Day 32: Batemans Bay to Ulladulla

Today’s Distance: 53km

Total Distance: 984.5km

Batemans Bay to Ulladulla didn’t sound like it was going to be enjoyable. The Lonely Planet says today and tomorrow are the hardest days in NSW, mainly due to the highway and hills.

We got up and were on the road by 9.20am. The first couple of kilometres were through suburban streets and on a cycle path. We then joined the Princes Highway for the rest of the day.

At this point we would like to make a confession. We’ve been calling the number 1 highway the ‘Princess Highway’. While turning onto the highway this morning, Will noticed the sign said ‘Princes Highway’ and thought it was a spelling mistake. When we saw another sign with the same spelling, we thought it might be a different road. This evening we looked it up and it turns out there is no ‘Princess Highway’, only a Princes Highway. It was named after the Prince of Wales during his visit in 1920 which annoys Will as it should have a possessive apostrophe and Prince’s Highway.

As soon as we joined the Princes Highway we saw two cycle tourists ahead. They were biking at the same pace as us and we eventually caught up with them when they stopped for a break. The two Korean cyclists are on a trip from the west of Melbourne to Cairns and they started the same time as us although have travelled a different route. We had a quick chat then carried on and then had morning tea with them and saw them again during the day. They are the first cycle tourists we have seen and we are the first they have seen. It was nice to swap stories and chat about cycling.

Although the entire day was on highway, it was a nice ride, there was a reasonable verge and traffic was OK. It was made special by seeing other cyclists.

Ulladulla was a pleasant surprise. Will didn’t have high hopes because the town has ‘dull’ in it’s name. In reality, Ulladulla is set on a beautiful harbour and the caravan park was in a prime location with great views and big trees. Today was warm, 22 degrees and it’s getting nicer the further north we get.

Highlight of the day: Meeting other cycle tourists.