Day 357, Sunday, 21 March, 2010

Distance travelled – 28.9 km
Avg speed – 13.8 kph
Max speed – 35.4 kph

Ramsgate to Sydney

For some weeks now we have been concerned about our entry into Sydney. The difficulty being that we have not been able to work out a route to take us from the outskirts of Sydney all the way into Sydney Cove. No matter who we consulted no one seemed to have a solution that would get us all the way in.

Unlike Melbourne there did not seem to be any online or hard copy cycling maps available. The only map we could find was on the RTA website which described the ‘cycling stress / difficulty’ ratings for roads in the city. There were three categories ‘Low difficulty’, ‘Moderate difficulty’ or ‘High difficulty’ which we did not find very helpful. As visitors, all we were looking for was a recommended or signed route.

This lack of detail combined with the fact that most people we spoke to suggested we take a train to avoid the traffic made us doubt it was possible to ride all the way. But having ridden so far we were keen to get as close to Sydney Cove as we could without taking any unnecessary risks.

Yesterday we received a little encouragement when we were told by a walker on Sea Cliff Bridge that they had seen a bike path sign near the airport pointing towards the city. So this morning we decided to go in search of this sign near the airport.

As we followed the bike path along the edge of Botany Bay we quickly discovered the signs pointing to the City and Mascot. As we passed by the airport the City signs continued and after a couple of hours of riding we found ourselves at Hyde Park in the centre of Sydney. From here we simply rode down Macquarie Street to the Opera House and views of the Harbour Bridge.

Why this route is not published remains an interesting question. If it has been published it is not easy to find. It uses a mix of pathways, quiet back streets and on road cycle lanes and  provides an interesting and stress free ride into the city.

In the end all the worry of the last few weeks turned out to be unfounded and to our absolute delight we rode all the way in. The challenge now is to see if there is a similarly well sign posted route out of Sydney.

Zoom into the map and use the 'Satellite' layer to see our new location.

Market gardens near Sydney Airport

Sydney Tower from Hyde Park

The Sydney Opera House

Looking up Kent Street from the balcony of our apartment.

Our not so small balcony

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