Joadja - Bundanoon

3^rd 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 19^th century and was eventually abandoned in the early 20^th 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.

Joadja  - Old miner's cottages



Joadja - old school building



Joadja - old shale ovens



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.



Bundanoon - Markets



Bundanoon Markets



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.



The Gardener's Kitchen



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.



Sunnataram Forest Monastery



Sunnataram Forest Monastery



Buddhist Thunderbird - with windscreen



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.



View from Mt Gibralter looking over Mittagong.

Once back through Mittagong I was enjoying myself so much I decided to take the long way home. I crossed the freeway and wound my way back through Colo Vale, Hilltop, Balmoral, Buxton Thirlmere and Picton. I even stopped at Picton and had a schooner of lite beer. I was having a very good day. Then on to Wilton, Appin, Bulli Tops, Helensburgh and a quick stop at Stanwell Tops. Very busy. Home through the National Park and once again I am sure I have sworn to myself not to go through the park on sunny Sunday afternoons because the traffic is awful. Lines of slow cars being overtaken by reckless motorcycle riders does not make a pleasant ride.

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.

Nattai - Stanwell Tops

Sunday 13^th March, 2011

Weather predictions were not good for today, but then they had not been good for the past week, and the predictions had been wrong every day. I decided to head off early and have some breakfast before the weather changed. At 8.00am it was a lovely sunny morning.

I went down the old Princes highway, off to Appin and through Douglas Park and out to Picton to r. coffee for breakfast where Ryan and the staff take good care of me. I have been working my way through the breakfast menu at this place and today I spied the Eggs Benedict. A dish I normally avoid because it is not the healthiest option, but it is bloody nice. The r. did not disappoint. Two large flat whites to wash it down, a browse through the Sunday Paper and I ventured outside to see what the weather had done.

The weather had improved. It was a beautiful sunny day. I decided to ride out to Nattai. One of my favourite places.  You head Northwest from Picton on Barkers Lodge Road. This is a beautiful road through valleys and over hills with farmland on each side of the road, very little traffic and always a few other bikes around. The speed limit is 80 kph until you reach Mowbray Park, which is just a few houses, and then it increases to 100kph. Sitting on 100 kph, or a little bit more, on these roads is a great way to kill some time. Lovely windy roads, rolling hills, great scenery and a sense of being hundreds of miles away from a city. Fantastic.

Eventually you come to the small town of Oakdale and turn left on to Burragorang Road. In 10 minutes you come to the tiny village of Nattai. Village may be overdoing it a bit. There are no shops. Just a row of houses. Left over from coal mining days. At the end of the houses you enter the Burragorang State Recreation Area and climb slowly until you reach some picnic grounds with BBQ and toilet facilities, and right at the end of the road and the top of the hill, the most beautiful scenery opens out before you. Lake Burragorang. Created when the Warragamba Dam was built and the water backed up to fill the valleys. From the lookout you can see across the lake to the Blue Mountains on the other side and Blue Mountains National Park which stretches away to the west as far as the eye can see. It really is breathtaking. See the photos for a better idea.

View from Nattai Lookout

Nattai - Looking North

Nattai - Looking West



Nattai - Just looking



After a half hour of gazing, taking photos and re-reading the information boards at the lookout I head back into Oakdale. You can continue straight through Oakdale and onto the Oaks, but I’ll save that for another day. This time I had enjoyed Barkers Lodge road so much I decided to go back the same way.

Back through Picton and out Remembrance Drive this time towards Camden and turning off on Finns Road which takes you back to Douglas Park.

Back through Appin and Wilton, Bull tops, Helensburgh and down to Bald Hill at Stanwell Tops. This is another amazingly beautiful place. And on a Sunday afternoon there are plenty of bikes, cars and a few hang gliders about.

Bald Hill is commemorated as the spot Lawrence Hargraves used to test his kites, which played an important part in the early progress to manned flights. There is plenty of information about him at Bald Hill.

From here you can see all the way down the coast to Wollongong to the South and the bottom end of the royal National Park to the North.

I like to have a wander around here on busy days and have a good look at all the bikes. A veritable showroom of two wheeled wonders.

Bald Hill - thunderbird amongst the crowd.

Bald Hill - view South

Seacliff bridge - Just south of Stanwell park

Back on the bike and through the National Park towards home. The Royal National Park is a trip I have probably done on average once a week for the last 3 years. I will never get tired of it. It was a great training ground when I first returned to riding. It was the scene of my only fall (so far) since returning to riding. The park is in 3 distinct phases. Coming from the south you travel along Lady Wakehurst drive which winds through semi rain forest. Tall lush trees forming a canopy right of the road in many places, up and down hills and often following a rivulet which flows all the way to Audley and becomes the Hacking River.

Road throgh the Royal National Park



Royal - National Park - 2nd oldest national park in the world



Then you come to an intersection. MacKell Ave goes off to the left taking you up to Waterfall and onto the Princes Highway. Going right puts you on to Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and takes you into the 2^nd phase of the Royal. Here you climb up to the plateau and the country opens out into heath lands and you travel some long straight stretches of road before coming to the turnoffs for Wattamolla and Bundeena. Then the 3^rd phase begins, winding up and down hills until you come to Audley , cross the river and make the final climb up to the highway at Sutherland. I love the fact that you come straight out of the park into the outskirts of Sydney. It’s 10 minutes to home from there on. Another lovely day on the Thunderbird.

Bungendore - Canberra - Goulburn

Sunday 6^th March

Braidwood – Bungendore - Canberra – Goulburn

Awoke about 7.30am on Sunday morning. Cool morning in Braidwood. About 10 degrees. I zipped in the removable liners in my jacket and pants to keep the cold out and dug out the winter gloves. Shower, coffee packed and on the road at 8-30.

The road from Braidwood to Bungendore is a good ride. The hills are a little bit lower and the trees are thinning. Rolling brown hills stretch off into the distance. A few bikes on the ride but very little traffic at this time on a Sunday morning. An opportunity to open up the Thunderbird a bit. It seems to settle into a very relaxed and comfortable rhythm at 120 kph. Sitting just on 3,000 revs. There is no strain on the motor whatsoever, and plenty of room for quick acceleration if needed. I read a discussion recently about the art of overtaking and the various ways to go about it. I am firmly in the camp that says if you decide to overtake, get it over with quickly. None of this dragging along beside another vehicle on the wrong side of the road.



Loaded Thunderbird - Bungendore

I reached Bungendore about 9am and had thought I would stop there for some breakfast. Not much happening in Bungendore at 9am on a Sunday morning. The Gunna Doo Bakery was open and there were a couple of other bikes already there. A Triumph Speed Triple and a Ducati Desmo. Two fine machines. A bit sporty for my liking. It was coffee and a pie on offer for breakfast which I did enjoy.

On through more pleasant country side to Queanbeyan and then into Canberra.  I fancied a photo of the Thunderbird in front of Parliament House. You can’t miss Parliament house. You can see it from the outskirts of Canberra. I headed for it and when I got there it was very, very quiet. The obligatory group of Japanese having their photo taken in the front and a couple of cops wondering around the outside, happy to exchange a wave. I got the photo and you can see the result on this page.


Capital Thunderbird - Canberra

I wound through Canberra, taking my time. The roads are good, the signage seems to have improved since I was last there, and the place is like a ghost town at 9-30am on a Sunday morning. All  making for a leisurely, stress free cruise through the centre of town with plenty of time to look for signs and gawk at the architecture.

I found myself on the Federal Highway and back in the countryside winding along the banks of Lake George. There was some water off in the distance, but on the whole it looked pretty dry. I had heard a story once that the roads around Canberra get some extra attention and funding because all the politicians frequent them. That was easy to believe. From Bateman’s Bay right through Braidwood. Bungendore, Queanbeyan, Canberra and on to Goulburn, the roads are in pretty good condition.

The journey became boring from here on. Dual lane highways with no decent bends and constant speeds make for very dull bike riding. So I gritted my teeth and settled in to kill the time. I decided to stop at Goulburn for something to eat and fuel.

For many years now I zoomed passed Goulburn on the bypass. In my younger days, before the bypass, you had to drive right through the middle of Goulburn. It brought back a few memories driving through the old town. I found myself parked in front of the Paragon Café, this is a classic old style Café that prides itself on its history. It was doing pretty good business for a Sunday morning. I asked the waitress if they had a specific breakfast menu and she pointed to a spot on the very large all purpose menu saying “Oh yes. We have bacon and eggs AND sausages and eggs.”

I spotted an omelette and ordered that. It came as a main meal with peas, corn carrots and creamed scalloped potatoes which is not what I had in mind, but it filled the void.


Paragon Cafe - Goulburn

I refuelled and left Goulburn at 12 noon, refreshed and ready for the ride home. Straight down the highway passed Mittagong to the Picton Road turn off, through Wilton to Appin. Down Appin Road to Bulli Tops and up the old Princes Highway to Helensburgh. I had thought about going through the National Park, but I was getting near 2 hours by now and decided to head home. I got there just after 2pm. The touring seat had worked it’s magic once again and I felt quite fresh considering I had just had 2 hours in the saddle. The trip meter read 720 kms since I left home the day before. A very pleasant weekend.

Milton - Batemans Bay - Braidwood

Saturday 5^th march 2011.

Today is mardi gras day in Sydney. Not that that means much to me. Other than being a good day not to venture in to the city because it is so busy. My wife announced that she was going to join a school friend and watch the mardi gras parade. The school friend has done this many times and knows of an accessible vantage point. So after contemplating a night at home arguing with the teenagers, I thought this would be a good time to have an overnight trip on the bike. After mentioning the idea to my wife and seemingly getting away with it, I planned the trip. A bit. I wanted to keep my options open.

Saturday morning and it was overcast and threatening rain in Sydney. I decided that I didn’t want to be known as one of those wussy fair weather bike riders, so I got out the wet weather gear, packed the bags and loaded up the Thunderbird.

I left home about 10.30 in a light drizzle of rain. The drizzle continued all the way to Wollongong. The wet weather gear earned its keep and the Thunderbird couldn’t care less. The long haul touring seat was working a treat so I hit Wollongong and kept going. The weather improved considerably from there on.

I travelled straight down the Pacific Highway this time. No sight seeing yet. Straight on through Albion Park, Kiama, Berry, Nowra and on to Milton.. Traffic was light and the riding was enjoyable. I got to Milton at 1.30 and I was determined to sample Pilgrims Café. See Cafes and Pubs.

  

I left Milton and headed of towards Batemans Bay. There was very little traffic on the road so I was able to open up and enjoy the ride. Some very good forest landscapes with the odd valley opening up between.

I stopped at Batemans Bay for Petrol and then turned onto the Kings Highway heading towards Braidwood. This was a very interesting road. Some good twisties, occasionally slowing down to hairpin bends. The mountains and forests gradually gave way to rolling hills that got a little browner as I moved away from the coast. I went through the small town of Nelligen on the Clyde River which is as picturesque as it is small. I passed group of 20 or 30 bikes stopped there at a petrol station.

I then headed on to Braidwood where I had decided to stay the night. Braidwood is a very old town with some classic early Australian buildings, although quite a few of them seem to be empty.

The third motel I tried had a vacancy. Apparently this is a normal weekend in Braidwood. Torpy’s Motel is an unusual place. The reception/office is a very old and interesting house with some motel units built behind it. I knew the instant I met Andy that he was an unusual character. He told me that he ran the Motel on weekends but had some one else ran it during the week while he and his wife where in Sydney advising companies how to reduce there carbon footprint. And Andy practices what he preaches. The lights in my room have either \had the globe removed or are so dull I have had to sit outside to type this. He has also installed soap dispensers, and in a





Torpys - reception



Torpys - rooms



Torpys - Thunderbird undercover



hand made timber box, coffee and sugar dispensers that drop coffee or sugar into your cup. One teaspoons at a time with each flick of the dial. Very efficient. Very carbon neutral.

After a shower and freshen up I walked down the main street and took some photos. It was very quite for a Saturday night. I wandered into the Royal Mail Hotel where I found they served meals from 6pm. As it was 5.30 I thought I would have a couple of beers and wait. The pub was very quite a with just a few locals all known by the bar staff on a first name basis.

Royal Mail Hotel - Braidwood



Braidwood - main street



Braidwood Hotel

 By the time I thought it was time to order, The place was filling up and suddenly there was a queue at the bar ordering dinner.

I finally got my order in and after a half hour wait, my crumbed lamb cutlets with vegies and mash hit the spot quite nicely. Dependable pub food. No surprises. No disappointments.

Back to the motel to type some notes, in the dark, and get some sleep. The plan for tomorrow is Bungendore, Canberra, Goulburn, Wilton Appin Bulli and if the weather is OK and I am up to it Home through the National Park.

Picton - Kangaroo Valley - Robertson - 26/02/2011

Finally a Saturday that was predicted to be nice weather all day. Probably the first since I had picked up the Thunderbird. I planned a big ride. I got away from home about 9am. A few dark clouds in the sky that were not supposed to be there. Petrol at Engadine then from Waterfall down the old Princes Highway. I almost always take the old highway. much less traffic and some nice sweeping bends that give me a bit of a warm up in cornering. I find when I take off that I like to take a few familiar corners early on, think my way through them and set up the pattern for the rest of the day.

Through Helensburgh and down to Bulli Tops where I turn left on to the Appin road and head due west. Its about 20 k to Appin. Quite a good road, but a little busy and a few coal trucks to watch out for. At Appin, I turned left on to Wilton road. This is where the real enjoyment starts. A windy country road. Hardly any traffic. Rolling green hills and valleys, Although today the hills were looking more brown than green. The result of a few weeks of no rain and hot weather. 4 weeks ago this area was green and lush.



Cataract river - Broughton Pass



Wilton Rd takes you down through Broughton Pass where you cross the Cataract river. A beautiful spot. On to Wilton. In Wilton I turn right on to Douglass Park Drive and head towards Douglass Park. On this part of the ride you cross the Nepean river at a beautiful spot, with the Hume Highway towering above on huge columns of concrete. Through Douglass park and left on to Menangle Rd. Down a beautiful rural valley til you come to Picton Rd at Maldon. Right onto Picton rd and into Picton.



Nepean river - Douglas Park

 Picton is a beautiful little town surrounded buy green hills. It is a very historic town and has some lovely historic buildings as you can see by clicking the link at the start of this sentence. Picton is also the the home of another of my favourite cafes. r. coffee. More information available on my Cafes and Pubs page. Time for some breakfast. I'm still trying new things at r. coffee and today was a salmon and egg sandwich with dill mayonnaise. Smoked salmon, boiled egg (not too hard) and a light dill mayonnaise served on a turkish style bread roll. Washed down with 2 flat white coffees. Great food, great Service. Great coffee.

From Picton I take Thirlmere Way to Thirlmere, cross the railway line and take West Parade which follows the old rail line  and takes you through Buxton, Balmoral Village, hilltop and Colovale. Another great road for riding a motorbike. Gentle hills, winding roads, little traffic and some nice forests. From Colovale you join the Hume highway for about 500 meters before turning off into Mittagong.

Through Mittagong and out the back on to Range Road which takes you South. Range Road is absolutely beautiful with green valleys rolling out on either side of you. Working farms are booked ended by millionaires mansions. Every time I go down this road I have a few fantasies of living right here. Heaven.

Friendly Inn - Kangaroo Valley

View from Berry Mountain



Fitzroy Falls



Berry Mountain



Range Road becomes Ridge road and then joins on to  Sheepwash Road which takes you south across the Illawarra highway between Robertson and Moss vale, and on to Fitzroy Falls. From Fitzroy falls I take Moss Vale Road which winds from the Southern Highlands down to the Kangaroo Valley below. Along the valley and into the the village for a stop at the Friendly Inn Hotel. Quite a few bikes there including a beautiful red Thunderbird. See the cafes and Pubs page for more about the Friendly Inn. Still full of Salmon and Egg sandwich, I had some Bruschetta and carried on south to Kangaroo Valley Road. This takes you up and over Berry Mountain. This is a more challenging road. Narrow, steep and very winding, it is slow going. But every now and then  you are rewarded with glorious views down the valley that stretches from Kangaroo Valley to Berry. You also travel through some magnificent forest country.

Into Berry that I'll leave for another day. Berry is bustling with travellers on any weekend and everything is crowded. I went straight through and headed north on the Princes Highway, passed Gerringong and on to Kiama. At Kiama I turned left on to Jamberoo Rd. More rolling green hills and valleys. The type of road and scenery that make motorbike riding so enjoyable.Through Jamberoo and up Jamberoo Mountain pass to Robertson. More beautiful country roads with million dollar scenery and million dollar houses tucked away amongst the trees and original farms.

 
Robertson sits at the top of MacQuarrie Pass is one of the gateways to the Southern Highlands. A quick stop here for coffee and a muffin at the old Cheese factory.



Cheese Factory - Robertson


Then on down Kangaloon Road towards Mittagong. Kangaloon road is another joy of a country road. Climbing hills, winding through valleys and cutting through native forests.

Back to Mittagong, up the Hume to the Picton road turnoff, back through Wilton, Appin, Bulli tops, Helensburgh and down to Stanwell tops for a quick breather. then through the National Park and home. From 9 am to 5-30pm. Just over 400 kms. A beautiful day. And my new long haul touring seat was an absolute marvel.

Kangaroo Valley

Adventures on the Motorcycle

My name is Michael Derrig and the intention of this blog is to record trips around Sydney on my Triumph Thunderbird. I returned to motorbike riding 3 years ago at the age of 50. First with a Honda Shadow 750, then a Yamaha XVS950 and now a brand new, 1600cc Triumph Thunderbird. The dream machine. Most weekends I try to get a ride in, usually around the Souther areas of Sydney, enjoying some of the many cafes on my travels. The Southern Highlands and the Picton area have become particular favourites, with beautiful winding country roads and some very nice places for a cup of coffee and a lite meal.

Honda Shadow - 1999

XVS950

The Thunderbird and I - Eastern Creek



Triumph Thunderbird - 1600cc - January 2011

Triumph Trophy - February 2013

Trophy - Feb 2013 to August 2014

Honda Crosstourer, VFR1200X - August 2014

In Touring mode

2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure. From July 2016

2018 KTM Super Adventure S from December 2019