Day 36

Start:  Wollongong 

Finish:  Stanwell Park Train Station

Distance:  16

Total:  589

Another good day of walking in picture perfect weather is what I had along the rugged coastline just south of Sydney today. 

I got out the door early this morning because I knew I had to ride the train for about an hour into Sydney to my new hotel after I finished my walk. There was a train I wanted to try and catch that left my destination at 13:11 so I started walking at 7:00. There was hardly anyone out that early on a Sunday morning and I was walking once again on sidewalks through towns. 

Everything went very smoothly until I got about halfway to my destination. At that point I had made my way directly against the coastline and the walking got harder as the road got very hilly.  Also there were little beach towns, one after another, with amazingly expensive homes built on the cliffs looking down on the ocean (imagine Monterey, Ca).  I’m sure some of these homes are vacation/weekend getaways for people in Sydney which is only an hour’s drive away. So the walking got pretty tough with the hills, winding roads, traffic, 10,000 Harley’s with no mufflers, and just chaos in general. 

But then came the most amazing sight. I knew there was a landmark later in my route today I had read about and was looking forward to seeing and it did not disappoint. The Sea Cliff Bridge juts out of the mountainside along Prince’s Highway for almost a mile and it’s really something to see. Of course there’s a pedestrian lane so I took my time and enjoyed the view. 

With all that viewing I didn’t give myself time to stop for lunch. Just before I got to the train station in the little seaside village of Stanwell Park, there was a coffee shop so I ordered a milkshake to go and started the inevitable climb for the last half mile up the cliff to the station. I made it with 10 minutes to spare. 

The train took me to a neighborhood in Sydney called Sydenham. This will be my base for the next four nights as I actually walk the remaining three days to Sydney. Confusing I know but it works. Hope you all have a great weekend. Thanks for following along. JB. 

** I posted a new video. You can watch it by clicking on the video tab on the top of the page or go to “the walking aggie” on YouTube. The latest video is the larger image.