Muggaccinos.com    The Bullsheet

From midday on Monday, 27 Dec, to mid-arvo Sunday, 2 Jan '10 - 1st Annual Illawarra Year End Challenge camping at Bulli Showground, Princes Hwy, opposite Point St, Bulli - 90 mins to drive 70km Sth from the Sydney Harbour Bridge outside peak hour or catch train to Bulli station 250m away

LATE NEWS - Matt aka Printer and Trevor aka Tornado arrived at 4pm Monday David aka CricketTragic, PacificPete, Martin aka Architect, Pete aka Pelvis and Bank Teller are arriving by 8:30am on Tuesday, 28th, intent on rolling out at 9am.  Pete aka Yamaha, wife Linda and their Two Sprogs, are coming Tues arvo (if fine weather), otherwise on Wed.

Illawarra weather forecast is cloudy or fine from midday Monday

Rap-up of 1st Annual Illawarra Year End Challenge

Print "Street directions from Cahill Expressway to Bulli" which involves taking roads twds Sydney Airport, in layman's terms means to head for Sydney Airport and then follow route to Wollongong, but descend Bulli Pass prior to The Gong.  Click on route map.

Our camping area is immediately West of the Bulli Greyhound Track (which is the narrow long lighter green oval in the middle of the above map) - about 400m from Bulli Beach and 300m Nth of Bulli train station


The Bulli Showground Committee has offered Muggaccinos cyclists access to the above Bulli Showground Pavilion.  Bank Teller is restricting access to between 6:30am and 8am (whereupon we rollout cycling) and 4pm to 7pm.  Because he is responsible for fridges, stoves therein.


Inside the Bulli Showground Pavilion

The buildings on RHS above are part of the Bulli Harness Racing Club which is off-limits to campers

Above are the Male and Female Toilets/Showers.  The grassy knoll in front of pic is part of the camping area to pitch your tent.

More spots to pitch your Trusty Tent

Inside the Men's' Toilets/Showers 

Beaut climbs up the "escarpment" are not far away

Immediately outside the Mens' Toilets/Showers

There is even a bench to clean and scale the fish you catch - all the mod-cons

Bank Teller has booked 10 campsites at the Bulli Showground with John Andr_ws of the Bulli Showground Committee on the same basis as Bank Teller's permanent annual booking with Hugh McCowa_t of the Berry Showground Trust.  Camping costs $6 per night - same as at Berry Showground.

The separate Male and Female shower and toilet facilities are basic and clean.  Click on Whereis: Bulli to see that it is only a few hundred metres to the beach.   Plenty of motels, pubs and B&Bs listed at "Other Accommodation" below, if you don't like camping in Summer.

Lots of beaut rides listed below, including climbing Mt Keira which will be available to climb most days.  On other days, we can catch the train from Bulli station -

  • North to ride to three beaches in the Royal National Park

  • South to climb Jamberoo Pass and Macquarie Pass (on separate days).

There will also be Easy Peasy "Recovery Rides" to the beaut array of beachside cafes if you are whacked from the day or night before, and you want to gather your thoughts.

 

 

All rides will commence by 8am, except Day 1 which will start at 9am, leave the arvo free to visit the majestic South Coast Beaches with Bulli and Sandon Point nearby. 

Likely Ride Routes to be selected the night before

  1. 52km loop from Bulli to Nth Wollongong visiting beachside cafes - thence West to scale 6.9km Mt Keira to the Mountaintop Cafe, then across to Mt. Pleasant and return to Bulli - this beaut "local' ride will be available twice over the 7 days

  2. Train ride 27.4km Nth from Bulli to Waterfall to drop down into RNP thence visit Wattamolla and Garie Beaches and cycle back - 90km approx (or catch train from Waterfall reducing ride by 18km)

  3. Train ride Nth from Bulli to Waterfall to drop down into RNP thence visit Bundeena Beach and Otford Apple Pie Shop then cycle back - 95km approx (or catch train from Waterfall reducing ride by 18km)

  4. Train ride 41.4km Sth from Bulli to Albion Park to climb Macquarie Pass then lunch at Pig ' Whistle Cafe at Old Cheese Factory, Robertson, thence descend Jamberoo Pass to catch train from Kiama back Nth to Bulli - 60km approx

  5. Train ride 47.1km Sth from Bulli to Kiama to climb Jamberoo Pass then lunch at Pig ' Whistle Cafe at Old Cheese Factory, Robertson, thence descend Macquarie Pass to catch train from Albion Park back Nth to Bulli - 65km approx

Attendance:
Matt aka Printer, David aka CricketTragic, Trevor aka Tornado and Bank Teller are arriving by 12:00pm (midday) on Monday, 27th, intent on rolling out by 1pm to ride one of the 5 rides listed above, most probably Ride #1 above.  Martin aka Architect, Jean aka ChiliDog, Terry aka Navigator, Eric aka PapaBear and Pete aka Pelvis want to wait to pick "forecast fine weather days".  Where is there sense of adventure, or do they have leaky tents?  Pete aka Yamaha and dutiful wife, Linda, plan to intro their two Billy Lids to camping, but also want to pick forecast "fine weather".   Tony aka Samurai and Arno aka The Kaiser might be bringing their kids too.  Lois aka LoisLane and hubby, Rod, who live in the Shire, are joining some of our ride days.  Brenda aka Widget plans to come up from Berry for at least one night's camping.  Annie aka YesMinister is arriving New Years' Eve for a night of revelry.  Olivier aka PrivateBusDriver is hopeful of arriving Friday nite, to ride Sat & Sun.  Nurse Kaza and another Waratah cyclist are the latest to say, "I'll be there".

 

Things you see on the train ride to Bulli station

 

Useful ride Info

Illawarra Bicycle Users Group’s Guide to cycling in the Illawarra

Bulli to Wollongong then Mt Keira and back  -  70km

Bulli to Wollongong then Mt Keira and Mt Pleasant 'n back - 75km

 

Other Accommodation

Heritage Hotel 240 Princes Highway BULLI 2216 - ph: 4284 5884

Southview self-contained B&B located between Sandon Point Beach and Bulli Beach - 200m from the beach and bike / walk path.

Windmill Motel 491 Princes Highway, Woonona

Royal Hotel, Grey St and Princes Highway, Woonona

Scribe's wrap-up of annual climb up Old Bathurst Rd to Springwood, then Richmond train to Seven Hills and M2, Kissing Point Rd - 93km - 7 cyclists

You don't have to be Albert Einstein to work-out that the climb up Old Bathurst Rd starts after 51.5km on the above map.  The above 139km included a train ride from Blacktown to Emu Plains and another from Richmond to Seven Hills thereby reducing the ride to 93km

An irreverent ride group at the Start of the Old Bathurst Rd climb thru hell.

The Bowaga Rd sign is the KOM of one of the steepest climbs on Muggs' annual calendar as evidenced in the above Elevation Profile.

Scribe's wrap-up of Palm Beach, Wagstaff, Woy Woy, Brooklyn, Hornsby - 101km - 6 cyclists

About to roll-out at Hornsby station carpark at 6:35am, bound for St Ives

Familiar Lion Island early in our ferry ride

On the ferry to Wagstaff

Lunch at the Woy Woy Fish Cafe on the water - the fishes we gobbed-down were delightful

Waiting for the Choo Choo at Woy Woy station

A final snack at PitS after alighting the train at Hawkesbury River station

 

Pics from Boxing Day Bash - 94km -13 cyclists 'in toto', not counting two recalcitrants who didn't ride

 

 


Above pics at Andy's from 7:50am
 

Bank Teller mist (pun intended) the ferry, but the quicker ones, meaning all the others, kindly waited on the other sided fur 'm.

Two wosses joined us at top of the Berowra KOM.  You'd wonder how they could bung on a smile knowing that the tough only get going when the going gets tough!

Bank Teller met an old Mugg, Gareth aka Whiz at Berowra who wanted to climb to PitS on his Xmas visit from the Gold Coast where he lives these days - fortunately it had stopped drizzling by then

 

ScribePJ@BigPond.com   0434 715.861