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Jervis Bay come rail hail or shine !

28/8/2019

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Had wanted to do a longer trip during the Winter Parliamentary Recess but the weather had not been particularly warm and friendly (old Fijian traditional weather forecast).  Krysia was off visiting friends and family in Europe and I had really wanted to do Wilson’s Promontory and a bit of the Great Ocean Road.  Earlier attempted camping coast trip which you read about here wasn’t particularly successful with the freezing overnight temperatures.
         So, I  eyed off  Jervis Bay, said to have some of the whitest sands in the world.  I was looking at a 2 night stay, leaving Canberra on Monday and returning on Wednesday.  The weather forecast said Tuesday might have a shower or 2 so I bit the bullet and booked a cabin at the Caravan Park on the Headland at Huskisson.  No packing up wet tents for me.
        Well, it was the cunningest of plans.  Set off mid-morning on an overcast looking day.  After fueling up, headed for Macs Reef Road and the back way to Bungendore.  Had the delightful experience of avoiding an Echidna as it waddled slowly across the road in front of me – pity I hadn’t primed the GoPro, a bit more on that later – Nah, lets get that over and done with.  As I was about to commence Push-back out of the garage at Chateau Kent St, I normally connect GoPro which is attached to chest harness, to my phone so I can check the camera’s field of view.  It said the GoPro needed a software upgrade so I began that laborious process.  After it had finished, I had trouble connecting the phone to camera and I was getting a tad annoyed.  Bugger it, I can fix on the road.
         I stopped at the scenic railway station at Tarago for a bladder break.  Without looking at the GoPro (still on chest harness), I turned it on by feel.  Shot some footage of the station and then continued on.  Shortly after Tarago, using a remote control on handlebar, I shot a variety of footage before, during and after the rain hit.  The rain hit did you say?  Yes, the unforecast rain.  I got drenched, completely and utterly – I had more rain weather gear in my bag but I didn’t want to stop as I thought it would clear up.  When I finally hit the Princess Highway, it had stopped but I was cold and miserable.  Was good to arrive at my temporary  digs, WhiteSands Park.
        The Cabin had everything I needed, which at that moment was a heater, 4 walls and a roof.  I quickly unpacked, got into street clothes and headed into town, a 5 minute walk.  Stopped at a nearby café and a lovely club sandwich later, I was feeling a tad better.  Walked around the town and the parks before heading back to camp (and a nearby Geocache on the Camp’s fence line).  The Campground had a lockable gate that shaved 5 minutes off the walking time to town and the Manager told me it would be locked at 5:30.  So probably not that much later, I headed back to town to sort out dinner.  Not quite sure how they got their name but World Famous Fish and Chips sounded like a good option.  A few minutes later, I was back in Cabin, heater on gorging on some lovely Flathead.
        I think by 9:30, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  Further good news was after turning the heater off, my bed had a really beautiful doona that led to a good nights sleep.  Slept very well indeed.
Woke to the sound of rain drops. After a horrid shower, one that ambushes you when the water temperature decides to change on its own accord, I headed into town for breakfast.  5 Little pigs seemed to attract an early crowd so I joined in.  Food was great, as was the coffee but the ambience was a tad noisy.  The weather today was intermittent showers but I was armed with the world’s best umbrella (seriously),  so I went for a walk towards Vincentia and some Geocaches.  There is a lovely walking/bike track that goes from Huskisson to Sanctuary Point via Vincentia. It’s very scenic and has the sounds of waves to accompany the walkers.  All up, I think I walked about 13 km.
       Headed back into Huskisson for lunch.  The Jervis Bay Club did a fantastic seafood basket.  I watched a whale watching boat return to the dock.   Earlier, I had seen a sign that tallied the whales spotted each day.  Yesterday had been 4.  Maybe a bit too early in the season!  Went for a further walk along the beach but the drizzle led me back to the cabin. 
       I decided to review my GoPro footage of the ride yesterday.  Smeg !  I had somehow managed, after my upgrade problems, mount the camera so it was facing me.  All of it, every last second !  Bloody Hell !
Walked back into town for dinner options.  Decided on Take Away wood-fired pizza – good choice.  Got back to cabin, heater on and feasted like a king.  The free WiFi at the caravan park was powered by a hampster with a sore foot whose treadmill had a flat tyre.  I read my e-book instead and had another early night.
      Woke to semi blue skies.  Showered and dressed and decided to check out early rather than walk into town for breakfast.  Some how managed to miss packing my trousers despite my walk around the cabin inspection.  Oh well, Caravan Park will mail them back to me.  Stopped at bakery for an egg roll and coffee and then onto the highway.  A bit of a traffic jam trying to actually turn onto the highway and it was quite clagged going through Nowra.  A fuel stop before heading up the escarpment.  As per usual for this trip, I then hit the fog, drizzle, cloud, all of the above as I made my way up.  It wasn’t until I got to Fitzroy Falls that I hit the sunshine.  Stopped for a quick view then back on the road.  Moss Vale was looking very blossomy but I was really looking forward to getting home.  Wind strengthened on the freeway but I am much more comfortable with it these days.  Still hate passing semi-trailers.  I did enjoy my little escape, regardless of the weather but it was good to get home.  Now to see whether the GoPro footage is worthy of a Youtube !

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The Associated YouTube clip

13/8/2019

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MotoCamping Broulee

13/8/2019

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Krysia is off gallivanting around the other side of the world - Canberra is having one of it's coldest snaps ever - snowed during the Footy on Friday night.  I have been eyeing off a bike camping trip to Wilson's Promontory in Victoria then ferrying across Port Phillip Bay and riding the Great Ocean Road - in winter- mid week, so no crowds and  Parliament is not sitting so I don't miss out on work.  Been trying to get away last week but the weather was really cold.  It made sense to do a trial run down to the South Coast.

So Monday morning, packed the bike with all the camping gear, some food essentials.  It is quite an art-form to strap everything safely to the bike and I got Michael to run a last safety check.  All good, first stop COSTCO for refueling.  Everyone was having problems with the new card readers they have installed on the pumps.  I helped one person then everyone else came to "bloke on the bike" to get their bit of assistance - Jeepers, the new card readers are just like ATMs so not sure why everyone was struggling.

The best thing about riding to the coast on Mondays is very little traffic - I think I overtook one car and was overtaken by one car on overtaking lanes.  I really enjoy the ride when one doesn't need the stresses of bad drivers on the road.  The Clyde Mountain is always enjoyable - if you watch the YouTube, there may have been a little cursing when some cars were reluctant to overtake the trucks that had pulled to the side to make room.

So around 2 and half hours after departing, I arrive at Broulee Big 4 campground.  $20 a night for a tent site - the park is actually very pretty with good beach access but the actual Van Sites and Tent Sites are very ordinary.  Toilets and showers were clean  A few Vanners were there, not overly friendly.  A bit of a struggle to get the tent up but all good in the end - I need to be more disciplined in where I put things.  Went for a walk to the beach and then to see if there were any cafes open - Nope, the little local supermarket was a depressing little place but I had earned a Lemon,Lime and Bitters.

Had an early dinner....or was that a late lunch - knew I had forgot something.  One last stroll to the beach and then back to my annex where I read a book on the iPad and marveled at how cold it was getting.  By 7:30, I was shivering, didn't want to put all my riding gear on so I retreated into the tent proper.  At about 8:30, one last trip to the Loos then bed-time.  Absolutely lovely listening to the waves crash on the beach, it almost drowned out the chattering of my teeth.  My sleeping bag is rated to Minus 4, Minus 27 in extreme circumstances whatever that means. I also had a liner and an insulated sleeping pad underneath me but I froze.  I could hardly  sleep and the middle of the night walk to the Loo was horrible.  My Sister tells me that Moruya got to minus 1 that night

Morning was very welcome.  Boiled the kettle and used my new portable espresso machine that makes a really nice shot of coffee.  A Muesli bar was breakfast and then I made my way to the bike trail that runs between Broulee and Moruya Heads.  There are a number of Geocaches along the trail which I had started from the other end some months ago.  The walk is truly lovely, far better than on a bike and I was happy with my world - the backdrop of waves on the beach added to the effect.  Caching almost completed - will need to return one last time to get the finale of the series.

Made by way back to camp and had some Nasi Goreng.  As I watched a new neighbour struggle to put up his tent, I made the executive decision to cut my losses and not have another night like the previous one.  Not sure which is easier, making camp or breaking camp - I did have difficulty in strapping everything to the bike but I did stop a few times to make sure nothing was moving - the late afternoon sun is not easy on the bike especially in and out of shadows - the wind had sprung up as well.  I was glad to reach the peak hour traffic of Canberra but a few last hairy moments on roundabouts where the sun blinded me.  Great to get home, great nights sleep in own bed and the YouTube will be published shortly.

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