CYCLING ON THE GRANITE BELT -- Day 2

As promised, here is the second half of 'Cycling on the Granite Belt'written by a cycling buddy of mine, Graham Kimber. Hope you enjoy it.......

Map courtesy of  Riding with GPS

We came back a week later to ride Highland Way to Ballandean and return by the Regional Council’s road bike trail. Ballandean is roughly south of Stanthorpe, about 20 km along the New England Highway. Highland Way does not follow the highway, but runs from Stanthorpe to Ballandean in a 31km arc over the hills to the east. Interactive map and elevation profile for Highland Way is here. 

The return trip using the Regional Council’s new road riding trail zigzags through the hills, roughly parallel to the New England Highway along quiet back roads. The cumulative climb for the round trip Stanthorpe to Ballandean by Highland Way and return by the Regional Council’s bike trail is 679m.

In order to get an early start, we had stayed in Stanthorpe the previous night. The next day we really did experience tourist brochure weather – cold clear air, just a slight haze from last night’s wood fires, truly dazzling blue sky, grey-green eucalypts, occasional bright native flowers, bluish hills with weathered granite outcrops, slight winds just right for cycling.

Leaving Stanthorpe, for the first few kilometres along Sugarloaf Rd, we experienced the nearest thing to “traffic” of our whole time on the Granite Belt. Something to do with the time of day perhaps – maybe parents returning from the school run. About 4km out of town, Sugarloaf Rd forks into two. Highland Way takes the right hand branch, and at this point we were back to the virtually empty roads we’d experienced on Armistice Way a week ago. This branch of Sugarloaf Rd becomes Eukey Rd a little further on and continues all the way to Ballandean. 

Storm King Dam

The scenery for the first half of the ride along Highland Way was similar to what we’d seen on Armistice Way.  For the first 19km the slope was fairly relentlessly upward. There are a couple of possible side trips; the first at around 10km, where a short 500m ride takes you to the Storm King Dam picnic area, which was almost eerily empty of people or vehicles, but with a sense of tranquillity enhanced by the sight of water birds and a few cattle on the other side of the dam. The second is at at Breens Rd at about 15km, a couple of kilometres short of the locality of Eukey.  Turning off here is a possible 13km trip to Bald Rock Creek campground in Girraween National Park.  This is not the main road into the national park and is unsealed. We noted this as an exploration for another day with more appropriate bikes.

Vineyards galore

Two km past Eukey we reached the highest point of the whole trip at 1020m above sea level.  The descent from here to Ballandean included some fast downhill runs through winery country, with the granite mountains of Girraween National Park off to our left.

In the village of Ballandean, at the end of Highland Way, we crossed the New England Highway to the start of the new road bike trail. The trail turned out to be very easy to follow, with clear signposts at all road junctions. Except for two sections, the first of about 1.1 km and the other of about 100m, the roads were sealed, but the surface was of variable quality, some sections with coarse aggregate and some with ripples, bumps and occasional potholes. When riding through forested sections these irregularities are sometimes hard to see because the road is in patchy shade. In some places the road is quite narrow, but these are back roads and there were very few motor vehicles. At about 13km from Ballandean we encountered a sign outside a winery inviting cyclists (or possibly just one of them!) in for refreshments, but it seems there was nobody around that day.

At the village of Glen Aplin, 16km from the start, the trail crosses the New England Highway. At this point the highway is only two lanes, the speed limit is 60km/h through the town, and there are large signs alerting motorists to the presence of the bike trail.   

A collage of photos taken on this ride

At several points on the trail there are stops with a route map complete with elevation profile, sheltered tables and bike racks. Toilets and drinking water are available at the Glen Aplin stop. The next 10km passed very quickly, and suddenly we were back at the Stanthorpe tourist information centre, just 3km from our accommodation at the other end of town.   

So what are our impressions of Stanthorpe and the Granite Belt as a road cycling destination? I hesitate to tell you truthfully, because you’ll probably tell someone else, and soon everyone will know and there will be cyclists all over the Granite Belt! The total experience was great. We often felt the sort of meditative sensation that people associate with the granite country – helped along by the colours, the silence, the empty roads, steady exertion on the climbs, the dreamy scenery.   The roads are generally good and our road bikes were well up to the task. The locals are friendly; they waved encouragement when they saw us on the bikes, and if we asked directions, as likely as not they would draw a map.  The volunteers at the tourist information centre were rightly proud of the new trail and were keen to hear our feedback. 

Accommodation of all sorts is available, motels, villas, chalets, tourist parks, campgrounds. Their standards are all high, including a motel we stayed in with an operating-room level of cleanliness; no surgeon’s glove would pick up a molecule of impurity here. There is a variety of eating places in town; even a couple of Italian restaurants, for example this one, which have survived the Australianisation of the descendants of the post-war settlers.  A cycling holiday could be readily combined with food and wine tourism, or bushwalking with seasonal native flower appreciation.

All photographs in this post were taken by G.K.

Graham Kimber

I really appreciate receiving good, constructive and polite comments.


Cheers and safe riding,
Jimmy Bee

CYCLING ON THE GRANITE BELT - Day 1

Stanthorpe, Qld.

To us thin-blooded lowlanders of the sub-tropics, the town of Stanthorpe and the surrounding Granite Belt offer the unfamiliar experience of cold weather, plus the attendant attractions of temperate fruits, vineyards and peculiar tourist phenomena such as “wine tourism”, “Christmas in July” and “Brass Monkey Month”. Stanthorpe is over 800m above sea level with a population around 5000. It is about 230km southwest of Brisbane, about 2½ hours drive. In a straight line the town is about 150km inland  and is as far south as the coastal resort town of Byron Bay in New South Wales. On any day of the year Stanthorpe, or nearby Applethorpe, will almost certainly record the lowest minimum temperature in Queensland. Stanthorpe claims the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in the state at minus 10.6°C (+13°F).

The surrounding area is known as the Granite Belt; the name comes from the underlying granitic bedrock and abundant granite outcrops and boulders.  Ores of tin occur as accessory minerals to the granite and the name Stanthorpe (from stannum – the Latin word for tin) derives from the town’s early settlement as an alluvial tin-mining centre.  The well-known local national parks such as Girraween and Bald Rock have typical granitic peaks, extensive views, precariously balanced boulders, clear streams, and seasonal wildflowers.

 A road cycling trail from Stanthorpe to Ballandean (28 km) was recently developed by the Southern Downs Regional Council in consultation with Granite Belt Wine Country, the local tourism marketing organisation. The locals tell us that this is the beginning of a move into cycle tourism, with other road routes and mountain-bike trails to come. One might wonder about riders injudiciously combining wine tourism with cycling tourism, but apparently it’s not a problem yet, at least not on weekdays; during our stay we saw no other cyclists apart from children riding to school!

Our plan was to stay two days and assess two tourist motoring routes, Armistice Way (Tourist Drive 5 - 34km) and Highland Way (Tourist Drive 6 - 31km) as potential road cycling rides, and also to try out the new road cycling trail. The new road bike trail combines neatly with Highland Way for a trip from Stanthorpe to Ballandean and return. 

See the links to maps and itineraries for the drives and the brochure for the Stanthorpe to Ballandean cycling trail. My interactive map of the cycling trail is here.

The author's wife and fellow cyclist Jennifer

The distances given for the tourist drives (34km and 31 km) are driving distances for just the tourist routes themselves. Unsupported cyclists have to add on the necessary riding from home base to the start point of the drive and from the finish point back to home base. For us this extended the Armistice Way ride from 34km to 55km, and the combined Highland Way-road trail ride from 59km to 68km. Armistice Way follows Amiens Rd which is paved all the way and in good condition.  Weekday traffic in mid-July was very light, but may vary with the time of year, depending on tourist seasons and crop harvesting. The route involves some climbing. The elevation gain from lowest point to highest point is 163m, and the cumulative climb for the trip is 466m. Map and route profile is here. The day we rode, the Granite Belt declined to provide what we city dwellers think of as a typical winter’s day in this part of the world. The sky was not the clear blinding blue of the tourist brochures; rather the day was overcast and cold with occasional rain.  

Armistice Way passes through a mixture of picturesque country. At different stages there are dairy farms, forests, vineyards and orchards. The views of distant hills are pleasant rather than spectacular. We had chosen to ride in a clockwise direction, opposite to the direction described in the tourist drive brochure, mainly because the elevation profile suggested that the climbing was a little less arduous.  

The French place-names on the way refer to localities rather than towns; there are occasional schools, community halls and general stores but no coffee shops!  Returning WW1 soldiers were offered resettlement here on farming leases resumed from local pastoralists.  They chose place-names such as Amiens, Passchendaele, Bapaume and The Somme, recalling battlefields on the Western Front. After the next war, another group of farmers arrived and gave another set of European names, this time Italian, to some of the side roads and lanes.  These post-WW2 Italian settlers were more experienced and more successful on the land than the ex-diggers of a generation earlier, and so began the region’s “stone fruit, apple and grape” tradition.

We planned a coffee stop at Singing Lake Cafe at Robert Channon Wines  about 11km from our starting point, but when we arrived at 10.30am in drizzling rain we found that the cafe didn’t open until 11. We decided to try to stay warm by continuing to ride.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

We made a stop at about 26 km to be entertained by a deafening flock of about a hundred yellow-tailed black cockatoos feeding in trees either side of the road. (The link includes the call of a yellow-tailed black cockatoo. Listen, and then amplify it one hundred-fold to recapture our auditory experience.) As we rode along the road towards them, they continued their games, flying with fragments of pinecone in their beaks, screeching and chasing each other and splashing in puddles, but they gradually moved their activities further down the road as we approached. They were aware of us, but not about to let our presence detract too much from the fun.  Their behaviour took me back to school days; the birds were just like we kids in the playground when we spotted a teacher on patrol. Perhaps there’s something in the highland air that not only makes cyclists light-hearted, but turns cockatoos light-headed   ̶  further into the ride we saw a small flock of corellas playing a typical adolescent  game, taking it in turns to swing on a rope they’d found hanging from a tree.

At about 34km is Granite Belt Dairy which claims to offer uniquely flavoured cheeses because it is “Queensland’s highest and coldest dairy farm cheese shop” We certainly won’t argue with “coldest”. Attached to Granite Belt Dairy is the Jersey Girls Cafe, where we had a great lunch. The attentive staff offers a small range of meals based on their own dairy products and local produce, and the two dishes we selected were superb. There was a minor glitch when we asked for “skinny” coffees; the sweet waitress gently explained that the only milk on offer was full-cream, but since it was authentic (and therefore non-homogenised) she could carefully remove as much of the cream as possible! We opted for the full-fat experience and decided the taste was worth the risk to our arteries.

The author changing a flat on his Gellie (custom)

A couple of kilometres on from Jersey Girls, I had a catastrophic front tyre puncture of the “bang-whoosh” type. As I changed the tube and used the well-known five dollar note trick to protect the replacement tube from the hole in the tyre, I mused on the ingenuity of polymer scientists and concluded that their greatest gift to us cyclists was not carbon-reinforced resin, rejected in any case by us steel frame retro-grouches, but the indestructible bank note. Although of more immediate import were my thoughts on the scarcity of bike-shops on the Granite Belt and our isolation (no vehicles came past during the repair operation, despite the fact that we were close to the village of Thulimbah). I returned to this thought frequently during the remaining 20km, because the brand new replacement tube (from a well-known European manufacturer) slowly leaked all the way home. I discovered later that it was not damaged; rather it had a faulty valve.

Because the tourist drive ends at Thulimbah, the final 19km to complete the circuit back to our motel in Stanthorpe was beyond the designated Armistice Way. We followed the New England Highway, a major interstate road, but managed to avoid riding on the actual highway. Initially we followed another of the tourist drives, the Granite Belt Drive (Tourist Drive 3), which travels parallel to the highway. Granite Belt Drive was formerly the main highway and Tourist Drive 3 was known as the “Fruit Run” because of the fruit stalls along the way. The realignment of the upgraded highway and shifting agricultural emphasis led to the abandonment of the fruit stalls, but some of the buildings survive in various stages of dereliction.  After about 5km there is an underpass beneath the highway, crossing to Old Warwick Rd, which, after a couple of name changes, joins the Stanthorpe High St, completely avoiding the highway.

When we woke on the morning of our second day we abandoned our plan to ride the Highland Way that day. The weather was cold (as expected) but also seriously wet. The thought of attacking empty country roads in the rain and cold with only one spare tube remaining between us was quite off-putting   ̶  even  mounting the bikes on the car in the freezing rain was daunting enough.  So we drove back to Brisbane with every intention of returning soon.

Day 2 to follow shortly.

Graham Kimber

Graham is a riding buddy of mine whom I encouraged to write this post. I hope you enjoyed his article on cycling in this fascinating area of Queensland as much as I did.

About the author: As a child I owned and rode bikes, but between reaching car-driving age and having enough money to purchase my first car, I thought  that being seen on a bike was an admission of low financial status, so I walked everywhere and  permanently relegated the bike to the dirt floor under the verandah of the Queenslander. Thirty-five years on I had open-heart surgery and took up cycling  in an effort to regain some cardiac fitness, soon working up to the 20km round  trip to and from work. On retirement I almost gave up, but then discovered mass-participation rides, which served as a great source of training goals. I also discovered another wonderful attraction of the cycling life - the opportunity to socialise with like-minded retirees. 

I really appreciate receiving good, constructive and polite comments.


Cheers and safe riding,
Jimmy Bee

CYCLING VIRGINIA LOOP via Boondall Wetlands, Sandgate and Downfall Creek

Are you looking for a nice relaxing 46 km ride on the north side of the river? If you are, look no further. Two friends and I rode this route last Tuesday. It was supposed to be a much longer route, some 64 km in fact but unfortunately it wasn't to be, not then anyway. We were still smiling at the end and there is always another time and another ride to my repertoire.

We met at Cleveland station, loaded the bikes and off we went, however, as we were approaching the eastern side of the Gateway bridge the traffic on the inside lane started to slow. Quick thinking and not to be thwarted, we took an alternative route to cross the Brisbane River but it cost us time and as we wanted to be back relatively early, we had to cut a portion of our ride off. It is seldom that we ride an unknown route, following a map, without taking a wrong turn and this happened again resulting in missing another great portion of the ride. Why don't we use GPS, well, I only have a map app. on my smart phone and in this hot, sunny land of ours, it is very difficult to read whilst riding due to the glare (anyway that's my excuse).

The above four photographs are a reasonable representation of the route through the Boondall Wetlands and look at the cycle way, who in their right mind would ride on road mixing it with vehicular traffic if you weren't forced to do so. The good news is that our local and state authorities are heeding the call of cyclists and more and more quality paths are appearing yearly, which equates to more and more bikes being off road and less causalities and if you are a commuter how better to start and finish a working day.

Cabbage Tree Creek

Shorncliffe Pier

Shared path from Shorncliffe to Brighton

Ted Smout bridge crossing Bramble Bay from Brighton to Clontarf

It is an absolute pleasure cycling along the shore line from Shorncliffe to Brighton, beautiful bay views, plenty of amenities, comfortable grassy parks. On this occasion instead of crossing the bridge, we rode beneath it and crossed to the other side of the Deagon Deviation Road and headed south along the cycle way as part of our loop back to Virginia station. This part of the ride encompasses both secondary roads and pathways through some beautiful parks and nature reserves and of course the obligatory coffee break which was taken at a small shopping centre on Robinson Road, Aspley, just to the west of Kirby Road.

A nice piece of art work along side of the cycleway through 7th Brigade Park

Downfall Creek

After coffee, we headed south along Kirby Road, skirted around Marchant Park, crossed Murphy Road and entered 7th Brigade Park. Although I did do a couple of quick Google searches, I was unable to find out much in relation to the name '7th Brigade Park' except for the fact that it did have various associations with military units both during WW1 and WW2 and that an Kittyhawk aircraft crashed here whilst pilot training during WW2.

This was a really enjoyable  ride but next time I'll ensure that we do the complete 64 km.


Cheers and safe riding,
Jimmy Bee


CYCLING CAPALABA to CLEVELAND POINT

Usually I start all of my Redlands riding routes from Cleveland and I do this for a reason as it is the end of the railway line, making it a convenient place for groups to meet. However, on this occasion I  thought I would start the ride from the Sam Sciacca Sports Field Capalaba, as it is an ideal start point due to the good amenities and parking.

Tingalpa Creek

This park has bike paths running all over the place and is ideal for family outings with the kids and bikes and if you have a kayak or canoe. Tingalpa creek which runs through the park is a great place to go for a paddle. In fact you are able to navigate all the way to Thorneside and beyond. Lots of bird life and dolphins have been seen in the wider stretches of the creek closer to Thorneside.

I find it incredible that we go through our normal daily lives but fail to check out our own neighborhoods.  I have to confess that I was the same, our lives are so hectic that we fail to 'stop and smell the roses' but once you break out of the mold, a whole new world opens up and changes our perspective on life.

This particular ride takes in a number of light traffic secondary roads and paths passing through the suburb of Birkdale, skirting around Wellington Point, through Ormiston and onto Cleveland.

Raby Bay

Once in Cleveland, the ride takes you to Raby Bay where on a hot day, if so inclined you can take a swim or soak up the sun on the beach.

Cleveland Point

At the finish of the ride, stop off at the Lighthouse Cafe/Restaurant for a coffee/lunch or maybe a cool beer. I can hear the old machinery ticking over and you are thinking 'but my car is at Capalaba'. In that case there are a number of return rides back to Capalaba and I think I have written about most of them, so all is not lost as it is only a matter of flicking back through past blog posts to find a return ride that suits or you may simply want to reverse this route.

I use Map my Ride for simplicity and elevation information. Become a member (free) and find similar rides within the area and elsewhere.

I really appreciate receiving good, constructive and polite comments.


Cheers and safe riding,
Jimmy Bee

CYCLING and STREET ART

Anybody who regularly commutes or takes recreational rides through the city and burbs will likely come across street art and by street art, I don't mean kids placing ugly tag names over everything that doesn't move.  Street Art to my way of thinking is the poetry of the art world and it usually conveys a social and or political message.

There is, just as there is in the literary world, good and bad, the bad is just a visual impediment and the good a pleasure to behold and should be sponsored by our local government in much the same way as sculptors and traditional artists. Why shouldn't these artists have a public place to display their work so that it may be appreciated or reviled as the case maybe. After all, graffiti has been around for a very long time and many examples have survived many historical periods.

I am aware that to many, graffiti or street art reviles them, "how dare they vandalize a public space" but isn't this similar to having pamphlets shoved in ones' face when walking down the street or being confronted by billboards that don't support our own views, listening to music which offends an individuals own preference. Even the moral standards within society differs greatly.....ask a politician.

When I'm cycling and then suddenly confronted by a wall covered in street art and it appeals, I am compelled to photograph it, to record the image and from time to time to post it in a blog so that it may stir an emotion in my readers to garnish a reaction whether positive or negative.

I really appreciate receiving good, constructive and polite comments.

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

FOUR SUPERB BICYCLE TOURS






Murray to the Mountains tour

 I am going back a little in recent history to bring you what I consider to be 4 excellent organised cycling tours, two in Australia and two in New Zealand. Why?.....because I fully believe that if you are a recreational cyclist thinking about a week long bicycle tour, then these four tours are well worth considering. Each tour has been expertly organised and were a heap of fun.

 

If I may recap on some previous posts....each year, a group of recreational cyclists calling themselves U3A Peddling For Pleasure, of which I am a member, embark on an organised cycling adventure for approximately 5- 6 days. So far these tours have been in Victoria, Australia and on both islands of New Zealand. The original tour prior to my joining the group was on the Otago Rail Trail, on the South Island of New Zealand but unfortunately I cannot give an opinion on this particular tour. Having said that, I understand that it was also very enjoyable as I didn't hear one negative report from the people taking part.

Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail



Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail

My first tour in 2011 was the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail, in the high country of Victoria. This ride started in Milawa staying one night in Myrtleford, and onto Bright. On the return journey we cycled back to Myrtleford where we spent another night and then climbed the mountain rail trail to Beechworth. The next morning in drizzling rain we set off down the mountain to Wangaratta, a very exhilerating downhill, in stark contrast to riding up to Beechworth the day before.

This was a 5 day tour taking in scenic locations of Milawa - 1 night, Myrtleford - 2 nights, Bright - 1 night and Beechworth - 1 night. Included in the deal was transport from Tullermarine Airport to Milawa, all accommodation, transport of suitcases from location to location, first night's 2 course meal and backup service in the event of sickness or mechanical failure.



As this was the my first cycling tour it set the goal posts high and I have to say I haven't been disappointed with any of the tours I have ridden since. Each one has been vastly different and enjoyable in many different ways and I guess that is a good enough reason for becoming addicted to bicycle touring.

As I am unaware whether the original company is still operating,  I have included the following link for bicycle tour operators in the area http://www.murraytomountains.com.au/tour-operators/

 

East Gippsland Rail Trail

2012 saw us back in a different part of Victoria riding the East Gippsland Rail Trail  from Orbost to Bairnsdale.

Once again, we were collected at the airport and transported to Orbost where the tour began. This was another great trip with the operator adding that personal touch. The accommodation was good quality and varied, the service superb and the variety of locations on this ride made each day totally different.

One day you will be riding through a forest of tall timber, another riding the banks of the Snowy River and still another where you are enjoying the Lakes district.

 

Most of the riding was on trails and non sealed roads but the Trek mountain bikes made each day seem effortless. Each night after a day in the saddle, we relaxed and enjoyed each others company over a fine meal and wine following a couple of ales just to wash the dust down.

For further information on the East Gippsland Rail Trail please click on the following link http://www.snowyrivercycling.com.au/

Takaro Trails back-up service

The next tour in 2013 was international, well! across the ditch anyway. A three hour flight across the Tasman to Auckland in New Zealand with a connecting flight to Napier, our destination for the start of the Hawkes Bay ride.

Hawkes Bay collage

To highlight the service we received on this trip, I'll relate this little tale......When we arrived in Auckland we found that the service to Napier had been cancelled, if this was not enough, we then had to confront the the fact that my wife's suitcase had gone missing. We were then split into two groups, with half travelling on a later flight to Napier and the other half travelling to Palmerston North and then busing it to Napier.  A very pleasant flight on a Bombardier aircraft which flew at a relatively low altitude, low enough to have an exquisite view of the craggy, volcanic topography and then a bus ride to Napier which turned out to be equally pleasant and gave us the chance to view another part of the country. In the meantime our tour operator was on the ball organising the motel where we were staying, to have their kitchen and more importantly their bar remain open to accommodate our needs on arrival. Red wine has never tasted so nice!!!  To top this off Jenny our tour operator had managed to locate the suitcase and had it delivered by taxi to us whilst we were still dining. All was forgiven.

 

Hawkes Bay Collage

The next 5 days were spent cycling around the diverse scenic routes of Hawkes Bay. Although there were some moans and groans emanating from our group climbing some of their hills, it soon gave way to broad smiles and pleasant exclamations on reaching the top and taking in the most diverse panorama of views imaginable and of course the exhilaration of free wheeling down the other side. All of the providers of our accommodation went that extra yard to ensure our comfort and we enjoyed some first rate meals as well. If this takes your fancy find out more by clicking onto this link  http://www.takarotrails.co.nz/

 

In March this year, we were back in New Zealand, but this time on the South Island participating in the Alps to the Ocean tour. This tour was a little different from the others in that it was totaly organised and guided. We were so pampered by our two wonderful guides that it took on a surreal presence as though we were in a dream teleported  from one location to another without having to engage our brains at all. It is amazing that three islands in the pacific, Australia and the north and south islands of New Zealand, within a stone's throw of each other, could be so brilliantly diverse and different . Different topogaphy, different cultures, different lifestyles.

 

The Alps to Ocean Cycle Tour

The standout of this tour was the attention to detail such as having a basket of fresh fruit  and snacks placed on board the buses each morning and the preparation of the picnics.

 

The Alps to the Ocean Cycle tour

Everything that we read in the brochure was actually true, I truely believe that New Zealand is the most relaxing location on this planet. Providing you have the right attitude, you can expect the very best and actually get it in a very laidback way. Everything appears to work and when it doesn't somebody says "Don't worry, we will fix it" and it happens.

For details on the Alps to Ocean ride and others that they offer. please open the following link http://www.advsouth.co.nz/cycle_trails/Alps_to_Ocean_Cycle.tour

 

If you would like to get more of an insight into one or more of these tours, you may wish to backtrack through my past blog posts as I wrote extensively on the following tours:-

• East Gippsland Rail Trail
• 5 day Diverse Hawkes Bay Trail
• Alps to Ocean Cycle

Unfortunately, I wasn't writing when I rode the Murray to the Mountains Trail and if I were to attempt to write a post on it now, the information may not be accurate.

The 2015 tour has been decided and we are staying in Oz. next year to partake in the Coastal Escape Cycling Tour organised by Australian Cycling Holidays with the ride starting at Waterfall just south of Sydney and ending in Berri in the NSW South Coast hinterland and as I have driven this part of the coast previously, I am sure we are going to have an enjoyable trip providing the weather God smiles upon us. For more information please click on the following link http://www.australiancyclingholidays.com.au/

I really appreciate receiving good, constructive and polite comments.


Cheers and safe riding,
Jimmy Bee