Queen's Birthday Weekend continued

Yesterday, Monday, was the last day of the weekend.

I'm kind of overdoing it with the photos, I feel. But I have cut it down to just a handful of a large number of (admittedly mediocre) photos... it is still too many I feel, but without it, there's a lot missing from the story.

I've lived in Sydney for quite a number of years. First as a child, for 5 years, then as a young adult, for 7 years. Now, as someone approaching middle age, here I am again, 1 year into another stay. And in all that time, I've done precious little of actual exploration of Sydney. Not like I did in Tokyo, where I'd pick a new train station each weekend, go there, and wander around the suburbs until I found another train station. That approach isn't practical in Sydney, with the train stations so far apart outside the CBD, and I don't really enjoy driving much. The train stations in Sydney aren't the same miniature towns that Tokyo has, they're rather desolate affairs. Bus rides tend to leave me nonplussed as well. Now, with the bike, I'm finding myself keen to see more of Sydney, to explore and see what it has to offer, so I'm taking that opportunity while it presents itself.

On Monday, I went to Google maps, called up a map of Sydney, and looked it over for places to go for a ride. I picked Palm Beach as a place I'd never been to, and decided to throw Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in for good measure. I plotted a path roughly, memorised one or two turns, stuffed the GPS unit into my pocket and set off.

Firstly it was through the city, much the same as any other ride through the city, but before long I was into the park, and along some beautiful windy roads, up and down hills, overlooking the creeks and harbour. Boats forged their way up and down, leaving their mark briefly on the green water, far below.

At the very end of the road was Cottage Point, where there was a marina and a restaurant. The restaurant was full of people, and anyone with a car had a long walk from up the road, as there was little parking to be had. I'd like to go there sometime for lunch... when travelling by myself though, I prefer to eat alone for some reason... I don't enjoy restaurants. This can make travel overseas for work somewhat problematic!

After stretching my legs and snapping a couple of photos, I headed back up the road, and back along the beautiful windy track, just following my nose through the park, taking turns as I felt. I stopped by one spot to grab a photo of a mangrove that was in a secluded bay.


Just as I was snapping that photo, a bike shot past at an incredible rate, doing well over 100. As I turned to watch, a siren started up, and there was a police car in hot pursuit. I listened to them, the siren and the howl of the bike, mentally tracking them back up the road I'd just taken, they gave no sign of stopping. Does this look like a race track? I continued around the road, and eventually started going by dwellings, I must've been out of the park. Sedately following the winding local roads, I tracked the coastline until I got onto Barrenjoey Road, which I followed up north until it ended.
And there was Palm Beach. To the north, in the photo you can see the Barrenjoey lighthouse. According to my uncle Nick, for the longest time there were wild goats living up on the head, though no longer.

I also snapped a photo of my bike as I was taking some photos of the area. It's a lean little thing, compared to most bikes, and I'm really coming to like how narrow and light it is, it is very forgiving of this new rider. It feels perfect for these kind of short distance, low to moderate speed, windy rides around the city. It accelerates as fast as any sedan, which is all you need in the city. I did an intermediate-level rider training course a week ago, and I'm still learning to apply the techniques I was taught.

From Palm Beach, I checked my GPS, and headed back south. If I had enough time I would have gone along the coast and through Manly, but it was starting to get dark and I needed to get back, so I went along the main roads instead, dropping in to see my aunt and uncle in Crows Nest on the way home. It's always good to see them. I lived with them for a year when I was going to University, and they put up with my odd behaviour with a poise I can only aspire to. Their passion for exploration and enjoyment is partially responsible for inspiring me to see more of Sydney. They've lived in Sydney for, as far as I am aware, my entire life, and they're still exploring and finding new places to go every week! Realising that was possible opened my eyes to just how much more of the world there is to see, and how being bored or sick of a place is as much an internal reflection as it is an external experience.