The Illawarra Ramblers walking group came into being in 1991. Soon after, cycling and kayak paddling became regular additional activities.
Today, all three activities happen weekly and we have about 240 Illawarra-based members, plus a few from further north and south. Most club members are retirees.
On this occasion, I’m writing about cycling as our club has recently joined Bicycle NSW, the state’s premier cycling entity, as an affiliate. This endows us with training options for leaders and riders, activity-related insurance, networking with other clubs and a voice in advocacy about safety and infrastructure matters.
We ride almost exclusively off-road, most often on shared pathways. Some of our members have more than one bike but our club does not engage in mountain biking, BMX or road racing.
We ride for exercise. Many of us ride battery-assisted e-bikes. This has resulted in riding for the same length of time as before but travelling much further, most often 30 to 40 kilometres on an outing. Hills are no longer obstacles avoided at all costs. Pedalling is still necessary. That works up the thirst for coffee.
Weekly the Ramblers can be seen on shared paths anywhere between Austinmer and Kiama, very occasionally doing the whole length in one go. That day necessitates a train ride in one direction but as we are blessed with pretty reliable trains, lifts at most stations and reasonable comfort on board. This enables a lot of flexibility about where we go.
Out-of-area routes we enjoy include Bowral to Moss Vale, Mt Annan, Bay to Basin from Huskisson, a tour almost of south and west Sydney from Liverpool to Wolli Creek via Parramatta and Olympic Park, plus the odd excursion around Narrabeen Lake via train and ferry.
The club’s leaders come up with well-patronised trips away. Our exploits were chronicled in a recent Rail Trails Australia journal referring to trips to Victoria, Queensland, the NSW Northern Rivers Rail Trail, and Lake Macquarie.
We usually stay in caravan parks and for those without a tent, camper trailer or caravan, cabins have many of the comforts of home.
Our website has a range of photos, information about contacting us plus listings of our walking, paddling and cycling programme. Have a look.
Visit illawarraramblers.com.au