40th Birthday Freedom Ride

Day 1: 23 March 2024, Canberra to Tumut – 132km

When Dad turned 40 he quit his job, bought a Harley Davidson and rode around Australia, what a legend! It was the ultimate mid-life crisis and is for sure my favourite story to tell about him. Now here I am at the tipping point of turning 40 myself and I understand how these things happen, as I too have been counting down the days to go get a few things out of my system. Today I’m doing just that, but motored by my own determination and the need to get some time back to myself. 

To say I was feeling a bit overwhelmed leading into this trip would be an understatement. One worry led to another and it snowballed from there. Maybe there’s a bit of trepidation of turning 40, and perhaps there is a thing of too much reflecting, but as I leave from my front door and roll down the street, I feel the endorphins hit me instantly, and all the worries that have been bubbling away the past few weeks are instantly diffused. I’m at one with my bike and I realise in many ways, I am my Father’s daughter.

I take the last bit of bitumen off the Barton Highway and descend down into the valley of mountains on Dog Trap Road, they swallow me whole. The sun is shining, I hear cicadas, the birds are chirping, and stray cattle stare at me as I ride past. I’m happy.

I arrive into Wee Jasper and fill up my bottles from the bubbler at the old school. I have been carrying precious cargo, a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, I devour every crumb as I know I’ll need it. I make the climb out, my Garmin haunting me, making the situation worse by telling me where I’m at on the ascent and how much longer I have to go, I cancel the screen before I can analyse it any further, I hate this feature. 

I reach the top, the scenery is beautiful, tall gums grow close to the road with their thick trunks covered in patches of moss. I stop for a bit and feel how smooth and cool the trees are against my palm.

I hit a patch of bitumen, the speed goes up. I’m as happy for the reprieve as I was to initially hit the gravel in the first place, I guess I like the variety. The gravel returns and I see a sign signifying a road closure ahead, I decide to take a punt and choose to ignore. A few kilometres down I see they are repairing a bridge, a bit of careful footwork and I move around it, I’m very glad there is no backtracking.

I keep going, remembering the last 10km being all downhill and sealed into Tumut. I’m doing the maths, counting down the kilometres and figuring out if I continue at this speed when it’s likely I’ll hit the sealed, my speed changes and I adjust my timing, and then my speed changes again. I play this game for far too long. Then, I see Tumut sitting patiently in the valley, I had made it to the high point with a lovely road descent ahead. Day one, done.

Day 2: 24 March 2024, Tumut to Junee  – 106km

I had many ideas on how I wanted to celebrate my 40th, but in the end all I wanted to do was get on my bike, leave from my front door and not come back for a while. It was all pretty simple! Some towns I’ve visited before and some are new, such as today’s ride to Junee. 

After some route changes, I eventually leave Tumut taking the main road to Adelong where I stop for a much needed coffee and visit to The Falls. I take the path down and listen to the water swirling around, it’s so incredibly relaxing. I wish to stay longer but I’m conscious about the motivation slipping away from my legs, so I climb back onto the bike.

From here on out it was all quiet back roads, sealed and flat all the way through to Junee. Something I will have to come back and take full advantage of with the road wheels on. I stop again for a failed lunch attempt at the Tumblong Tavern, it seems opening hours are more suggestive of clock on time, as at 11:03am two Utes furiously skid their way into the carpark, not that I was waiting… I decide not to stick around for the deep fryer to get going as it would jeopardise my afternoon time, so I fill up my bottles and press on.

The feeling of being in the lower Snowy’s started to fade the closer I approached the highway, and once I’d crossed it, I had distinctly entered the open plains of pastoral land. A little exposed and with the wind picking up, made me lose ground on what was otherwise a very easy road ride.

I arrive into Junee and head straight to the chocolate factory. Someone was asking me about my ride but I was hungry and on a mission. And just like that, 100km of riding killed in an instant. Four tacos, and four giant coconut freckles straight down the hatch. But really, it could have been much worse…

Day 3: 25 March 2024, Junee to Gundagai – 70km

Last night I spotted a Harley Davidson Electra Glide just like Dad’s parked next door to me, this one cherry red. On my way back from breakfast I hear the motor turn with the throttle releasing a rumble through the car park, I feel it in my chest. I run up to him, showing him a picture of my Dad on his Harley. He has his helmet on and looks a bit startled, I’m pretty sure he has no idea what I’m saying, but nods and smiles regardless, as I do too, happily walking back to my room. I text Dad, he calls me a groupie, but later tells me it’s his shadow watching over me.

It was time to say goodbye to the big old beautiful palms of Junee as I was now on the road to Gundagai. The air is still and the sealed road rolls effortlessly beneath me, the easy road ride I ordered yesterday has finally arrived. I try my best to not let my mind slip, focussing on the scenery as I ride through it, but I can’t help think over a line I read in a book last night, “one can spend their whole life climbing a ladder, only to realise it’s been placed against the wrong wall”. I wonder about where I have placed my ladder… The distance I have gained on the bike is helping me put a few things in perspective. Now that I’ve processed this, I can put these thoughts to bed and get back to focusing on the scenery.

Day 4: 26 March 2024, Gundagai to Harden – 105km

I follow the Murrumbidgee River out of Gundagai until the gravel appears. It crunches beneath my tyres, and amongst that there isn’t much else I can hear as no one’s around, I have these hills to myself. I’ve done some riding in this area before, with this section to Jugiong being as beautiful as I fondly remembered it to be. The road follows the river with the surrounding land rich and fertile, much more so than the areas surrounding my farm which is just over the other side of the Hilltops.

I stop for pizza at the Sir George Hotel, then with a full belly it was up and over to Harden. The sun is high and I feel my skin radiating heat, I may have left this stretch of road too late in the day, what ever happened to the crisp autumn air? I cross the highway and again it was another defining moment, things don’t look as pretty this side. All the crops were done for the season, the paddocks barren except for dead stems of whatever was previously growing. It was desolate. The gravel however was in mint condition and I think at another time of year like spring, it would be a much more scenic ride. 

I arrive into Harden and I’m greeted by a line of palm trees in the main street, it’s a quiet Monday afternoon and everyone is going about their normal weekday routine, I can’t help but wonder if my life would be simpler living here. I sit outside the supermarket and enjoy the fact there is no where I need to be, or nothing else I need to do except for finish what I’m eating, clean my chain and wash my clothes for the next day. 

Along route today I see a turn off for Wee Jasper, there could be another good route to be made here, I have a feeling I’ll be back…

Day 5: 27 March 2024, Harden to Cowra – 135km

I wake feeling tired, my eyes puffy, legs heavy and my sit bones a bit tender. I leave Harden as the sun begins to rise, I can see it coming up over the mountains to my right, and to my left the full moon still sits in the sky. There’s low lying mist, my skin is damp with droplets of fog on my forearms. My glasses have hazed over and as I stop to wipe them clean, the scenery shakes me out of how my body is feeling, it’s my favourite time of day and I begin to wish it could stay like this a little longer. I follow a gravel road through farm paddocks, opening and closing a few gates along the way. No one is around, it’s just me and my bike. I realise I’m living the moment I was so restlessly chasing when I was back home in Canberra. 

I arrive in Young, cherry capital of Australia. I’m on the hunt for some real cherry pie and after surveying the street I find a place that hits the spot. People pass by and see my bike, curious as to where I’ve come from and going to, they stop to chat and it’s moments like these that happen throughout the day that leave me not feeling lonely at all.

I was a few days early for getting into Iandra Castle so I admired it from afar, however I arrived on the last day of Greenthorpe Post Office offering cooked food, which it’s most important to keep the hungry cyclist fed.

Only one last bleep on the elevation chart of what was otherwise a 50km downhill journey to Cowra, a little easier said than done as again it was hot, open and exposed, but at the end of the day all that really mattered was the sun continued to shine down upon me.

I arrived in Cowra and spent the afternoon at the Japanese Gardens, which is the whole reason I came out this far. Tomorrow I turn around.

Day 6: 28 March 2024, Cowra to Farm – 99 km

I wake still tired and now unmotivated, the body must know a rest day is on the horizon. I leave Cowra and feel like I’m going through the motions, then I see a sign saying I’m in the Hilltops Shire. I land on a beautiful 30km stretch of gravel and life comes flooding back to me.

I deviated a bit from my original plan, which meant I missed out on the full gravel run of Little Plains Road from Frogmore. Instead I take a new route, down Kenyu Road into Boorowa to get lunch and pick up supplies.

This is all familiar territory, having grown up riding my motorbike on these narrow gravel roads, now here I am many years later, finding new ways to enjoy them.

I could see the windfarms on my approach, slowly rotating their blades. They may be growing on me, perhaps because it signifies I’m close to arriving to the farm and about to enjoy a few days hanging out with my brother, and replenishing the motivation to continue on.

Day 8: 30 March 2024, Rye Park Gravel – 100 km

The power of a rest day! After having yesterday off to relax I wake up feeling refreshed and wanting to ride a section of road that has come on great recommendation to me. To say I had received many subtle hints to ride it would be an understatement. But before I did, I took in some of my favourite roads surrounding the farm, first leaving along Little Plains Road and taking the turn off to Kennys Creek Road. Gum trees line the road providing a canopy overhead, the road has been freshly graded making it a relatively smooth gradual descent towards Boorowa. Even still, I can’t help but yearn for my mountain bike so I can really let the road open up, and me let go.  

Coming to the end of Kennys I backtrack to Tangmangaroo Road, at times this road resembles more of a paddock track, as if you’ve accidentally ended up in someone’s property, it’s rare to feel that on a public road, and for this reason it’s one of my favourites. If you continue along, it takes you through to Binalong, but today I turn off to take Laverstock Road towards Yass. I do admit it is pretty nice and it’s probably the most scenic route for me to get to the farm from Canberra, though it’s not the most direct. 

Today’s real achievement was making it back in time to drive into Boorowa before the IGA closed at 1pm to get more food, my brother and I were prepared to get by on whatever scraps were in the house but thankfully that wasn’t the case!

Day 9: 31 March 2024, Rye Park Wind Farms – 38km

About a year or so ago wind farms started to be put up in the hills surrounding my farm, it’s been a bit contentious. Regardless, I was keen to see them up close. From my property, you can see them lining the horizon and as you join Little Plains Road to take you into Rye Park you ride alongside them in the near distance. Rye Park is a forgotten town that had its boom over a century ago. What has been left behind is a network of beautiful quiet gravel roads, where it’s common to not come across anyone. From Rye Park, High Rock Road takes you to the wind farms, where you can see the turbines within 200m. When up close, I can’t help but feel there is something mesmerising about them, watching their blades turn… I’m feeling more fondly of them when i’m in close proximity.

Day 10: 1 April 2024, Farm to Canberra – 200 km

When I arrived at the farm I had planned to take a couple of rest days, but there was some forecasted rain on its way and being so close to home made me feel l was ready to return. So I decided to change the plan, but at the same time I didn’t want to lose out on any kilometres, so I figured why not just have a massive final day, what else better do I have to do?! I planned to ride home via Gunning and I knew if I backtracked to Yass I would get pretty close to 200km, the rest I would figure out on route but at the same time trying not to think too much about it, focusing only on what was ahead of me, 65km to Gunning, 60km to Yass, 60km home plus some extra somewhere along the way. From Yass to Murrumbateman the roads were badly corrugated, so as soon as I saw that lovely bitumen I decided I was done with dirt for the day, extending the ride to Sutton where I very much enjoyed hearing my rear hub sing to me the whole way home.

Now here I am, the house is as I left it, there’s electrolyte mix all over the kitchen bench from the morning I went, my coffee mug still sitting in the sink. I think back to the moment I was rushing out the door, and now I’m back, and so much has happened!

In a few days time I’ll wake up and be 40, I’m feeling pretty happy about this, as apparently it’s all downhill from here (mountain bikers reference).

You can view the full day by day route of my ride here:

https://ridewithgps.com/collections/2393550