July 5th - Walka to Armindale

Distance	Overall Total
64 km	1537 km

Nice clear but cool weather for this easy stage to the main town of the highlands.

July 4th - Nowendoc to Walka

Distance	Overall Total
72 km	1473 km

Knew today would be easier after yesterdays climb, but the 70km was still fairly tough, with overcast and drizzly weather all the way.

July 2nd - Newcastle to Gloucester

Distance	Overall Total
125 km	1324 km

Wayne, david, sven.. which one do you blame, or all of them. Herr Kinsmann better deliver the goods now. Bit pissed off that the "man u" ronaldo had to score the winner. Alle le bleu.

Getting out of newcastle on a sunday was good, since with three lane highways for the first 40km on the pacific highway. I reckon a monday morning would have seen me playing death cycling with large trucks.

Hit "The Buckets Way" which is another of these aussie road that seem flat, but have never ending slight rises and large decents. For a simple 150m climb, i had to accended over 800m today.

Yet again the navigator has under estimated the distances, we're going to have to review the staff profile.

July 3rd - Gloucester to Nowendoc

Distance	Overall Total
77 km	1401 km

The cycle book i'm using recommends traveling this stage in the opposite direction.
Warning one. As quoted from the book, "the 6.4 km winding very steep descent", warning two. So of course i'm doing it against the grain - so the enjoyable downhill stage turns into a 7 hour slog with over 2000m climbing. You know its steep then the trucks are coming downhill at about 5kmph, and there are runoff ramps about every 1km.



Anyway - at the end of the day - it was all TOO EASY. The mountain was broken.

Nowendoc has about 4 buildings, a general store, a motel and two others that seems to be used by horses. The dude running the general store is a belfast man who came out here in 1961, had a good chat with him about ship building and other random things.

July 1st - Newcastle

Great weather for chilling in newcastle. Will head inland into the great
dividing range tomorrow for a few days, so recharging the batteries is a good
idea.



Start of tour de france, maybe next year!!

June 30th - Kincumber to Newcastle

Distance	Overall Total
90 km	1389 km

Headed towards avoca beach and hit the coast at tergial.

The pacific highway is fairly busy as it approaches newcastle. Get the
first drops of rain as i approach swansea, decide to stop for lunch and
let the weather pass.

The rain has stopped after lunch but the roads are wet and cold for the final
30km into newcastle. Find the YHA with no hassel.

Vince Golding the new owner of my trek fuel 90 mountain bike is from newcastle,
had suggest checking out "The Brewrey". I confirmed that it this as its name suggest - have beer.

World cup quater finals, had a feeling the germany game would go to penalties.
Didn't care about the other game, german will beat them in the semi either way.

June 29th - Sydney to Kincumber

Distance	Overall Total
75 km	1299 km

Headed north out of sydney CBD, across the harbour bridge. Eventually find Manly beach and work my way up the coast, getting to Palm beach eventually.



Use the ferry to cross the channel. The late start and ferry delay, means i have to stop in Kilcumber to the night.