Day 009, Monday, 6 April, 2009

Distance travelled – 49 km
Avg speed – 16.5 kph
Max speed – 40.0 kph

Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens Ferry Service, Tea Gardens, Mungo Brush Road to Bombah Point Ferry, Bombah Point Road, Bulahdelah.

Today turned out to be a very pleasant day.  We left at 8.40, (a record in itself) and rode into Nelson Bay to enquire about the road conditions along the Bombah Point Road and to make sure the Bombah Point ferry was running.

There is about 24 km of continuous road works along the Pacific Highway south of Bulahdelah and we had learnt that there was next to no shoulder next to the road works. We were, therefore, hoping that we could bypass this section of the highway by using the Bombah ferry.

After a phone call to NPWS we had confirmation the ferry was operating so we loaded our bikes onto the Nelson Bay to Tea Gardens Ferry and took the relaxing 60-minute journey across Port Stephens. We had to completely unpack the bikes and trailers, which were then tied to the roof of the ferry. Our bags travelled next to us on the seats below.

At Tea Gardens wharf we repacked and being morning teatime headed directly across the road to ‘Nicole’s Art Gallery and Cafe’ for coffee and cake. Very good coffee and a nice pleasant venue.

We left Tea Gardens at about midday and rode across the ‘Singing Bridge’ to Hawks Nest. We are not sure if this is the bridge’s formal name but we are told the wind creates a noise blowing through the handrails that can be heard in both Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. The bridge is a high arched construction being ‘nice and steep’ for a loaded bike. Interestingly it created the first spike in our elevation profile.

Mungo Brush Road, which runs behind the sand hills through Myall Lakes National Park, is a very enjoyable ride. It is reasonably flat and with next to no traffic and we highly recommend it to anyone who follows.

We had lunch across the road from the Dark Point car park. Dark Point is a declared Aboriginal Place and is important to the Worimi people who occupied the land between Newcastle and Taree. In April and May family groups gathered for ceremonies and to feast on the bream, taylor and mullet that run along the coast at this time of the year. The sand hills are constantly moving and apparently from time to time reveal evidence of the past, including traditional burials. As we explored the sand hills close to the road we found what we suspect was an old beach shack that had been buried and was now being revealed by the wind. These sand dunes are well worth the climb and are responsible for the second spike on today’s elevation profile. At the top of the dunes there is a good view of the coast and Broughton Island. Just be prepared to empty your shoes and socks of sand after the walk down.

We continued the ride along Mungo Brush road to the ferry, passing some very attractive NPWS campsites along the way. This is one place that we will add to a list to go back to with the Pajero and camper trailer and explore some more. (Duncan and Lorraine add this place to your list).

Arrived at the ferry at 2.40 but had to wait until 3.00 before it came across to take us to the other side. There is a large “eco” hotel across the other side, which also warrants a little exploration next time we drive past. 

Most of the remaining road along the Bombah Point Road into Bulahdelah is dirt. The initial 2km is rough but in general the remaining sections are very rideable with us averaging between 12-15km/h. We joined the sealed road at the intersection with Conglomerate Road which we quipped could have been named after the conglomerate of bitumen patches that made up the initial hundred metres or so of tar.

We arrived in Bulahdelah as it began to rain and after a quick look at the sodden ground we decided to take a cabin at the Alum Mountain CaravanPark. The only down side being it was right next to the highway and the noise from the braking southbound trucks.

We very much enjoyed ourselves today.

We have edited a 10-minute ‘helmet cam’ video of our trip from Tea Gardens to Bulahdelah. Mark carried the camera today. The only down side of this system is the camera mic only picks up the comments from the camera carrier. It would be nice if we could find a way to use this camera but mic both of us. The compressed video we have uploaded looks a little jerkier than the trip actually was.  Click here to see the video.

Zoom into the map to see our new location.

 

Bikes loaded onto the ferry

Down below.

Good coffee here!

Looking down to the car park from Dark Point sand dune.

'Helmet cam man'

Looking in o the approaching storm.

Waiting for the Bombah Point Ferry.

 

Previous Report

Next Report

Top

 

Photography by Multilocus - A Division of Multilocus Interactive Pty Ltd
Home | Daily Reports | About | Contact Us | Merchandise | Site Map
© 2008 Mark Arundel