Wednesday 25 February 2015

Sydney

01.02. - 11.02.2015

after 2007, (http://www.global-cycling.de/australien-2007) my 2nd time in Sydney  and I had a great time. I did not much of sight seeing. I met a good "old" friend, Joerg from Germany.
We have not seen each other for over 20 years !  great reunion after such a long time !

I joined twice a "Meet-Up" meeting:  the group "English as a 2nd language" and "German language group". awesome to meet so many interesting people !

A big, but unplanned highlight was a live-interview on ABC News with Ros Childs.


One of my hosts, Sarah (photo below) who worked at ABC, gave me a short guided tour at the ABC, and told some collegues about my trip. In the evening I got an invitation from Ros Childs for the next day. these are the coincidences in your life :-) .









and the following day I got an invitation from Wolfgang Mueller (not related) from SBS German Radio.

Wolfgang Mueller from SBS German Radio



John, my first host (AirBnB) in Sydney. big fun with him !   http://www.johnsamaha.com/
Sarah and Angie, my other great hosts in Sydney .




Sydney Darling Harbour. Do not swim there, Bullsharks !



Darling Harbour Bridge


"Löwenbräu" at The Rocks !


TV-Scene

Aboriginal with didgeridoo. awesome sound !

on the way over the Anzac Brigde



Chinatown ,


Chinese foodcourt, so yummy :-)




clock in the Queen Victoria Building

another clock in the Queen Victoria Building


with Thomas from Germany. tasty food at "Löwenbräu" :-)




left side: the Maze Backpackers. my first accommodation in 2007 in Australia. at this time it was so dirty....and it seems to be still dirty .....  look at => tripadvisor







Wednesday 4 February 2015

Eden to Sydney

18.01. - 01.02.2015

Eden - Bega - Tathra - Bermagui - Narooma - Batemans Bay - Ulladulla/Mollymook - Falls Creek - Nowra - Kiama - Wollongong - East Corrimal - Helensburgh - SYDNEY

distance: 505 km
bikedays: 9

total distance: 19.018 km
distance Australia: 6.053 km
bikedays Australia: 71  (arrival Aug 2nd 2014)


In Eden I stayed at a motel.  next morning I woke up and all bones were aching. I still felt the exhausting day before. and the next challenge came soon. the hill after Eden, long and steep again. up and down every day. New South Wales is very, very hilly .
Yes, Australians built roads very different to Europe. In Germany, due to ice and snow, roadbuilders try to make the roads more flat and decrease the gradient. Otherwise we all would be enforced to buy 4wheel drive cars ;-) . here the gradients between 12%  and 16 % are very common, the pavement is  rough, the very narrow shoulder quite bumpy.
but the reason for this is simple: Australia is so huge with only 23 million people living there, so there are less taxes.
one item is very annoying: since Central Asia, I never have seen so many broken glass bottles on the shoulder or bike paths as in Australia. Other cyclists confirmed me, that there a always some morons who hate cyclists and want to cause damages on their bike. Well, I am happy to have very good tyres with thorn-proofed tubes but it is essential to pay more attention on the road.

Along beaches, and through forests I came to Bega, where I spent three nights at a caravan park.

In Bermagui I stayed at James´ home. he is another awesome host from "warmshowers.org" and friends of mine recommended him.There is another WS-host in Bermagui, Simone and she joined the dinner. great evening , great stories to exchange :-)

In Narooma I had my first "Couchsurfing"-hosts. Col and Heather were so great. sight seeing, home-brewed beer, tasty food, a cude dog and lot of discussions.
the next day, Australia-Day  I joined Col at a social ride.  I had my full-loaded bike and people were quite curious, of course. big fun !

In Falls Creek another  terrific hospitality by Maggie and Paul and in Kiama by Hugh.

I am honest: I can not always visit beaches and it is a young country, so very different sights are quite rare. I enjoy meeting people and to know more about their lives and experiences. It is not necessary for me always to tell about me and about my trip.

East Corrimal was a big highlight. Well, before I started my trip in 2012, still in Munich, I took lessons in Russian language. And what a suprise, six months ago my former teacher emigrateted with her family to Australia. Awesome reunion after quite three years ! 

On Feb 1st I  arrived in Sydney. Cycling with a heavy loaded bike in a big city is a tough job. always stopping at the traffic lights, some car drivers are quite rude, chasing you like a rabbit.  I will stay some days here, because I like this city very much, and after my first visit in 2007 , a good possibility to explore more.



steep upclimb after Eden

bumpy gravelled road to Tathra









 in Europe we only know "Bunga Bunga" from the former Italian President, Silvio Berlusconi ;-)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8400591/Silvio-Berlusconi-and-the-bunga-bunga-parties-in-pictures.html?image=16




nice smalltalk

James, my great "warmshower.org"-host in Bermagui


short stop in Central Tilba, too many tourists...


Col and Heather (middle), great hosts from Couchsurfing in Narooma and Laureline& Renaud from France

what could be the name of this rock ?  yes, the "Australian-Rock" in Narooma


Narooma

only three meters away from the track....


Max, the cude Border Collie from Heather and Col

Col brews is own beer, named "Flying Fox". very tasty :-)

social ride on Australia Day with the group from Col.



I hate this sign, because a steep and/or a long upclimb is following




hills and upclimbs...



a Blue Heeler, an Australian Cattle dog. so cude :-)

Paul and Maggie, my great WS-hosts in Falls Creek






new highway before Kiama

so true.

Kiama Blow Hole



so different to South East Asia.....  warning, warnings, warnings. everyone wants to have 100% of safety





Hugh, my great host in Kiama. he already was cycling many kilometers in Europe.


very stormy in Wollongong

after three years reunion with Katja, my former Russian teacher in Munich, and her family :-)


my fluffy room-mate, a Russian Blue at my host in East Corrimal.

beautiful bicycle path in East Corrimal







 after climbing up to 276 m , a beautiful view with many paragliders and hanggliders.

at Stanwell Tops.









Yi Wo Ko from Hongkong, cycling from Melbourne to Sydney, met him at Stanwell Tops