:30 pm. The weather was warm and people were wearing shorts and T-shirts. We assembled our bikes and walked about 5K (with our bikes) from Central Station through The Rocks (where we had dinner) and over to Circular Quay (pronounced KEY) where we would catch the ferry to Manly. The ferry ride through Sydney Harbour is excellent and must be one of the best in the world. It reminded me of the ferries back home in Seattle. We got into Manly a bit late but finally found some accomodation at a very poor quality hostel.

The next day we visited the famous Manly beach and then did some bushwalking in Sydney Harbour National Park before catching the ferry back into the city and doing the required tour of the Sydney Opera House. The tour was actually quite good and well worth the $10.

After staying the night at a much nicer YHA Hostel in Glebe, a pleasant suburb West of Sydney, Ethan and I parted ways as he wanted to spend more time in Sydney and I wanted to get up to The Blue Mountains while the weather was still good. This involved catching one of the double-decker CityRail commuter trains West to Katoomba, about a 2 hour trip. On arrival I rode the 3K downhill to The Three Sisters, a famous rock formation which is probably the most photographed feature of the park and had lunch. Then I did a ride around around the clifftops and out onto The Narrow Neck, a rough unsealed road which traverses the cliff tops, where I found a spot to camp.

From Katoomba I caught the train to Lithgow, where I planned to ride the Bells Line of Road, which I had heard is more scenic and less travelled the main Blue Mountains Highway. It turned out to be true. There is a monster climb out of Lithgow and then lesser ones going across the mountains but plenty of views. To be fair, the last half of the ride is downhill and there are some great descents. Along the way there are great views of the mountains and you can see the "blue haze" that gives the mountains their name. It is caused by the oil from the Eucalyptus trees being released into the air. The ride finishes in Richmond, where I caught another commuter train back to Sydney. I had planned to stay in Bondi, another suburb known for its excellent surf beaches.

Because there were no evening trains to Bondi, I had to stay the night at the Sydney Central YHA located downtown. A bit of a bummer. The YHA is right across from Central Station and is very large. They have their own up-market pub downstairs and I had a few beers there before going to bed and being kept awake by the sound of traffic 6 stories below.

• Sydney Ferries
  phone: 131 500
• Palm Beach Ferry Service
  phone: 02 9918 2747 or 02 9974 5235
  mobile: 0414 555 522

The next morning was another beautiful day and a hard climb over the hills before cycling through the Brisbane Waters National Park and into Umina, where a group of schoolkids gave me directions across The Rip Bridge and asked me why my bike had so much stuff on it. After crossing the bridge I detoured into the Bouddi National Park which involved a huge stand-on-the-pedals climb. On the descent down The Scenic Road (which it was, with nice views of the coast and beaches) I had my 2nd flat for the day, which is how I came to meet Ken, a retired Aussie who talked to me about Australia and fed me lunch (and let me fill my water bottles!). He also gave me a very useful set of NRMA roadmaps. From here I headed through the crowded tourist town of Terrigal and up to Budgewoi, where I found a good free-camping spot next to the cycle-path into town.

The next morning I met up with two local cyclists, Roy and Cheryl, who gave me a good tour of the backroads along the East Side of Lake Tuggerah before I re-joined The Pacific Highway and cycled into Newcastle. Newcastle is the 2nd largest city in New South Wales, but it didn't look very big to me at all. It is also the home of the famous Aussie rock band silverchair and they brew a good pale ale at the boutique brewery on the river. I enjoyed one while waiting for the ferry to take me across the river to Stockton, about a 5 minute trip and $1.30 fare. By this time it was getting late so I cycled North out of town a ways and free-camped on the beach and had a bit of a swim with the surfers.

The next day was a bit of a bummer with 4 punctures (2 at the same time). In addition, the nice weather came to an end and it started raining in the afternoon. The route is flat and took me past the RAAF facility at Williamstown and into Nelson Bay. The ferry I needed to get across the bay had shut down early so I spent the afternoon wandering aimlessly through town before retiring to the nearby National Park where I free-camped.

After raining all night, I packed up in the rain and rushed back into town to catch the 9:00 am ferry. Although it was raining, the ferry trip was still quite nice. Since I was the only passenger, the captain let me ride in the wheelhouse and took time to stop and watch the dolphins. He dropped me off at Tea Gardens and I crossed The Singing Bridge (named after the sound it makes when the wind blows through it into Myall Lakes National Park. The vegetation changes here and I got my first glimpse of the rainforest. I decided to take a short-cut into Seal Rocks and ended up riding an extremely rough road strewn with large sharp rocks, mud puddles, and sand traps. This lasted for about 20K before I hit the pavement and descended into Seal Rocks. This is a small but scenic fishing/tourist town where I got supplies (expensive) and found an excellent free-camp on a cliff over looking the ocean about 200 meters down a trail with a NO CAMPING sign in front of it. The weather was a bit wild and windy and the surf was quite active and beautiful. Good to watch but bad for photos. Again it rains all night...

The next morning I packed up again in the rain and climbed out of Seal Rocks in the pouring rain. My tent was completely soaked and had probably quadrupled in weight, and I was in my last set of dry (at least they were when I put them on!) clothes when I pull into Forster, after some nice cycling through scenic hill country that passes a few lakes. Here I talked the girl at a motorhome park into letting me use the washer and dryer and having a shower. In my miserable condition this wasn't too difficult. This is also where I met Ros and Les, a retired couple who ended up showing me around town and letting me stay the night in their home (and out of the rain!). They won the award for the most hospitable people I met on the trip, although a few other people came close. Their daughter and her friend came up from Sydney later that evening (about a 5 hour drive, I'm told). I'm quite impressed with the beautiful beaches around Forster and it looks like a great place where people go to get away from the city, either for the weekend or to retire like Ros and Les.

Ros's daughter happened to be a chef and cooked us all a great breakfast the next morning before I headed off. The weather had cleared up and I even had a tailwind as I headed slightly inland to the join the Pacific Highway. I cycled along the highway until the turnoff to Crowdy Bay National Park, which is accesed by a nice unsealed road into the rainforest. I free-camped at Indian Head, and shared the campsite near Kylie's Hut (owned by a famous Aussie author, Kylie Tennant, in the early 1900's) with a friendly mob of about 8 Eastern Grey Kangaroos. I succumbed to temptation and rode the beautiful (but off-limits to bicycles) singletrack trail along the cliff-tops to Diamond Head and then back through the rainforest. I wanted to stay longer but there is no fresh water here.

The next day takes me into Post MacQuarie, where I meet some cycle-tourists from Holland. I saw some more going the other way near Laurieton but wasn't able to talk to them. Leaving Port Mac Quarie it starts raining again, which works out for the best as I get a free ferry ride across the river because the fare collector doesn't want to come out into the rain (its an open-air ferry) to collect my fare. I continued cycling into Crescent Head, a surfing hot-spot on the coast, where I splurged and stayed in the caravan park by the beach ($8.00) which was a dissapointment after the peace and solitude of the bush. At least it had hot showers and was near a surfer-dude pub.

The next day takes me through Hat Head National Park and of course I see all kinds of nice places I could have free-camped. The weather clears up here but I have strong headwinds that last most of the day. I cycle on narrow but traffic-free backroads along the river into Gladstone and across the bridge to Smithtown, where I buy supplies. From here I continued cycling inland to re-join the Pacfic Highway. I got tired of the Pacific Highway pretty quick and take what turns out to be an excellent detour on the left called Cooks Lane. It goes through a nice pine forest called Tanban State Forest along unsealed Forest Service roads and I didn't mind getting lost (because my maps were inaccurate).

Eventually I found my way out of the forest at Eungai Rail, where I re-joined the Pacific Highway and cycled into Mackville. From here I headed inland on an excellent but hilly scenic backroad through Bowraville (where the road becomes unsealed) and the Bowraville Nature Reserve into Bellingen, arriving after dark. The rainforest on the way in is very beautiful, with lush green ferns and tall eucalyptus trees everywhere. It is a long day for me, about 120 K, with the last 40 K or so being fairly steep climbing.

I stayed at the YHA hostel, called Belfrys Lodge or Bellingen Backpackers and met another touring cyclist, an Australian nurse named Neil. I ended up staying here a few days as they allowed tent-camping at the hostel (for $8.00) and I needed a rest day after speeding over the hills in the dark the day before. I find out Neill has also started in Sydney but (like Ethan) is continuing on to Cairns on the North-Eastern Coast of Australia, about a 4 month trip. We don't get to ride together because he is heading to Coffs Harbour (on the coast) and I am heading inland against everyone's advice to Dorrigo National Park, a World Heritage listed sub-tropical rainforest. I am told the route is too hilly for push-bikes. In reality, the climb is long and steep, but ridable with a good granny gear. I did some bush-walking through dense sub-tropical rainforest along the Lyrebird Track and visited the Rainforest Centre before heading out of town to free-camp behind the NO CAMPING signs at Dangar Falls, just a couple K's North of the township of Dorrigo. The rainforest is very different to the rainforest back in the Pacific Northwest. Lots of huge green ferns, thick vines, and gnarly-twisty roots. I feel like Tarzan!

The next morning a ranger came down the track where I was camped and seemed interested in my trip and tells me a bit about the area.

The next day is spent on an unsealed road that took me around the North part of Dorrigo National Park. I had no idea what to expect as none of the guidebooks recommend this route, but luckily it turns to be an excellent choice. The route goes straight through the rainforest and is very scenic, although a bit hilly. I went through the towns of Megan, Lowanna, and Moleton before free-wheeling a steep descent into Glenreagh, a small town on The Summerland Way that offers free camping (with cold showers) at the local park behind the pub.

The next day the scenery is less dramatic as I passed through rolling countryside and farm country. This is probably good as I had been on sensory overload for the previous few days through the rainforest. I had lunch at the large-ish town of Grafton and free-camped in the bush at Whipporie State Forest.

The scenery improved a bit the next day as I continue along The Summerland Way, passing through numerous State Forests and a nice camping/picnic area at Braemar State Forest. I stopped at another large town called Casino (although there is no actual casino in town) and visited the visitor information centre, where I got some good maps and a few weeks worth of instant coffee that the ladies in the office didn't like. The place was very friendly and helpful, and they helped me plan a scenic backroad route through the hill country into Nimbin.

Entering Nimbin is like entering another world. The town is populated by hippies and a very pro-marijuana attitude prevails. Almost everyone on the street wants to sell you some. On the left is the Marijuana Museum (optional admission at $2 or "what you can afford, man"). Inside is a collection of leftover VW vans and newspaper articles related to marijuana. A girl wanders through offering "space cakes". She says, "they'll make you giggle, matey". I reply, "I bet they will", and she giggles. Next door is The Rainbow Cafe, whose motto is "over a million joints smoked here". Across the street a huge white flag with a large green marijuana leaf on it flys over the main street in front of the Hemp Embassy, a pro-marijuana advocacy group.

The scenery here is also quite spectacular. The Nightcap Range looms in the background and the countryside is very green and lush. The hippies were drawn to this area in the early 70's to protest against the area being used for logging. More hippies arrived in 1973 when a large music festival called the Aquarius Festival was staged in the small dairy town of Nimbin. This was the Aussie version of Woodstock. Luckily, the protests were succesful and the area became Nightcap National Park World Heritage Area. Nimbin is still quite a small town (pop 2000), but many of the original hippies remain (plus new ones) and live in hippy-communes in the hills. I was surprised to learn the unofficial population of Nimbin is about 15,000 people. The communes are also known as permaculture communities because they live completely off the land. The larger ones have their own shops and schools. Recently, a rise in heroin use has unfortunately resulted in the deaths of some local residents and made the national news. Many of the local landmarks are reminiscent of the early days, such as Protesters Falls.

I cycled through town to Grannys Farm YHA where they allow tent-camping for $8.00 and have a BBQ dinner for $5.00 on tour bus nites. At night the hostel had a "pub night" which involves about 4 or 5 guys (including me) walking to the pub to listen to the band sing songs about marijuana. They're actually quite good and a strong smell of the sweet smelling smoke fills the air in the pub. At breakfast they sell "marijuana chocolate" made out of white chocolate for $3.00. I stayed here a few days (or was it weeks?).

On Sunday I rode past the drug dealers and backtracked a little bit to the small town of The Channon. I was keen to attend the monthly markets, which are put on by the "alternative community" and are quite reknowned in the area (and even internationally, they say). The route involves a stiff 5K climb followed by a few K's of cycling along the ridgetop before the 3K descent into The Channon. The market is quite lively, with heaps of hippies buying and selling supplies and dancing to a group of bongo drum players who put on quite a show. There were probably over 1000 people in attendance, all having a good time it appears. I stocked up on honey and retired to The Channon Campground, which is conveniantly located next door. They offer a scenic non-crowded camping area with hot showers and flush toilets for $4.00. I stayed for three days waiting out a storm and was the only one there.

After 3 days of heavy rain, there was a short break in the weather and I made a break for it. My goal was to head East down to the coast through Dunoon, Eltham, Clunes, Tregeagle, Wardell and Ballina on the way to Byron Bay before looping back to Nimbin and heading North. I planned to get to Byron Bay the first day, but the weather was quite poor and I ended up staying overnight at the Ballina YHA and arrived in Byron Bay the next day. The ride down from the hills was quite nice though in spite of the weather.

Byron Bay is a great place. I stayed at a groovy place called the Arts Factory Lodge YHA just out of town. They have excellent tent camping facilities for $8-$10 (depending who's working the desk) and heaps of activities. It is a very social place with a heavy hippie influence. They also have their own "permaculture" gardens which are a type of garden the hippies use to sustain themselves in the communes in the hills. There were a couple guys in the campground "busking" their way around Australia who were quite good. I visited the Cape Byron Lighthouse and did a 5K walk around the cape that highlights the nice beaches and rainforest. Unfortunately, I didn't see Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) who lives in the area. Maybe we'll catch up next time...

After a few days in Byron Bay I continued my loop back to Nimbin by heading West through to Minyon Falls in the Whian Whian State Forest, an extension of the Nightcap Range that is a National Park further West. The route involves a long and very steep climb up to the falls on unsealed road. There are some walking tracks around the falls that I explored before continuing on what they call The Whian Whian Scenic Forest Drive. Eventually I passed back through Dunoon and The Channon where I took a different route that climbs over the hills back to Nimbin. I arrived after dark and camped at The Rainbow Retreat backpackers. They allow tent camping for $8.00 and have a good collection of nicely painted VW vans, but the facilities are not as good as Granny's Farm where I stayed last time.

I had to do some trip planning the next morning, so got a bit of a late start out of Nimbin and headed inland on an unsealed road to Kyogle, where I planned to tour the Border Ranges Scenic Drive, a plan I had just conceived that morning. About 10 K's before Kyogle on my way up another long and steep climb, I met up again with Neil, the Australian cyclist I met in Bellingen. He was sitting up against a shack having lunch so I joined him and we discussed our plans. Neil knew of a picnic area/campsite next to the highway about 5 K's out of Kyogle so we continued over the hills and camped there.

The next day we planned to part ways when I would head West through the Border Ranges Scenic Drive and Neil would head North along The Lions Road. However, I got some advice from a local shop and some local cyclists that the Border Ranges Scenic Drive was in very bad shape, especially with all the recent rain, so I headed up the Lions Road with Neil. This turned out to be a good choice, as the route passes through rolling countryside before a long, very steep climb over the Border Ranges pass. On the way we stopped at the "Border Loop", a large circular loop of railway track used to help freight trains get up and over the pass. We got to see a train use the loop but Neil left his camera here and didn't realize it until 5 K's of steep climbing later. Fortunately, a motorist found the camera and returned it to him at the border crossing. The mountains here form the border between New South Wales and Queensland (hence the name). We free-wheeled the very steep descent into Queensland and camped at Running Creek campground, a free campground next to the Lions Road. The weather dropped to below freezing but we got a nice fire going and managed to stay warm.

Neil and I parted company the next day after lunch. I was keen to head into Lamington National Park World Heritage Area via the 4-wheel drive tracks. Neil reckoned it would be a bit full-on and continued inland around the mountains. His inclinations are correct, and the route, while mostly flat, does present 1 extremely steep but short (1 K) climb up a sealed road. After descending on the other side I noticed that I had attracted a small fan club. They followed me in an old 4 wheel drive and eventually pulled up along side me to expalin that they were a group of Boy Scouts doing day trips in the area on bicycles. They told me about a good campground just down the road and I camped there with them. One of them, Nathan (the Scoutmaster's son), was quite keen to do a round-Australia bicycle trip the following year when he graduates high school so he asked heaps of questions.

I spent the next day bushwalking with the scouts. Their Scoutmaster, Ed, is also an American, and had previously worked as a bushwalking guide in Lamington so was an excellent source of information. The rainforest here is quite dramatic, with huge gnarly trees, large ferns, and nice waterfalls.

After a couple days, I decided to pass up Ed's offer to tour the Border Ranges Scenic Drive by 4-wheel drive and continue deeper into Lamington National Park. This was a tough decision based mostly on attempting to meet up on schedule with Jody's friend Lorene in Brisbane. The route I chose along Duck Creek Road involved the steepest and longest climb of the tour. It also happened to be on very rough unsealed road and was a constant switch between standing on the pedals to get power and the occasional move back into the saddle to get traction. Luckily the weather was good and the views were quite spectacular. The climb lasted over 15 K and ended at O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse Resort, where I stayed at the campground which included hot showers for $3.00. I actually stayed a few days and didn't pay, but I feel bad about it... :(

While I stayed there, I did some excellent bushwalks. Ed and the scouts warned me that the resort would be a bit "touristy", which it was, but out in the bush it was quite nice and the trails were very high standard. I met a French-Canadian traveler girl, Julie, at the campground and spent a day walking with her on the Main Border Track and the Pensioners track before returning on the Toolangi Creek track, about 20+ K's. They also had a "Tree-Top Walk" that consisted of a suspension bridge through the rainforest canopy.

The next morning Julie and I walked the Moran Falls track before I hit the road and enjoyed an excellent freewheel descent through the dense forest with heaps of curves and hairpin turns. I stopped at Canungra for lunch before starting the long (7 K), steep climb up Tamborine Mountain. I had been warned not to go this way because of the steepness of the grade and because of "The Goat Track". After the Duck Creek Road, the grade was quite manageable, but The Goat Track made it difficult for cyclists. It consisted of a 1 lane road for about 2 K's where traffic direction is controlled by traffic lights on a timer. Obviously, I couldn't climb the track as fast as the cars so as I approached the top a stream of cars heading the other way came down the hill. Luckily there was room for a bike and a car on the road (barely). I free-camped on the mountain at Lahey's Lookout. There is plenty to do around here with 9 National Parks on the mountain and heaps of walking tracks. I also visited the winery but they were out of port, which is what I wanted.

The descent down Tamborine Mountain was great fun. Nice views, more hairpin turns, and low traffic made it a real pleasure. From here my plan was to ride to Beenleigh, a suburb of Brisbane, and catch the commuter train into the city from there (to avoid the city traffic). The cycling on this day was pretty easy, when it wasn't flat it was downhill and I coasted into Beenleigh in time for afternoon tea. From Beenleigh, I called Lorene, a friend of Jody's (they worked together in Kakadu National Park) whom I had met in Melbourne when I first arrived in Australia. She was kind enough to let me stay with her and her roommate Mandy (who also worked at Kakadu but I hadn't met before). When I got there we had a nice dinner and Lorene and I stayed up late and looked at photos of her travels around the world. She is also a great traveller like most Australians. She told me all about places like Europe, Egypt, Africa, and even Australia. The place that stuck out the most (for a bicyle trip anyways) was the Greek Islands. Look here for a trip report in about 5 years...

After a few days in Brisbane doing the tourist things like walking through Southbank, shopping downtown, strolling past expensive "Queenslander" homes, and having lunch at Mt. Coot-tha (with nice views of the city), it was time for me to head back home to Jody.

My return trip was less than ideal. It consisted of a 2 hour bus trip to Murwillimbah, followed by an 11 hour (red-eye) train trip to Sydney, where I had a 10 hour layover before catching another red-eye train back to Melbourne, arriving at 7 am. All the transfers meant more handling of my bike and more opportunity for it to get damaged.

Eventually I got myself and my bike back to Melbourne, where it was much colder, and came to the end of another fantastic trip!