The surprise 90th birthday trike transfer was a fun way to take the birthday boy Fred, and the others, to his party! It was a surprise for Fred and he loved it so much. The day made Fred dream of his Indian motorcycle days, 40 years ago.

Our trike rider Fred, picked the passengers up from a home in Bilgola Plateau, around 40kms north of Sydney city.

Bilgola Plateau

The plateau was previously named Mount Loftus, after governor of NSW Lord Augustus Loftus. Given its modest elevation, designating it as a plateau is more appropriate, and is now named for the Aboriginal derived name of Bilgola (derived from the local aboriginal language meaning “swirling water”), likely describing Bilgola Beach to the east. Wikipedia.

Palm Beach

Firstly, they rode 8 km north to Palm Beach. It is one of the most beautiful parts of Sydney. The narrow peninsular is surrounded by water on three sides: Pittwater, the Pacific Ocean, and Broken Bay.

Sometimes, Palm Beach is colloquially referred to as ‘Palmy’; and is used for exterior filming of the soap opera Home and Away, as the fictional town of Summer Bay.

Whale Beach

Between Whale Beach and Palm Beach is the Palm Beach Bible Garden. It has spectacular views over Palm Beach. Whale Beach is a 600 metres long, east-facing beach bordered by 40 metres high Little and Careel heads. Apparently, Whale Beach was named following a whale beaching. Makes sense 😆.

Newport

Next, they rode to Newport. The Newport Locality was occupied by farming settlements from the early 1800s, and was a port for coastal steamers in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The famous Newport Hotel was built in 1880 and attracted visitors from Manly by coach and Sydney by steamer.

Bilgola Beach

Bilgola is stated by some to be named after an Aboriginal word meaning “swirling waters” . First mapped by Government Surveyor James Meehan, the word ‘Belgoula’ was noted in his records of 1814. There is a long list of people who have drowned in the undertows and rips off this beach prior to the formation of a Surf Club in 1949. The photo was taken here. So far, the surprise 90th birthday trike transfer is fun, scenic and worth turning 90 for! 😆

Bungan Beach

Then they travelled south to Bungan Beach. Another scenic beach with red/orange sand.

Narrabeen Lagoon

They rode via Narrabeen Lagoon (also referred to as Narrabeen Lake) to the drop off point. It is Sydney’s Northern Beaches largest estuary system located just behind the world famous surfing beach at Narrabeen. It is a haven for wildlife.

Narrabeen

Narrabeen is a beachside suburb of northern Sydney. 23 km northeast of the CBD, it’s well known by most Sydneysiders. North Narrabeen Beach is famous among surfers for its consistent surf breaks. In 2021 it hosted the World Surf League Championships, attracting the best surfers all over the globe.

However, they have reached their drop off point at Narrabeen, So Fred dropped Fred and the others at the party place! What a way to celebrate turning 90! In conclusion, the surprise 90th birthday trike transfer was a huge success. Party on and ‘Feel the Freedom’!

Check out our Design your Own page for info. We can take you anywhere as long as it’s legal. 😂

The City to Surf Harley tour was also to celebrate a birthday. Our passengers come from Tamworth, 400 km north of Sydney. They decided to make a real weekend of it and did they ever! To rev the girls up, ready to do the marathon tomorrow, five of our Harley Davidson riders picked them up from their hotel.

Opera House + Sydney Harbour Bridge

They rode to the Sydney Opera House. We can’t get very close but we know some good angles which give some great scenic views. Then they rode through the city and over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passenger to look up and enjoy the unique view. The more than 6,000,000 rivets are so interesting and the arch is so iconic. It’s nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world.

This bridge is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world’s widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

Kirribilli

Next, they rode past Kirribilli House. Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. After that, they rode around the corner to Jeffrey Street Wharf. From here, the views across Sydney Harbour towards the Sydney Opera House and the CBD are magnificent. In addition, it also has an up-close view of the side and underneath of the bridge. A perfect place to stop for photos.

The Kirribilli Loop

They rode under the north side of the bridge and continued on their tour. The underside of the northern end of the SHB – Sydney Harbour Bridge – is very interesting. The Kirribilli Loop was finished by riding past Luna Park and the North Sydney Olympic Pool.

lower North Shore suburbs – Taronga Zoo

Heading east, they rode through Cremorne, Mosman and down past the Taronga Zoo to Bradleys Head. Make sure you look for the koalas eating and sleeping in the gum trees. So far, the City to Surf Harley tour is a huge success, very interesting and fun.

Bradleys Head and Balmoral Beach

Similarly, Bradleys Head has wonderful views across Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the CBD. Riding on, they rode past the lovely posh Balmoral Beach. Everyone who comes here loves it! Balmoral Beach is not so well known by visitors and tourists, but the stunning natural beauty of the beach and surrounds make it well worth a visit. Crossing the Spit Bridge is fun, it has great views of Middle Harbour.

After Balmoral Beach they continued on past, Seaforth and Clontarf before stopping at Tania Park. Tania Park is on Dobroyd Head with stunning views looking across Sydney Harbour and through North and South Heads. Arabanoo lookout at Dobroyd Head is named in honour of Arabanoo, the first Aboriginal man to live among European settlers. It’s a great spot for whale watching, offering views over North and South Head and the Pacific Ocean.

Manly + Queenscliff

Then it was down the hill into Manly. Our Harley Davidson riders dropped the passengers off at Manly. There are plenty of good restaurants in Manly so they had a pick of places for lunch. Then they could explore the area before catching a ferry back to the Sydney CBD.

In conclusion, the City to Surf Harley tour was a big success. Our passengers saw more than they would have by themselves, in such a short time. A great way to celebrate life, birthday and to get ready to run tomorrow! Check out this tour here.

The Harley Davidson agent famil was organised by a Sydney travel agent. The passenger is on a familiarity tour, meaning she is checking everything out / inspecting before a big group of passengers comes to Australia later in the year.

Our Harley rider picked Rachel up from outside her hotel in the city.

St Mary’s Cathedral, Woolloomooloo and Kings Cross

Firstly, they rode through the city and past St Mary’s Cathedral which is very impressive, even when riding past. It’s a Gothic Revival architectural building which opened in 1928. It took from 1866 to 1928 to build and has a height of 75m. Next, they rode through the inner eastern suburb of Woolloomoolloo and past the famous Harry Cafe De Wheels. Harry’s Café de Wheels has been serving customers for over 80 years. They make delicious pies, hotdogs and more. Then it was up the hill and through Kings Cross.

Eastern suburbs

Continuing on, they rode through the infamous Kings Cross, though it has calmed down a lot since it’s heyday – home of the famous and huge Coca Cola sign. Kings Cross is also home to nightclubs and ladies of the night though it is not nearly as raunchy as it was in the 1970s (apparently). After there, they headed east through the posh suburbs of the eastern suburbs of Sydney, including the Bays: Rose Bay, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay.

North Bondi and Brighton Lookout

There are a couple of lookouts at the North Bondi headland. They all offer beautiful views of Bondi Beach and out to the Tasman Sea, part of the South Pacific Ocean. Pat stopped there for a few photos and so they could admire the view. So far, on the Harley Davidson agent famil she has seen some great views and scenic sights.

Bondi Beach

Next, they drove past the world famous Bondi Beach to the south side. Looking from the two ends of the beach give a different perspective. This is the beach where Bondi Lifeguards of the Bondi Rescue TV series is filmed. When in Sydney it is one of the places you should visit. The beach is seriously nice (but not our favourite) and we usually stop near the lifeguard station, made famous by the TV series “Bondi Rescue”. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia. Bondi Beach is recorded by the Australian Museum that Bondi means place where a fight using boondi sticks (nullas nullas or fighting sticks) took place.

Centennial Park

Turning back, they rode through the huge Centennial Park, it is a lovely experience, they stopped for photos at one of the ponds. 120 fields and venues, and 35+ different sports played in the Centennial Parklands. It is the largest community sports precinct in Australia! The history is also interesting: “Originally a swamp and then set aside as land for the water source for Sydney. Centennial Park was reconstructed as a public park and opened in 1888. Sir Henry Parkes’ vision was to create a ‘People’s Park’ in which the citizens of Sydney could ‘take in the air’ away from the Sydney town centre.”

However, the hour was up so Pat dropped Rachel back at her hotel. In conclusion, the Harley Davidson agent famil was a huge success, we will organise the bigger group tour later in the year. She was very impressed with Bondi and the clean air!

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The Pie in the Sky trike tour was organised by Rhonda as a present to herself. She turned 60 and wanted to celebrate with some fun. It was also a chance to go to places of her youth and reminisce about the good old days.

She brought her friend with her, they have both been on trike tours with us over the years. They love the experience so keep on doing them. Our trike rider picked them up from one of the homes in Hornsby.

Mount Colah

Firstly, they rode through .Mount Colah. It was originally known as Colah – the name first used by naturalist George Caley to describe a koala in a letter to botanist Sir Joseph Banks. When Hornsby became a shire in 1906 the name was changed to Mount Colah.

Old Pacific Highway

Fun is the word used to describe the Old Pacific Highway. They rode along the Old Pacific Highway which was the main route for heading North before the construction of the M1 (freeway). It winds through the hills instead of cutting through them. At 66kms long, it’s THE road to ride on for Sydneysider motorcyclists.

Mount Kuring-gai

Then it was through Mount Kuring-gai. The name “Kuring-gai” derives from the Guringai Aboriginal people who were thought to be the traditional owners of the area. More contemporary research suggests that this was not the case.

The railway station opened on 5 October 1901 and was named Kuring-gai. The current station was constructed in 1909. The Mount was added to the name on 1 August 1904.

Berowra

Further north, they rode through Berowra, an Aboriginal word that means place of many winds. The Berowra area has many Aboriginal carvings and is the site of the world’s oldest living amphibian fossil.

Cowan

Officially, the Old Pacific Highway starts at Cowan, a suburb about 42kms north of Sydney. The town takes its name from an Aboriginal word meaning big water.

The 1828 census lists two convicts called Cowan, and it is also thought possible that Cowan was named after one of them. Still another suggestion is that it was named after a small town in Scotland.

Besides the English botanist George Caley, who explored the area in 1805, the first Europeans to visit the area were timber-getters. The timber from Cowan was used for coach building, one of the first industries in the area.

Pie in the Sky

Next, it was time for a refreshment and a stretch. So they stopped at this famous cafe. Perched on a hill top by the side of the old Pacific Highway north of Cowan is the legendary Pie in the Sky. No matter what day you choose or what time it is, there is always a surprising collection of bikes, exotic-looking trikes or perhaps even a bright red vintage truck. Cyclists call in, the police stop by, a helicopter pilot calls ahead to make sure there are no cars parking on his helipad, and the Ulysses Club get together after a hard day on the road.

It started out as a railway canteen for the fettlers as they worked on the northern train line. Then it became the site of a Mobil petrol station and fell victim to the opening of the F3 in 1968, which diverted passing traffic away. Finally it became a pie shop. Initially, it was not a huge success. and was sold to a Mr. Tom Ransom and later to his son who both built it into the thriving business it is today. See there website for interesting stories. So far, the Pie in the Sky trike tour was certainly a run down memory lane.

Rest Park, Brooklyn

Rhonda used to frequent Rest Park when she was young. She wanted to come here to day for a look and talk about memories. Brooklyn came into existence in 1884 when the Fagan Brothers subdivided their 100 acre grant. America’s Union Bridge Company built the first railway bridge across the Hawkesbury in 1889. It is called both the Brooklyn Bridge or the Hawkesbury River Bridge, depending who you talk to.

However, the 1.5 hours was almost up so Fred turned around and they rode back to Hornsby where he dropped them off. In conclusion, the Pie in the Sky trike tour was lots of fun and a great way to celebrate a birthday.

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