Day 16 - Narooma to Sydney

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Narooma to Nowra
The heat has finally gone and I've had to dig deep into the panniers to find all my warm clothes. The ride from Narooma to Nowra was uneventful, with the highway passing through a rolling countryside of farms and forests. I found a nice pie shop just north of Ulladula where I stopped for a morning snack and a break from riding. After that the sun came through the clouds occasionally, leaving me overheated for a while until the clouds returned and the temperature was lowered again. In Nowra I spotted the Kawasaki dealership and made a quick pitstop to have the chain checked and tightened.

Nowra to Robertson
I headed off down the Moss Vale road which is a very exciting stretch of hairpins and hills through the forest. About 1/2 way along on a steep narrow downhill section, I was stopped in my tracks by a slowly moving convoy of Carny trucks. It seemed like a strange place to see such a sight, but when the road eventually reached the little township of Kangaroo Valley I saw the entire carnival setting up on the local sports ground.
Shortly after leaving Kangaroo Valley is the Hampden Suspension Bridge. This is the only surviving suspension bridge in NSW from the colonial era and is situated in what appears to be the middle of nowhere, although I'm sure that the residents of the area would disagree.
As I continued towards Robertson the clouds grew heavier and rain started falling. This was my first opportunity to wear all my new wet-weather gear, so I pulled over and began the process of fighting my way into it. I'm pleased to report that it worked much better than expected - no sooner had I got it on than the rain stopped and the clouds cleared.

Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk
While enjoying an afternoon snack in Robertson, I spotted a brochure for the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk. This is a 500m elevated walkway through and above the rainforest of the Illawarra escarpment. It features 2 cantilevered arms which hang about 25m out over the forest and which have a very unsettling swaying motion. This is definitely not for those whose suffer from motion sickness or acrophobia.

Robertson to Sydney
After my sojourn in the treetops the rain looked as though it was about to return. To prevent this I donned the wet-weather gear again and hit the road towards Sydney with the thought that I might continue on to the Hunter Valley region tomorrow. This is just a boring highway and barely worth mentioning except to note that the wet-weather gear worked again and kept the rain at bay.

Distance Travelled Today - 466km

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Photos

Robertson NSW - Home of the Big Potato
Need I say more?

Ilawarra Fly Tree Top Walk
Looking back from the end of the cantilever to the supporting tower.

Tree Fern
4m Tree fern viewed from the Tree Top Walkway