Around Australia: Day 40, Queanbeyan to Milperra

Summary: Day 40 of my trip Around Australia on my Burgman 650 Executive provided lots of twistie roads, hence, lots of mountains and the scenic views that go wit it. Luckily, I escaped the rain for most of the day. I put my bike in front of Parliament House.

Diary Entry for June 2, 2010

My initial, short entry in my "Around Australia" diary for the day read as follows:

Day 40: Queanbeyan to Milperra
This will be a short one… another wonderful ride day!
Made my way to Canberra for a "bike in front of Parliament House" photo.
I added an option to the trip section: Bear rides numbers 22 and 25 — both brilliant roads, very enjoyable. I had the Kiama to Robertson road for myself. Not one vehicle. There was a construction site at the top end near Robertson. I was sneaking past all the cars to the front and had the road to myself, all the way down. I had to do the Macquarie Pass 3×. Fantastic. When I hit the previous lot of cars going downhill, I turned around and rode up again; and then down again. It was simply marvellous!
I strongly recommend to visit the Mt. Keira Northern Lookout — stunning views! Very worthwhile!
Some IBEM locations in and around Sydney, and settled for the night in Milperra.

Photo of the Day

Wollongong from Mount Keira Northern Lookout, Wollongong, New South Wales

Queanbeyan to Milperra

I was up at 07:44 — yes, lazy bugger  I slept very well! Packed by 08:10; a muesli bar / fruit breakfast, returned the keys, gone by 08:25.
I reckon I call today IBEM location collection day, but then it wasn't. I was going to collect 6 today, 9 tomorrow, and 6 the following day.

Alright, my first destination for the day was Parliament House in Canberra. There is a thread on the FarRider™ forum called:  Bikes in front Parliament House … an interesting thread, because it is getting more difficult by the day to even quickly park a bike for a shot in front of some Parliament Houses.

I had to stake out how I could approach this shot. I rode past the front of Parliament House once, found a suitable spot, continued riding off, did a U-turn, stopped, prepared the camera, unplugged the comms connection to the helmet, unplugged the heated gear, and rode back to Parliament House, with a switched on camera. I slowly rode to the point I figured out before, sidestand down, jump off the bike, step on the road, take the shot, and here they come: the Federal Police, and ushered me away.  What an excitement!

My Bike in Front of Parliament House, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

The downside though is: with my detailed plan and description above, I was just registered on the Australian Terrorist list. 

Morning Fog, Kings Highway near Bungendore, New South Wales, Australia

I followed the Kings Highway to Braidwood (once again; I have been there yesterday) and headed to the East Coast, to Batemans Bay, which is also Bear Ride #19. In Batemans Bay I rejoined the Princess Highway, I had left yesterday for some gravel to Braidwood in Moruya.

Ulladulla (IBEM location) was next, and then Nowra.

Ulladulla

I snatched the photo below at Shoalhaven River where the Broughton Creek merges; very nice. Yes, it was nice to follow the minor road along the Shoalhaven River, then past Shoalhaven Heads to Gerringong.

Shoalhaven River, near Broughton Creek, New South Wales, Australia

Seven Mile Beach National Park, Gerroa, New South Wales, Australia

I took a quick break in Gerringong; I had some fat chicken next to an ice-cream shop. Silly me; I should have read the sign stating "Aussie Breakfast", which the ice-cream shop had on offer. I am saying silly me, because the fat chicken was just that, fat. I ate not even half of it, and had the salad instead. This was probably the worst food I had eaten on this journey. I did the right thing and had a nice shop-made icecream with raisin and macadamia nuts to kill the bad chicken taste. Hmmm, yummy.

Next: Kiama to Robertson, Bear Ride #133, and Robertson via Macquarie Pass National Park (Bear Ride #25) to Wollongong.

Kiama to Robertson follows the Jamberoo Mountain Road — a must-ride motorcycle road. I had the road to myself. I was often wondering what Australians do during the day; maybe they are at work. They are certainly not on the road, or at least not where I was riding. 

The average speed is close to 50 km/h — one bend after the other, divine. yes, a bit narrow in places, moss patches, leafes, branches and wet spots. Simply great riding.

Jamberoo Mountain Road, 2 km west of Jamberoo, New South Wales, Australia

The average speed was close to 50 km/h for certain sections — one bend after the other, divine. yes, a bit narrow in places, moss patches, leafes, branches and wet spots. Simply great riding.

Budderoo National Park, New South Wales, Australia

I took a photo of the Big Potato in Robertson, then turned around to ride down the hills to Wollongong via Macquarie Pass.

Macquarie Pass National Park with Wollongong and the Tasman Sea in the Background, New South Wales, Australia

There was a construction site with a traffic light at the top end near Robertson. I was sneaking past all the cars to the traffic light. The last thing I wanted to do was following the cars down the pass. Once the uphill traffic had passed, there was no car on that road. The light turned green and I, once again, had a road to myself — all the way down. What a ride!

Macquarie Pass, Macquarie Pass National Park, New South Wales, Australia

I rode the Macquarie Pass 3×! Fantastic! When I hit the previous lot of cars going downhill, I turned around and rode up again; and then down again. It was simply exhilarating!

Little Waterfalls along the Road, Macquarie Pass National Park, New South Wales, Australia

Little Waterfalls lined the road in many places; the heavy rain the night prior provided the water to keep these waterfalls alive. Very charming.

Macquarie Pass, Macquarie Pass National Park, New South Wales, Australia

I could have probably repeated the run up and down the pass a few more times, but then, other roads and locations need to be explored.

Wollongong provided me with the opportunity to visit Mount Keira. It has a great lookout, often the backdrop for wedding photos on this area — presenting magnificent views of Wollongong and the South Pacific Ocean. This lookout and more so the road up there is worth visiting!

Wollongong from Mount Keira Northern Lookout, Wollongong, New South Wales

The Mount Keira Northern Lookout was opened on March 24, 2005.

I collected the IBEM towns of Unanderra, Wollongong, Engadine and Caringbah along the way to Milperra See also IBEM Trip 6. Another great day of riding, despite getting closer to Sydney. It is a nice town, but just not my thing.

Trip Data for the Day

545 km over the elapsed time of 11 hours 30 minutes.

Accommodation for the Night

My room at the Milperra Palms Hotel Motel, Milperra, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

I stayed at the Milperra Palms Hotel Motel in Milperra for the night. Cost: 95 AUD.

My comment: Nice room, clean, quiet (double glazed windows), quiet heating, and secure locks. Would stay there again; value for money accommodation.

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