The Blue Mountains Harley birthday ride was a fabulous surprise. Our Harley rider picked Karen up at a place in Springwood.

Springwood

Springwood is the second largest town in the Blue Mountains. It was named by Governor Macquarie in 1815 when the Governor and his wife stopped by a spring for water down a deep glen. It is 71kms west of Sydney CBD and has a 371m elevation.

Great Western Highway

They rode along the Great Western Highway is a 202-kilometre-long (126 mile) state highway. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, on the state’s Central Tablelands. It’s a great road to get on the Harley and ride! So, our rider rode up the highway toward Katoomba through the winding bends at Linden & Bulls camp, giving Karen a good feel of what riding is all about.

Leura Village

Next, they went into the garden village of Leura, showing the autumn trees with the leaves turning reds & yellows. What a great time of year to see this. Leura is arguably the prettiest village in the Blue Mountains. It’s has character-filled heritage homes, glorious cool climate gardens and a National Trust-classified town centre lined with cherry trees that sends Instagrammers into a frenzy during blossom season.

3 Sisters at Eagle Hawk Lookout and Narrow Neck Lookout

After that, it was to a spectacular view of the 3 sisters as seen from Eagle Hawk Lookout. After that, they rode past Narrow Neck Lookout for a quick look down into the Megalong Valley. So far, the Blue Mountains Harley birthday ride has shown the passenger some beautiful sights.

Megalong Valley

Interestingly, the name Megalong Valley is said to be derived from an Aboriginal word thought to mean ‘Valley Under The Rock’, Megalong Valley is Gundungurra country. The first record of a European coming to the valley was of Thomas Jones, a natural history specimen collector, who followed the course of Coxs River from in 1818. The first land was taken up by settlers in 1838.

Wentworth Falls Lake and Lincolns rock.

Back on to the highway, they headed south. Past Wentworth Falls Lake, where there is yet another beautiful view of part of the Blue Mountains. A few kms down the highway they turned off to Lincolns rock. It’s a popular cliff-edge overlook offering sweeping vistas of the Blue Mountains & forested valleys below.

However, the 2 hours was almost up so the Harley rider dropped Karen back at the place in Springwood. In conclusion, the Blue Mountains Harley birthday ride fun and memorable. Feel the Freedom! Check out our Tours and Prices page for ideas.

The Harley Davidson Blue Mountains tour was a present to herself. From New Zealand, she is in Sydney for a holiday. Straight after the ride she rang to tell us how wonderful the ride was! Our Harley rider met her at Katoomba Railway Station in the Blue Mountains.

Katoomba

Firstly, they rode through Katoomba, it is the most visited town in the Blue Mountains. It wasn’t until 1879 that the town of Katoomba became known when J.B. North opened the Katoomba Coal Mine. Coal was obtained from the side of the mountain near Orphan Rock using a cable car to bring the coal to the top. The now famous Scenic Railway operates in the original cutting in the mountain side.

This area is famous for the 3 Sisters which are essentially an unusual rock formation, representing three sisters who according to Aboriginal legend were turned to stone.

3 Sisters at Eagle Hawk Lookout and Narrow Neck Lookout

After that, it was to a spectacular view of the 3 sisters as seen from Eagle Hawk Lookout. Next, they rode past Narrow Neck Lookout for a quick look down into the Megalong Valley. So far, the Harley Davidson Blue Mountains has shown Rebecca some beautiful sights.

Govetts Leap

Visit Govetts Leap you’ll know why it’s one of the most famous lookouts in Australia. The magnificent waterfall drops a whopping 180m to the base of the cliff, and if you’re not mesmerised by the dancing waves of water spray you’ll be transfixed by the sweeping views down the valley to the Grose Wilderness.

Little Hartley

Then it was along the long the Great Western Highway to Little Hartley. It is a small village 150 kilometres west of Sydney. It’s like entering the 1830s. In the 1860s mining commenced in the area and the ore was carried by horse and cart to the nearby railway and then on to Sydney for refining. Operating today in Hartley Vale is the historic Comet Inn built in 1879. Comet was the brand of Kerosene produced in the valley. The Comet Inn is one of the History Highway Inns.

Wentworth Falls Lake and Lincolns rock

Back on to the highway & past Wentworth Falls Lake, where there is yet another beautiful view of part of the Blue Mountains. A few kms down the highway they turned off to Lincolns rock. It’s a popular cliff-edge overlook offering sweeping vistas of the Blue Mountains & forested valleys below.

However, the 2 hours was almost up so Ron dropped Rebecca back at the Katoomba Railway Station. In conclusion, the Harley Davidson Blue Mountains tour was so fun and memorable. Feel the Freedom! Check out our Tours and Prices page for ideas.

More information about the area:

World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park – information

The world heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park. It is located in the Blue Mountains region of NSW. The 267,954-hectare (662,130-acre) national park is situated approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Sydney. Interestingly, the park boundary is quite irregular as it is broken up by roads, urban areas and inholdings. Despite the name ‘mountains’, the area is an uplifted plateau, dissected by a number of larger rivers. Mount Werong is the highest point in the park at 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) above sea level; while the low point is on the Nepean River at 20 metres (66 ft) above sea level as it leaves the park.

UNESCO World Heritage–listed Greater Blue Mountains Area

In 2000, the national park was inscribed to form part of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Greater Blue Mountains Area. On 21 May 2007, the Greater Blue Mountains was one of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List. The Blue Mountains National Park is the most central of the eight protected areas within the World Heritage Site and it forms part of the Great Dividing Range. The park is also listed on the Australian Heritage Register. Also, the overall complex of Blue Mountains regional walking tracks is listed on the State Heritage Register.

The surprise 70th birthday present was bought by Gail for her husband Glynn. They are from Penrith, west of Sydney city and came in by train. Our trike rider met them at Circular Quay (we email a map and details of where to meet).

It was a fab surprise for Glynn, he used to ride motorcycles but doesn’t anymore. It was great for him to feel the freedom on the back of the trike. He could also talk to his wife Gail during the ride.

Glynn has never been to Bondi Beach in his whole 70 years. His comment was ” Bondi Beach is smaller than I thought it would be”. 😆 Everyone sees everything differently – we love it!

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.

Watsons Bay and The Gap

Heading North through some upper class suburbs, they rode to “The Gap” and stopped for photos. The view towards North Head and out to the South Pacific Ocean. Watsons Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula. The Gap is an ocean cliff which faces the Tasman Sea, is located in the suburb of Watsons Bay. Although the cliff is a popular tourist destination, it is infamous for suicides.

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. Fred stopped there for a few photos and so they could admire the view. So far, on the surprise 70th birthday present trike tour they have 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.

Tamarama + Bronte

Riding further south, along more beautiful, though possibly less well known, beaches. The suburb of Tamarama has a small ocean beach about 1 kilometre south of Bondi Beach and a couple of hundred metres north of Bronte Beach. It is an extremely narrow beach and deceptive for its size. Tamarama Beach is often referred to as Glamarama (or Glamourama), owing to the alleged abundance of glamorous people who sunbathe (often topless), on what must be one of the smallest strips of sand in the state (Wikipedia).

Bronte Beach sits on Nelson Bay, surrounded by Bronte Park. Bronte offers scenic cliff-top walking paths south to Coogee via the Waverley Cemetery and north to Tamarama and Bondi Beach. Time was almost up, so they headed west, through the city and back to Circular Quay.

In conclusion, the surprise 70th birthday present trike tour was a huge success. They saw so many of Sydney’s famous landmarks in 1.5 hours. Feel the freedom! Check out the the Eastern Sydney Panorama tour route here. Keep in mind, every tour is slightly different.

The Sydney sightseeing trike tour was a great way for our passengers to see Sydney. From New Zealand, they were last in Sydney in 1972 so it has changed a lot! Our trike rider picked them up from their hotel in Sydney’s CBD.

Opera House + Sydney Harbour Bridge

Firstly, 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 it was over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passengers 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.

Blues Point Reserve

Continuing on, they rode on through Milsons Point, did a left hand turn and rode up a few streets. This lead to Blues Point Reserve. The views over Blues Bay towards the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the CBD are just stunning. All the more stunning because of the lovely weather. Another perfect place for photos. It’s where this photo was taken.

Barangaroo

Then, it was back over the bridge and into the comparatively new development of Barangaroo. A spectacular transformation from a disused container terminal on the edge of Sydney’s CBD into a spectacular 22-hectare waterfront precinct. This leads past the into the Rocks which is the birthplace of modern Sydney.

The Rocks

Further on, Fred drove them around the most historic place in Australia. The Rocks is a neighbourhood of historic laneways in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Rocks became established shortly after the colony’s formation in 1788 so it is the oldest residential, developed area in Australia – the birthplace of modern Sydney. With the arrival of European settlers in 1788, it was here that the convicts first set up house and shop. So far, the Sydney sightseeing trike tour was fun, a great experience.

Palisade Hotel

Riding further into the Rocks, they rode past the historic Palisade Hotel. It is a heritage-listed pub and hotel, in the inner city suburb of Millers Point. The construction of the Palisade Hotel commenced on 6 April 1915 and was completed in May 1916 at a total cost of just over 3000 pounds (it was pounds back then).

Harbour Bridge Southern Side

Along Hickson Road, under the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, what a wonderful view! They continued further along and they came close to the Sydney Opera House from a different angle. Even as “forever Sydneyites” we never get tired of looking at the Opera House.

Sydney city

Inner Sydney is also interesting. Fred rode our passengers along a few major streets and past Hyde Park. However, the hour was up so they were dropped back at their hotel. In conclusion, the Sydney sightseeing trike tour was a huge success:

Review

Hi Katrina,

We had a fabulous ride with Fred and were very lucky with a stunning day. We will certainly recommend to family and friends. Will write reviews once we get home, easier on my computer.

Kind regards
Irene

Please check out our different tours here.