Batemans Bay 2 Day Ride 6-7th August 2026

 ride. Everything clicked, no mishaps or misadventures (on the ride anyway) and a safe return home for everybody.

 

We had 15 booked for the ride, but unfortunately five had to withdraw, three with vehicle issues, one with the dreaded lurgy, and one with family matters to attend to. In fact, we actually had 16 booked for the ride, but one had drafted the email to confirm to me that they were coming, but forgot to press send. Fortunately, we had three late registrations, so ended up with 13 for the ride. Given that two of those who cancelled were sharing, the room configuration did not change for the motel, and they were very happy to have had our custom. Zorbas is a great location right on the waterfront in Batemans Bay, and easy walk to dinner and breakfast.

 

We had a briefing outlining where we're going, but I'm pretty sure that went in one ear and out the other of everybody there. We welcomed Spencer for his second ride with us, and Mark, who had come down from Port Macquarie to ride with us for his first ride. Peter on his Harley volunteered for tail end Charlie, so we were set to go. We set off via the Royal National Park, then up to Helensburgh, down to Albion Park, up through Macquarie pass to the Robertson pie shop for morning tea. Unfortunately the run up Macquarie pass was slowed by a truck followed by a chain of about a dozen cars, so there is no point trying to leaf leapfrog them one by one, so we had a slow cruise up the hill. We then took off down Pearson's Lane and on through Kangaroo Valley, past Nowra, past the Air Force Base and on to Neriga pub for lunch. Lots of good winding roads, and maintaining sensible speed so the group stayed together.

 

After lunch it was over the 10 km or so of roadworks through to  Braidwood where we fuelled up, and then down Clyde mountain on the Kings Highway to Batemans Bay. We were planning to go to the oyster bar on the waterfront just before going over the bridge to Batemans Bay, but there was little bit of a hassle with invisible corner marking and some riders not wanting to stop for oysters, leading the others into town in to the motel. The Kings Highway, particularly from Braidwood down to Batemans Bay, is one of the best roads in New South Wales, and we have to thank our senior "fat cat" Federal bureaucrats and Canberra politicians for that, because they all have their holiday homes and work from home retreats in the coastal strip 10 km north and south of Batemans Bay. They make sure that that road is kept in beautiful condition. Our run down the mountain, and in fact up again the next day, were both reasonably unimpeded with interfering traffic, including well-placed passing lanes. That section of the road really is a joy to ride.

 

Pre-drinks and Dinner was at the recently refurbished Bayview Hotel, directly over the road from Zorba's. Our group selected a pretty wide range of the offer on the menu, and everybody was very happy with what they had. Good pub.

 

Next morning breakfast was at the Batemans Bay bakery, a couple of hundred metres up the road. Again. A great feed that everybody seemed pretty happy with.

 

After the morning briefing it was clutch out at 830, temperature on the waterfront 4°, but very quickly down to 1 to 2° climbing back up Clyde mountain. We went back through Braidwood, then bypassed the turnoff to Neriga and went up to Tarago for morning coffee at the Chubby Cat Café . They have outdoor tables, but everyone appreciated the fire inside.

 

Warmed and fed, we took off east on Cullala Road, then Oallen Ford road through Bungonia up to Marulen where we refuelled, then turned quickly off the Hume Freeway to go through Penrose, Bungendore and Exeter to our newly found lunch spot at Werai. The property there is called the Farm Club, and they do pies, Focaccias , sandwiches et cetera with excellent seating undercover or out on the lawn at the front. Very friendly and hospitable. It's halfway between Exeter and Fitzroy Falls, and the road from there back up to Robertson is a nice diversion from the Illawarra highway.

 

After lunch the group split up, about 60% heading west to find their way to the Hume Freeway and the M7 M5 road systems to get home, while the smaller group followed me  through Fitzroy Falls, up to Robertson, down Macquarie pass past Wollongong and up to the Macca's at the airport for a farewell coffee. We were very fortunate on Macquarie pass as the roadworks had stopped a long train of trucks and cars. We were fortunate to be able to jump in front of them all, so when it turned green we had the whole road to ourselves from the top to the bottom. Made up for the slow run up the hill the previous day.

 

We were totally blessed with excellent weather, no mechanical mishaps of any kind, fabulous camaraderie for our meal stops particularly the dinner and breakfast, and a great time was had by all.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and your company. Commiserations to those who had to pull out, but we drank t

o absent friends while we were down there. Maybe a couple of those people's ears might have burned on Thursday night, because there were some discussions about those who hadn't made it.

 

I must've done something wrong somewhere along the ride, because I was suitably punished when I woke up this morning and found the rear tyre of my bike flat. On the basis that it being a drillbit, it must have leaked the air out very quickly, so I must've picked that up on the final stretch up my street to home. Karma, but I don't know what for.

 

 

Cheers. Frosty