The weeks of rain have gone at last. Yes the wet is very much needed to fill our very dry dams. Yet it does make riding a real labor of love. With a day off work, the sun shining Jan and I headed out for a small ride. Up north to Catherine Hill Bay first. This is a small coastal mining village with a pub and around a 100 small old miners cottages. Some date back from the 1900s. The locals in this village are fighting off the developers who want to build big resort type accommodation over looking the beautiful beach. After being there today no wonder the locals want their village to stay as it is.
Coal trains used this jetty to get their loads to the anchored ships.
Old huge rusted chain.
Yes it is winter down under here.
There is no sign to say from which ships these anchors came from.
Back on the bike and off further north to Swansea. Now that the Freeway by passes this these coastal towns they have a real touristy feeling about them. They seem sleepy from when I last traveled through this area in the 1980s. Back then all the traffic used the Pacific Highyway to get to Newcastle and north to Queensland.
We stopped at a cafe in Swansea for lunch. A very nice lunch indeed was served up at Tides Cafe. Very simple food but tasty and a good price. We watched the draw bridge open and allow boat traffic to come and go from the lake. How old fashioned it is too. A loud speaker booms out an announcement that the boat on the lake side has right of way first through the drawn bridge. What a job that would be. Sitting looking at this pretty expanse of water waiting for a large boat to come along. Some people have the best jobs.
Round trip of about 120kms on a sunny winters day. Just what the biking soul needed.
Nice ride, thanx for sharing :-)
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