D35 TransOceania Wollongong – Sydney

….a small city of 5.6 million people. So a bit of a shock to cycle into a mmetropolis after days in mainly rural hinterland.

A great day though. Almost completely on cyclepaths on our 60 Mile route. Sea Cliff Bay Bridge, some 635m of cantilever engineering-holding it over the sea, sweeps around a bay. Opened in 2005 it replaced an old road, the remains of which can be seen hanging impossibly onto the cliff.

We’re on the NSW Coastal route which shares some of the way with the Grand Pacific Drive, the scenic way to Sydney. A few wee hilly bumps too – given our experience with Pembrokeshire or Cornwall and coastal roads we should have expected them. The world’s second National Park 1879 (following Yellowstone and 11 years before Yosemite and long before the UK’s first, the Peak District in 1951) shapes the latter half of the morning.

Then a passenger 30 minute ferry from Bundeena to Cronulla on the cute Curranulla, the oldest commuter ferry operating in Australia. It filled up with a hoard of Duke of Edinburgh kids. We were able to squeeze into a spot between theirs.

On the other side, with 20miles to go, kiss immediately busier, more hectic. The city centre is a maze of cycle paths – no relaxing as often there is focused fast bikes cadencing towards you.

We enter Sydney proper by what seemed to be an old district. As the city dates for 1788 there are probably lots of old bits.