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| Lake Macquarie passage at Swansea |
Route: Frazer Beach, Catherine Hill Bay, Swansea.
Distance: 20km
From Frazer Beach, head back along Campbell Drive to the top of the last big hill that you came down yesterday. At the top of the hill, turn right onto the fire trail and follow this for about 500m until reaching the Pacific Hwy. (By taking the fire trail you will save yourself climbing up another big hill. The trail was in reasonable condition when I did this tour.) There is a high median strip on the highway at this point and it is not possible to turn right onto the highway. Instead, turn left, cycle 200m, cross the highway where the median strip ends and cycle along the highway toward Swansea. (The alternative of riding against the traffic toward Swansea is not feasible, even though the shoulder is wide, since the median strip lasts over one kilometer in that direction.) Although cycling along the highway is not as pleasant, the shoulder is wide and reasonable for cycling.
After 2km along the highway, one encounters a service station and then the Catherine Hill Bay (marked as "Catho") turn-off on the right. Cycle down to the bay.
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| Catherine Hill Bay |
When I did the tour, Catho boasted a pub, beach, large jetty, cemetery and quaint cottages. It may not stay that way for long if a development application is approved by the state government. The main road through Catho eventually meets up with the highway again. Turn right and follow the highway for several kilometres, before turning left onto the Murray's Beach exit. Do not go down to Murray's beach (unless you want to do the side trip), instead follow the Old Pacific Highway into Swansea. Swansea has several cycle ways connecting parts of the township; join the one that will take you to your accommodation.
Swansea has a reasonable shopping centre with a large supermarket and cafés. Spend the afternoon lazing around at Caves Beach or walking along the Lake Macquarie foreshore. A large viewing platform, located on a small "island" (accessible by bicycle) at the northern tip of the town, offers good views of Lake Macquarie.
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| Lake Macquarie as seen from Swansea |
© 2008 Robert Taggart. Last updated 17 November 2008.