Kangaroo Valley road trip and Loop around Shoalhaven Heads by bike : October 8 2024

Wake to a cold grey day. Thought for the day was to load bike in the car when my wife and her friend went out and then cycle back to search for summer orchids. Too cold for riding or for sun orchids.

Decided to go for the tourist drive and ride later. A few photos from Kangaroo Valley - old truck in pub livery

Signage was not enough to draw us in for lunch. We went to a cafe across the road. They had great prices and good quality

Fab display of the kangaroo paw and the outline cutout of a wallaby

Fudge shop. As we had not had lunch we skipped that

Walk up the main drag after lunch - late 1800s public school

Gates to the church yard. Sign says The Kings Jubilee Memorial of Peace 1935. A tribute to the first rector in Kangaroo Valley

The church attached

A few irises flowering in the edges of the churchyard - the standard white

And in yellow

Lyrebird art work on the general store

Roadworks up Cambewarra Mountain gave a chance for a photo up the valley at the traffic signal

Shopped in Nowra and then went for bike ride to circumnavigate the village and get in a walk

Dyanella to start the photo journey in the bush

Next photo is part of the reason I keep going back to walk the tracks every time I can. The next wave of orchids - hyacinth orchids - should be flowering next visit in a week

Close up of the bud - spike is green and there are dots - clues

Some contrast photos - palms emerging from the cleared fire trail

On the edge of the trail - not been chopped for maybe two or three seasons

Well off track, these are going to fruit and seed

Close up

Doubling back another hyacinth orchid - this one is tiny

Two spikes a little further on. The structure of leaves below is similar to the last one. But the colours of the spike are quite different

Close up - going to think these are two different types of hyacinth orchid. Next visit will tell

Did find one Australian native violet open

Rode all the roads on the edges of the village to get home. View down the Shoalhaven River to where the mouth would be if it was open to the sea.

Looking up river

Ride map shows the route taking every road close to the edge of the village - nice 8.4 km ride and only one little bump..

Dinner: BBQ for friends visiting - a nice eye fillet and chicken curry sausages
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Cycling, Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking, Shopping