Paying the Ferryman :

For those living south of Newcastle or in the city, a great little cycling adventure is to take the ferry to from Queen’s Wharf to Stockton for some riding. It will cost $2-40 each way including your bike, which must be about the cheapest harbour ride going.

a morning hose down

early morning cyclists 5:45am wednesday

There are even the old-style conductors with leather ticket bags, just like there used to be on our buses so long ago.

The close up views of shipping and different aspects of the city that you sometimes see from the ferry can be worth the price of your ticket alone.

coming in

delayed sunrise

a famous newcastle erection … err, i mean landmark

Now that the riverside cycle path parallel to Fullerton Street has finally been joined in the middle you can take in the glorious Hunter River sights like commercial fishing boats, huge bulker ships, family groups and boaters enjoying themselves, all with hardly a concern for road traffic.

make way!

trawler

some more of the fleet

The path winds mostly through grassy parkland and also has some nice twisting curves through trees at its northern end (toward the high level bridge) that are fun to negotiate.

challenging corners …

Even the heavy industry across the water is kind of magic at certain times of the day – dawn, dusk, night, and in different weathers …

magic and mist

gold and grey, version 2

The whole area is flat, and easy riding, and the other side of the peninsula is parallel to the beach with good views of Nobbys and the breakwall. The traffic on this ocean side is light (if you stay away from Fullerton Street) and the road is reasonably wide.

toward nobbys head

and the path also heads east from the ferry

The day can be coupled with a ride around the harbour foreshore of Newcastle and it’s hard to think of a more relaxed and interesting city meander.

the cheapest cruise going …

Happy Cycling …

Read Full Post »

Impressions – Bicycle Dreaming :

Taken on a misty morning commute today …

broadmeadow rail

verandah (impression)

kooragang

branches

toward orica

wreck

the high level bridge

road king

Was I awake ?

 

Read Full Post »

This Morning’s Moonlight Ride :

The rain had cleared last night for a moonlit morning ride :

headlight on the track

honeysuckle drive runner

quiet harbour blur

ferry wharf

after sunrise - from stockton

Read Full Post »

Ten Speeds to Stockton – A Test Commute :

morning on the track

Today I conducted an experiment to see how long it would take to commute from home to Stockton – via the Fernleigh Track, then Adamstown to the Queens Wharf and across the Harbour on the State Transit Ferry and further on almost to the Stockton Bridge.

toward stockton bridge and the home of hexavalent chromium leaks ...

The total one way distance I would estimate at 30-35kms., not including the ferry trip. As my long term steady average speed seems to be about 20km/h I thought it should take around 90mins. So it was that I set out on my racy old 10 speed Road King bike, fitted with a temporary front basket.

red road king

I needed to ride about 5kms to access the track at the Belmont end by road, which is moderately busy, including a Pacific Highway crossing that took me about 5minutes wait in an 80km/h zone for a break in the car traffic (no traffic lights). The Fernleigh Track went smoothly as usual, though I badly need mudguards on this bike – I really dislike crud all over the frame, brakes, BB axle and front derailleur every time it rains or there’s a puddle, and lately that seems mostly…

in fernleigh tunnel today

Anyway, I made the ferry wharf in 75 mins. via peak hour Newcastle 9am traffic. Without having a timetable, I then found that there is only a ferry at 9am and then one at 10am at this time of the morning and I was there at 9:15! Luckily there are plenty of distractions on Newcastle Harbour – and it was a test ride.

So ferry timing is very important to get right, if you’re in a hurry. In peak hours though, it leaves roughly every 20-30 minutes.

there's always something to see...

green with chromed wheels...

stockton ferry wharf

There is a neat bike path along the harbour side of the Stockton Peninsula which leads to the high level bridge and has many interesting views along the way – this bridge is not designed for bicycles or pedestrians at all, so it’s the ferry or nothing for the bike and I. That’s OK as is it a fun 5 minute ferry ride with great views. There are bike racks for 3 bikes on the ferry then it’s standing room only for cyclists. Bikes travel free with the $2-40 single one-way ticket.

queen's wharf newcastle from the ferry

The Stockton shared cycle path is a 15minute ride at a modest pace, with about 100 metres of road cycling half way. It all added up to around 90minutes ex-ferry then, as I had guessed.

stockton shared path

Could I do this trip and return 5 days a week ? I don’t know yet, it’s long as commutes go, but it’s at least worth a try.

The 10 speed bike will need a better long distance saddle and a proper rack if I am to use it regularly though.

toward kooragang island from stockton path

Read Full Post »