I woke up refreshed and had only a small trip today, the goal was a suburb in north Sydney called Newport. This is where my friend Alan had a boat he had bought and had invited me onboard for a few days. First I needed fuel and here is another view of a giant backend 🙂

Now, today I had a plan and that was to get to the yacht club around mid afternoon and this gave me time to do a few things first. One was specifically for Alan, the yacht owner. We had done the Long Ride return leg together and I had taken him to Bing Bong in the Northern Territory which he was very under whelmed about 🙂 I had recently found a place in south Victoria called Bong Bung and today I was on the hunt for Bong Bong, apparently it was near Bowral so off I went.

Now, I tried to find this place and even asked a postie who directed me down these roads but I am buggered if I could find a place name!

I eventually managed to grab this photo of the Bong Bong race day, and I have since learnt that that is all the place really is, a picnic race day event, but Alan, it had more action than bloody Bing Bong eh m8! And a tad cooler to boot 🙂

Now for the main reason for coming down this road and that was the Don Bradman museum in Bowral. The Don, or Sir Don as he was later in life, was the Australian legend of cricket, his average over a lifetime of batting was 99.6, all he had to do in his final test match was to score 4 runs in the 2nd innings, but he was not required to bat and so dipped out on a test average of 100. He was actually born in Cootamundra, but moved here to Bowral when he was 3 and brought up here. The museum has a great display of the origins of the game as well as the progression from the early days, through the Bodyline series and then the international one day series etc. It was interesting to note, that in the early days, America and Canada both played cricket, but no longer do so. That may have something to do with the old joke about the southern American captain saying on numerous occasions’ Well, I do declare” heheheheh. 🙂 If you know cricket, this makes sense, if you don’t, google it

The on the way out of town I took this shot just for Alan 🙂

Then off to Sydney I go, not a bad trip but motor way all the way and because I was coming from the south west I needed to cross a lot of the town to get to the northern suburbs, near Manly, so it took a while to zig zag my over.

But, I eventually found the correct place and was at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club where I found these two likely looking lads, that is Alan and Des 🙂

Des had found a place just a few suburbs away to store my bike at his nephew’s places, what a bonus, thanks for that Bongo 🙂

Of course, we then adjourned to the local RSL, it was Remembrance Day you know, so a few social ales were needed 🙂

It was quite amazing having a few beers right on the beach at the Coolaroy RSL while people surfed and these two whales were doing the full on breech just off the beach a ways, quite spectacular 🙂 No photo sorry 😉

After a while we decided to get some supplies and head back before it got too dark, the boat was on a mooring not a berth, so we needed to dingy out to it. I think we are covered here OK, one carton of piss, one square bear in brown paper bag, some wine and ice and coke in the esky and a bag of clothes and stuff all to go in that small craft, plus the 3 pizzas!

No worries, Al takes me first and most of the stuff just on dusk and my first view of his new boat, a Bavaria 44 class yacht called Dreamagic, what a pearler, although I don’t know boats, yet

Then the Bismark breaker himself (Des) gets himself a lift.

So, we had our warmish pizzas, a few beers, a chat and some music and stowed some gear, a very interesting day. And a great reunion as well.

Day – 282km
Trip – 27,681km
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