[NSW] Drive 20th December

[smythie]

So, is anyone else up for a drive?

Mobile is 0439 770 405 if anyone want to get in touch with me.

At the moment I'll be getting to the Heathcote Caltex around 8:30 planning on leaving 9. If you're coming, post/phone/sms so that I don't take orf without you.

Alcapone, do you want to meet us at Bulli Tops around 9:30?

[swingn]

Wait wait wait... You're not going through Nasho!?

I would suggest you leave earlier, traffic is going to be pretty ordinary around that time of the day... Especially if you're going up Mac Pass... Single lane roads with heaps of traffic & trucks don't mix too well.

I'd also suggest going down swap road for a bit of fun - Just be careful of a few of those corners - & I would avoid Jamberoo mountain road as much as you can. Roads are extremely narrow & faaar too many crashes on there.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents Will do my best to join you boys as I know it'll be a good day

[smythie]

cheers mate. Not familiar with Swap rd but know the others and have taken your comments on board. Was thinking of doing Nasho on the run home. I'll see you there if you make it

[smythie]

So much for being keen. Not a single one of you bunch of slackers turned up

Waited around at the Heathcote Caltex til a quarter past 9 and headed off anyway. Had sent a message to Mr Capone enquiring about his attendance and was hoping someone would be willing to join me for a bit of a drive.

Headed off down the highway to Waterfall then took the old road through Stanny Park and rejoined the F6 at Bulli Tops. Heard an interesting beep in the middle of a fun corner. Later put it down to the 1.5litre bottle of water falling onto the passenger seat hard enough that the pressure sensor picked it up and the computer momentarily sounded the "you've got an unrestrained passenger you tw@t" alarm

No Mr Capone at Bulli Tops so I headed down the F6 to Picton Rd, turned onto Mt Kiera Rd and then onto Mt Kembla Rd. Get partway down the road and there's a few signs indicating that the road is closed. Nevermind I decide and wander down the road anyway. From what I could see, I can only suggest that there has been some big time subsidance from the Mt Kembla coal mine. Shame, that was a favourite detour around Ousley and Woolongong on the bike - a bit narrow in the car though...

Turned around and headed back up to Mt Kiera Rd and down into Woolongong. This road is much more fun in the car that I remember it being on the bike. Tops fun - wide enough that you aren't shitting your pants at every corner hoping no one else was barreling through and plenty twisty enough to be having a ball. From Woolongong I got back on the F6 to Albion Park then Jamberoo Rd where I eventually caught up to this Camry.

Sorry about the grainy image - taken on the dodgy phone camera while driving. I'm surprised it didn't come out as a big blur actually. Point of interest is the number plate - WRX-716


This car I reckon is a worthy contender for the "What were they thinking?" board. Somewhere a WRX fanboi cries himself to sleep everynight for being denied a number plate with WRX on it

Anyway, I had been having fun up to this point and by the time the laughter subsided I was on my way out of Jamberoo towards Kiama. This particular road from Albion Park through Jamberoo up to the F6 underpass is one of my faves. Always used to hook in on the bike and the Lib was just as keen to get stuck in. Once I got to the underpass, I waited for a good gap and turned around and did it again

Comfort stop in Jamberoo then decided I would have a look at some back roads between Albion Park and Dapto. Headed up the Illawarra Hwy towards Mac Pass and turned off onto North Macquarie Rd, Calderwood Rd Marshall Mount Rd and left into Avondale Rd. Decided I'd see just how far this road went into the hills. In the end I got to a fork - one direction just went up to the old Avondale Colliery and the other seemed to end at a gate to a private property. This second fork however was once the venue for hillclimbs evidenced by the start line at the bottom of the road, bunches of tyres strapped to hard points, and finish line and tower at the top

Turned around and got onto Cleveland Rd which incidentally got me into Cleveland/Dapto. By the way, I probably wouldn't be doing these backroads again in the Lib as there were pretty rough. There's no way I would suggest some of the stiffer and lower cars attempting them.

From Dapto I got back onto the F6 and headed north, turning off at Five Islands Rd then headed up towards Mt Kembla and Cordeaux. Thought I would have a look and see whether there was a campground or something at the end of Cordeaux rd but it ended up being 15 or 20 minutes crawling along at 20km/h or less over rather average dirt road. Ahh well, it was bought to be driven. Turned around, made my way back to the F6 for a quick run up to the next exit to get back onto Mt Kiera Rd.

With the other options being the F6 over Ousley and the old Coast Rd, it wasn't much of a decision . A semi-spirited run up that road - didn't want the Hilux behind me overextending himself too far and crashing in an attempt to show up the Liberty. Was a lot of tyre howl from behind though. Quick comfort stop at the lookout before I took the link road to the top of Ousley - never done before and another enjoyable road.

Slabbed it up the F6 to the Old Princes Hwy, then Stanny Park and down to Bald Hill for an average (as usual) hotdog. Hey, I was hungry. Fed, I then headed for home through the Royal National Park. Got a few kays in and caught up to a trio of bikes headed by a lady on a chookie with an L plate on the back. The road was wet at this point and she wasn't looking up the road - resulting pace was slow. Her friend on a KTM roadie was itching to play up though and took off around her for a play. he'd take off then wait, take of then wait for the rest of their run I expect. I finally got around them (shite traffic and no real urge to go bansai) not far from the Wattamolla turn off. I then had a quiet (at least in my direction) journey through the rest of the park.

What a bumpy shithouse road that is. There are a few sections where some horrible surface has been replaced but there is a shitload more that needs to be done. Not too keen on doing the northern half of it again in hurry. Will see what the run to Waterfall is like next time I am down there.

Fun roads over, I headed up to Chullora to catch up with Audrey where she works. What should I see when I pull up but...



Some more laughs to finish the day off

You lot missed out on a good day to be driving. That said though I did get to have a look at some roads I have been meaning to check out for years

[gumbyy]

With some liquid paper and a black permanent marker, you could have turned that D into a P

[Fangin_RX]

Fail to those Number plates, sounds like you had fun with well yourself (That came out wrong) maybe next time people will show up