Coddiwomple

Bunya Mountains National Park 11km of hiking I was not such a happy camper this morning, it had rained overnight so the tent was wet.  Getting out of a tiny wet hiking tent without getting yourself and the interior of the tent wet is an acrobatic exercise that even years of yoga has not prepared me for.  So on exiting, and now damp, what joy to discover that we are blanketed in a pea soup of fog, the wind driving the drizzle sideways, so even the undercover picnic area is wet and 100% humidity.  Coffee helps, as does watching the wallabies and brush turkeys graze the campground, untamed. But the mood shifts into the positive as I am surprised to observe a dingo make his way through the camp.  An uncommon sight, as they are few in number here and relatively cautious. Hopeful that the weather might clear, we leave the tent to maybe dry a bit.  And head out for a hike.  The scenic circuit track sounds promising, we dutifully clean and disinfect our shoes and h...

Killarney - Boonah via Falls Drive (Ride) 72km When we chat to Claire and Callum, the very friendly and hospitable managers of the Sundown Motel and Caravan Park in Killarney, we say that "things are slowly falling into place" on this trip. Looking back, the first two months were often tricky and the art of letting go and leaving behind had to be learnt from anew. But over the course of the last week, I am starting to feel a shift. Both body and mind are more in tune and at peace with the changed rhythm of life. The Queensland factor is maybe coincidental or maybe it plays a role in this. The degree of friendliness around us is on the rise and I feel more relaxed to engage with people crossing our paths. I also share Louise's sentiment that Killarney is an inviting place and it would have been lovely to spend another day or two here. If you ever get to this part of the continent, make Killarney your base and plan for some adventurous days around this area. Because what ...

Sawn Rocks (Mount Kaputar NP) - Bingara 71km Our sneaky wild camping site at Sawn Rocks picnic area totally pays off this morning, when we are up with the sun to take the short walk out to the viewing point.  There is no one for miles, it's just us and the birds, enjoying the sight. Sawn Rocks When the road you are spending most of the day on is called Killarney Gap Road, you can be sure of one thing, and that is hills!  The climb starts immediately, but while long is never impossibly steep, so we slowly make our way to the top of the pass, and then get the pleasure of zooming down the other side.  At the bottom we stop, and stay very still as to not spook the mob of sheep being moved by a young farmer on a dirt bike with the help of his dogs.  Trusting the dogs to finish the job, one seems very old and experienced, he stops for a chat, and assures us we have done the worst of the climbing for the day.  And to make sure we stop at Glacier Rocks along the way for...

Coonabarabran - Warrambungles NP  38km It's just after 8pm and we are laying on the picnic table next to our campsite, eyes glued to the stary nightsky above us. It's absolutely breathtaking. I openly admit that I am not one for astronomy and aside from how it makes you feel, very little, I know as much (very little). Until not long ago I only knew Pluto as the dog in a Disney cartoon. But what we get to see with our own eyes is so magical that we forget how chilly it is. It's almost pitch-dark in the campground if it wasn't for the couple two sites down who spoil the ambience by cooking an Indian curry under a camping floodlight (where is the chutney, honey?).  moonlight shadows But it's dark enough to be brave and ask Louise all kinds of questions about the universe above us. We can all debate about what it means to see a shooting star. But in this instance, and we see two, I remain a helpless romantic and I make a wish. After that we retreat to the tent to the sm...

Woodford to Katoomba 30km Those thirty kms were hard earned, they were all uphill, and not just some piddling 3% gradient.  Today was an awful lot of "Oh my God, this is painful, sweaty and I'm panting like I never did when running a marathon.  Why did I think this was a good idea?"  I will never have to go through labour and delivery, but today I gained a bit of insight.  Nothing to do but go forwards, even if it means getting off and pushing.  (Sound familiar Mothers?) Kerstin did her best to rally the troops (me) and eventually resorted to bribery.  We stopped for a long lunch in Wentworth Falls, which included a visit to a very authentic German bakery.  Full of pretzels and coffee we decided to ditch the scenic route (17km) for the more straightforward Great Western Hwy (10km) to take us into Katoomba. Authentic pretzel and eater The campground was right across the road from the Prince Henry Cliff walk, so once ourlegs had recovered we took an afte...

Newtown - Emu Plains (train) - Woodford - Murphy's Glen Campground (NP) 45km It wasn't going to be easy to leave Newtown, both emotionally and physically. The physical part was looming beyond Emu Plains train station, the emotional bit had to be managed on the train ride out west. But "what has to be, has to be" - that is the freestyle translation of today's title, a saying in 'Plattdeutsch' (this one is for you, dear Aunty Ulrike and Uncle Willi). I spotted it in the German Club in Sydney where we enjoyed our farewell dinner with Liz and Jackie.  Farewell Newtown (and Ziggy) It all starts on a good note at Emu Plains station. A sign in the parking area gives us a funny photo opportunity and a way to kiss the great city of Sydney goodbye... Better do what the sign says It was all going well until Kerstin didn't finish reading the directions... "cross over M4 and turn right onto motorway" - I ignore the turn right bit and we end up cycling in ...

Morton National Park to ???  73km After such an excellent Nature Fix day yesterday, we are happy to hit the road this morning.  It's raining a bit, but the fires of peri-menopause keep me plenty warm.  The terrible flooding of coastal NSW has made the approach to Sydney a bit tricky.  Not just the road closures, but also the accommodation, even camping is scarce.  So we set out without an end destination in mind, aware that the roads, if open, will be damaged and muddy. Rainy start in Bundanoon Of course, not 1km out of Morton NP we must now ascend Constuition Hill, not even Kerstin can make it all the way to the top!  But pushing still gets us there, eventually.  I am reminded that a few weeks ago I was complaining that there is always a big uphill right before our final destination, and I made a plea to the universe for a campground that I could literally roll into.  I suspect this is a case of be careful what you wish for. The kilom...

Morton National Park (Bundanoon)  14km Our ability to make spontaneous decisions has room for improvement.  But our cumbersome decision making flow chart and a niggling headache (that I have been carrying around for a couple of days) eventually lead us to decide its time for a day to ourselves.  A day during which we would walk just as much as we rode, where the quiet, the awesome views, the wildlife, the sounds of water running, the light through the leaves, would be our Nature Fix. No discredit to the quaint town of Bundanoon with its picturesque railway station (it could feature in an Agatha Christe crime novel), its multitude of inviting looking cafes and its claim to fame as being Australia's first 'bottled water free' town.  But we found the most joy in exploring a corner of the Morton National Park that can be accessed only 1km out of Bundanoon's town centre.  Given we were too exhausted upon arrival yesterday, after a longer than anticipated stage, to do...

Goulburn to Bundanoon (Morton National Park) 80km Who remembers buying a 20c bag of mixed lollies from the local milk bar as a kid?  You went in there with your hard earned pocket money clamped in a sweaty fist, and hoped that your favourites would be in that little paper bag.  Today was kinda like that bag of mixed lollies.  Sure some of our favourites were in there, we had some sunshine (very rare in these parts lately), some wildlife spotting (a big goanna, black cockatoos and gang gang cockatoos), friendly road workers (they are a busy bunch, fixing all the flood damage, and still find time for a friendly word to a pair of rather stinky cyclists).  Right there you've got the raspberries and cream, the frogs, snakes and the jelly babies, all the best bits in that bag. No bag of mixed lollies would be complete however without the milk bottles, black cats and that weird really stale and deformed one at the bottom.  So we had miles and miles on the Hume Hwy (at ...