Day 11: Myall Lakes to Newcastle
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Last night I saw the koala again. I took this old couple to see it, as the lady said she had never seen one in the wild before. She was really excited when she saw it. Walking back they invited me over for dinner. They fed me so much, I thought they were fattening me up for Christmas. She even gave me some homemade cake to take with me for the ride next morning. You sometimes meet such nice people when touring.
This morning the wind was still blowing, but it was a lovely sunny day. I was all packed up and left the campsite just before 7am. The ferry from Tea Gardens departs at 10am, so I had plenty of time to get there. The ride was lovely and peaceful and I saw a couple of touring cyclists heading north. Arrived at Tea Gardens just before 8am. Stopped at the Bakehouse for breakfast, then went down to the wharf to wait for the boat.
Tea Gardens is a small town at the southern end of The Great Lakes, so caters mainly for tourists. While I was waiting for the boat I saw a pair of dolphins swimming around the inlet. I then noticed this boat turn up just before 9.30am. He was going to Nelsons Bay and didn't charge extra for carrying your bike. So it cost me only $10 and got me to Nelson Bay a little earlier than planned. The ferry ride took about an hour. I got to see more dolphins and also a sea eagle sitting in a tree on the trip over to Nelsons Bay.
When I arrived at Nelsons Bay, I reloaded the bike and rode on to Stockton. Was originally going to camp here, but there is meant to be a bit of rain tonight and tomorrow. So decided to stay in Newcastle.
There was a little more traffic, but most of the time there was a good shoulder or back roads you could use. Made really good time, as the road is pretty flat and I also had a nice tailwind. When I got to Stockton the ferry was waiting to leave. Coming into Newcastle via Stockton, by ferry, meant you miss some really busy roads which are not fun to cycle on.
Newcastle is quite an old city, about 150kms north of Sydney. It is mainly used as a major loading port for the coal ships heading overseas. This is the same coal they mined out around Musswellbrook. The city is next to some really nice beaches and I'm staying at the YHA just 2 minutes walk from the beach. The YHA is in an old gentlemens club. Seems very spacious. After I showered (not been near clean water for a couple of days) I went for a walk around town.
Tomorrow, as long as the weather stays good, I'll be leaving Newcastle by the rail trail and heading towards the Central Coast.
This morning the wind was still blowing, but it was a lovely sunny day. I was all packed up and left the campsite just before 7am. The ferry from Tea Gardens departs at 10am, so I had plenty of time to get there. The ride was lovely and peaceful and I saw a couple of touring cyclists heading north. Arrived at Tea Gardens just before 8am. Stopped at the Bakehouse for breakfast, then went down to the wharf to wait for the boat.
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| The bridge across to Tea Gardens |
Tea Gardens is a small town at the southern end of The Great Lakes, so caters mainly for tourists. While I was waiting for the boat I saw a pair of dolphins swimming around the inlet. I then noticed this boat turn up just before 9.30am. He was going to Nelsons Bay and didn't charge extra for carrying your bike. So it cost me only $10 and got me to Nelson Bay a little earlier than planned. The ferry ride took about an hour. I got to see more dolphins and also a sea eagle sitting in a tree on the trip over to Nelsons Bay.
When I arrived at Nelsons Bay, I reloaded the bike and rode on to Stockton. Was originally going to camp here, but there is meant to be a bit of rain tonight and tomorrow. So decided to stay in Newcastle.
There was a little more traffic, but most of the time there was a good shoulder or back roads you could use. Made really good time, as the road is pretty flat and I also had a nice tailwind. When I got to Stockton the ferry was waiting to leave. Coming into Newcastle via Stockton, by ferry, meant you miss some really busy roads which are not fun to cycle on.
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| A ship coming into Newcastle to collect some coal |
Newcastle is quite an old city, about 150kms north of Sydney. It is mainly used as a major loading port for the coal ships heading overseas. This is the same coal they mined out around Musswellbrook. The city is next to some really nice beaches and I'm staying at the YHA just 2 minutes walk from the beach. The YHA is in an old gentlemens club. Seems very spacious. After I showered (not been near clean water for a couple of days) I went for a walk around town.
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| Newcastle has some great beaches right next to the city |
Tomorrow, as long as the weather stays good, I'll be leaving Newcastle by the rail trail and heading towards the Central Coast.