3rd April, 2011
A beautiful Sunday morning in Sydney, after a couple of weeks of overcast drizzly weather. My wife was going on an aboriginal heritage walk which would keep her busy for the day, and my sometime Sunday morning Kayaking partner, Richard the gourmet historian, was having friends over for one of his famed gourmet brunches, so I was free to spend a day on the bike.
I had recently heard of a deserted village call Joadja (click here and here for more info) down near Mittagong that I was keen to locate. I knew that it was on private property and I probably would not be able to access it, but it looked like a nice ride anyway. Joadja had been a village centered round a shale mining operation in the late 19th century and was eventually abandoned in the early 20th century.
It was the perfect day for riding. Sunny, blue sky, but not too hot. I headed for Mittagong about 9am. This was the first real test for my new windscreen and I was looking forward to giving it a good workout. I took the usual route through Appin, Wilton and then down the freeway to Mittagong. Refueled and out Wombeyan caves road. Beautiful country once again, and I was surprised at the number of vineyards in the area and wineries advertising that they were open to the public. Invites a return visit. I have thought about going all the way out this road to Wombeyan Cave, but there is still a large section unsealed. Large cruiser motorcycles are not meant for dirt roads.
I turned left into Handleys lane and a short time later, right on to Joadja Road. More winieries and some palatial looking homes along the way, with a few very old original looking cottages. Eventually I came to an end to the public road. 2 private roads continued on, but unsealed. There was also a for sale sign there, detailing the fact that the abandoned village was contained in the parcel of land up for sale. I thought about venturing down the private road, but common sense prevailed. Getting into difficulty on a dirt road, a long way from help seemed to be unnecessarily complicated when trespassing was thrown into the equation. Perhaps another time.
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| Joadja - Old miner's cottages |
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| Joadja - old school building |
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| Joadja - old shale ovens |
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| Joadja Information |
The day was still young, the weather was still beautiful and I still had a full tank of petrol. I retraced my steps and turned right into Handleys Lane and continued on to Berrima. Berrima is a lovely little historic town with some beautiful old sandstone buildings, including a gaol. As on most sunny Sunday afternoons, Berrima was full of people out for a drive, visiting cafes and museums. I went straight through, down Berrima Road to Moss Vale, then along the Illawarra Road through Sutton Forest before turning on to Exeter Road, continuing through Exeter and on to Bundanoon.
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| Bundanoon - Markets |
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| Bundanoon Markets |
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| Thunderbird at Bundanoon |
My wife and I had been to Bundanoon a few years earlier and had stayed in the pub to attend a friend’s birthday and we had fond memories of the town. Today the markets were on and the main street was busy with people browsing stalls and soaking up the sunshine. It looked like there were many tourists in for the day. I had a wander around and checked the stalls. Bought some caramelized balsamic salad which makes a great salad dressing and decided it was a good time for lunch.
After looking at a few establishments I went into the Gardener’s Kitchen (see Pubs ans Cafes). A nice setup with a varied menu and a nursery at the back. I wouldn’t be needing the nursery today. After perusing the menu I ordered Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Slice, served with salad, yoghurt and mango chutney. It was, in a word, delicious. Coffee was good too. Highly recommended.
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| The Gardener's Kitchen |
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| The Gardener's Kitchen |
After lunch I decided travel a little bit further south west of Bundanoon to visit the Sunnataram Forest Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in a beautiful bush setting. There is a large stone Pagoda there. My wife and I had visited the last time we were in Bundanoon and the pagoda was being built. The Tibetan stone masons could be seen fashioning the stone pieces to build the Pagoda. Today it was finished and it is a very impressive site.
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| Sunnataram Forest Monastery |
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| Sunnataram Forest Monastery |
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| Buddhist Thunderbird - with windscreen |
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| Sign at the entrance to the Sunnataram Forest Monastery |
I then cruised back through Bundanoon, Exeter, Suttons Forest, Moss Vale and Bowral. All beautiful towns, separated by beautiful, scenic countryside. Although riding through Bowral on a busy Sunday afternoon, I remembered that last time I rode through Bowral on a busy Sunday afternoon I swore I would never do it again. Next time.
Between Bowral and Mittagong lies a small mountain called Mt Gibraltar. I have often seen the signs pointing to Mt Gibraltar lookout and today I thought I would venture up. You can enter the reserve from either Bowral or Mittagong sides and the road takes you over the top and down to the town on the other side. On the way there are some picnic areas and lookouts over both Bowral and Mittagong. I stopped at the Mittagong lookout and the view is spectacular. Coming down the Mittagong side there are some huge houses with beautifully manicured gardens high up on the hill. Apparently this became the posh end of time from very early on.
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| View from Mt Gibralter looking over Mittagong. |
Got back home about 4-30 pm. 400 kilometers and I felt fresh enough to do another 400. I put that down to the new windscreen which really reduces the wind drag on the body and reduces the fatigue enormously. A great idea.
