Mount Gibraltar Ride Sunday 25th June, 2023

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GONBUG Northern Beaches Ulysses Ride Report

25th June 2023              Mount Gibraltar, Sammy Gee’s Pies, Mittagong

Chilly but fine – great day for an interesting place – Sydney’s Hard Rock dig-out.

Who would turn up at 9 am for a ride to the Southern Highlands? Well – just three of us, and we’re really sorry you missed out on a beautiful day’s ride, taking in the ups and downs and brilliant views.

 I  had reacquainted myself with Sydney’s Hard Rock Story – the Story of Trachyte, and the significance of Mount Gibraltar – that’s where the trachyte was dug out to provide strong, hard rock on which to mount Sydney’s magnificent sandstone buildings. But I hadn’t worked out the best approach - fortunately, “Mr Map-Brain” helped out and took us on some faintly familiar back-roads, out to Campbelltown area, past Anthony Hordern’s famous tree, now growing well again - who can forget “While I Live, I’ll Grow” –how profound!!!),  then up and over the previously well-travelled “Saddle-back”, down into Picton for coffee-in-the-sun not far from the Picton Pub, where we worked out the next moves.

South to the first Mittagong turn-off (won’t mention a slight diversion), then a welcome stop at Sammy Gee’s Pies at Balaclava for a variety of pies/rolls devoured in the sunshine.

Next - through Mittagong and Bowral to the winding turn-off up Mt Gibraltar to a couple of handy parking places and some pretty special views down into the valley and across to the next peaks.

Time to head back home – mostly via the Highway. Thanks for the Company, Gang, and for your excellent guidance, Geoff.

PS That great book “The HARD ROCK STORY OF SYDNEY’S TRACHYTE “ INCLUDES A SYDNEY WALK MAP DETAILING OVER 30 BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS BASED ON TRACHYTE, STARTING FROM WYNYARD, WINDING AROUND AND UP MARTIN PLACE, IN AND OUT OF CENTRE-SYDNEY – LET’S DO that “Time-Walk”, sometime  before summer.


MTC

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