Tag: motorbike

A couple of National Parks in northern NSW, Australia.

The Waterfall Way runs across the top of the Great Dividing Way from the highlands to the sea in Northern NSW

Winding past waterfalls rainforests and granite outcrops. It is a great ride.

The falls above and the two photos below is Dangar Falls, which has a beautiful swimming hole.

The Waterfall Way is nearly 190km long with waterfalls dotted along it.

Cathedral Rock NP is on the top of the range and provides lovely walking, rock climbing, and expansive views over the New England Plateau.

On the coast, the Bongil Bongil NP consists of wild Pacific Ocean shores  and forest wetlands.

The sea and forest close together support  spectacular bird life. Such as:

The White Bellied Sea Eagle,

Brahminy Kite, and

Pacific Reef Heron.

The wetland forest, in particular, the paperbarks are of particular beauty:

As is the ocean shore.

It’s a beautiful ride into and out of the park as well.

Ps another beautiful NP on the Waterfall Way is the New England NP. I wrote about it previously here https://piecemealadventurer.com/2023/02/12/the-sub-tropical-mountain-gondwana-land-rain-forests-on-the-great-dividing-range-of-australia-2-new-england-np/?preview=true&frame-nonce=f245e4078d&amp=1

Winter on the South West Coast of Victoria

Winter on the Great Ocean Road and in the Otway National Park is a time of quietness and subtle light.

The summer crowds have gone and it’s easy to quietly enjoy the place’s beauty.

The wind had been up for a couple of days. It was still, though, as I road down the ocean road, allowing a perfect curl on the waves at Apollo Bay.

Further west at Port Campbell, the wild sea gave an alternative view of the famous Twelve Apostles.

White water surrounding the sand stone monoloiths, crashing against then.

In winter, in the continuous mountain mist on the Otway Ranges, the rain forest has its winter beauty on display.

One of my favourite places in the Otway Ranges is Lake Elizabeth and its surrounding rainforest.

Though winter is cold and wet, in Australian way, the riding through the rainforest on empty roads is especially rewarding.

The cool climate rainforests of Victoria have a very special charm.

But in winter on the south coast of Australia, in the Southern Ocean, there is often a storm brewing out at sea.

Croatia 2 – Split and the Central Mountains

From the Gacka Valley, I headed south along the mountains to Lake Peruca, in the mountains east of Split.

The mountain road south runs parallel with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Border, and through the Dinaric Alps

This region hosts the Dinaric Rally, a major cross country motorcycle endurance event.

Lake Peruca is a man made lake and a major source of hydro electricity. It also has a number of camping sites and villages.

I chose Camping Peruca by the lake. The campsite had water access for swimming. From the campsite, it was a short ride into the Danaric Ranges and the headwaters of the Certina River that feeds the dam.

The ride to Split is a little over an hour, mostly winding through the Certina Valley.

Spit is Croatia’s second largest city. Its a great place to get any equipment, like misplaced gloves or gloves or repairs such as a new tyre. Its also a ferry hub. As I came into Split in mid August and left late September. While it was still pleasantly warm in September, there were nowhere near the crowds, so getting around the old and new city was a lot easier.

The old city was interesting with its mix of Roman and Greek architecture.

Out of the old city and main harbour the new city is colourful and where the best swimming beaches are.

As an old city, Split didn’t have the history or beauty of Ortigia (which I found entrancing). But it is well placed for visiting other Balkan countries and for accessing the many islands on the Croatian coast.

Sardinia

It’s only an hours ferry ride from Bonifacio in Corsica to Santa Teresa Gallura in Sardinia. The islands are visible to each other.

The skipper does a mighty job of backing th ferry into the narrow port at Santa Teresa Gallura.

As it was late afternoon it was off the ferry and on the road to the little mountain village of Telti.

That night the harvest festival was being celebrated and the town plaza was full of people music and dancing. Amazing given it was quite hot.

A pretty little village near the wine and cheese making centre of Monti.

I love the murals that adorn these little villages.

But the next heat wave was about to hit Sardinia so it was time to seek the cooler coastal climates. On the road to The coastal city of Alghero it hit 43c before miid day. Telti was hit with a reported 47c.

We were lucky there were air conditioned rooms at the local rugby club in Alghero. Just across the road from the beach.

The sun was so hot I pulled out the cover for the mighty Breva.

But after a swim, a cold beer and the cool evening breeze blowing it was time to catch the bus into the old Spanish town. For the evening.

That’s the next blog!

Cherbourg Scenes

Just on the edge of the old part of Cherbourg is a graving dock emblematic of the cities maritime history.

I’ve come and gone on ferries from Cherbourg on a number of times to Ireland and to ports in England.

The street markets are full of colour.

The maritime scenes touch the imagination of an old Sailor like me.

From the marina of modern yachts to old classics.

The historic theatre a tribute to French great playwrights such as Moliere, my favourite.

In every town I find there is something a little quirky. In Cherbourg it’s the parasol factory and boutique.

And of course the great European moto culture is evident at the hotel with dedicated garage for motorbikes!