VICTORIA (cycle ride Sydney to Victoria)

Off to collect hire bikes today from by Victoria Seaplane Harbour. We are being taken up the peninsular and dropped off just outside Sydney and cycling back. Roger, our driver gives us a few helpful tips on the route and when we get to the drop off point there are 3 local, retired guys happy to give some more advise and after a mile they turn up again and show us the way into Sydney, point out the best coffee shop and bakery and, would you believe it, one of them use to work for Esso!

We bought a cake and coffee to go and sat down in the sunshine in a park by the sea and listened to a school band playing. Sydney is a very pleasant coastal town which apparently has a microclimate. Our route, called Lochside Trail, took us along the coast with views of the mountains and Gulf Islands, through quiet residential roads and farm land. When we reached Cordova Bay we stopped at Mattick's Farm (recommended by Roger).

As we were making good time we decided to go around the headland so cut across and over Mount Douglas to the ocean. We passed Victoria University and dropped into Cadboro Bay to stop at the wash rooms (!), then continued onto Oak Bay via Beach Drive where some of the houses were almost Beverley Hills size. We stopped at a tearoom but they didn't serve English breakfast tea (I ask you - call them self a tearoom!). The road around the headlands and around Beacon Hill was undulating but lovely views of the ocean and mountains on the mainland.

We made it back to the bike rental shop by six and had a look around the Harbour area, Empress Hotel an Legislature, followed by a quick trip to the supermarket.Read more