(gentle music)
(bike engine purring)
(waves rushing)
My wife and I were self-employed,
Had the business for 13 years in Sydney.
We had decided to sell the business
and make a move.
When we decided to move down here,
it really added to the interest that
we could go riding in
somewhere like Kangaroo Valley and the surrounding areas.
It offers some amazing scenery,
and on roads that can be
challenging with a mix of hairpins,
steep hills,
and traffic.
So I slow down, stay away from the head-on zone,
and get my lines right on the corner.
And once you've got all that in mind,
for me, it's more than just a place
with a great riding road.
There's nowhere better.
This particular bike is a 2000 model ZX12R Kawasaki.
At heart, it's still a stock bike,
but I love the old school look of things.
Everything was built around the faring styling.
It's an amazing bike to ride.
On a long ride it's quite comfortable,
but equally, you can drop it back into first or second gear,
and go up the hills very comfortably.
It's fun no matter what you're doing with it, really.
Kangaroo Valley, it's a little hidden gem, really.
The road's great fun to ride on,
it takes me back to my childhood
where each corner is a new exploration,
but there's a bit of everything,
so you've gotta have your wits about you
when you're going up and down there.
The Barrengarry Bends: it ranges everything
from tree litter and debris,
moisture in the road, to hairpins that double back,
oncoming traffic.
Main thing is not exceed what the speed limit is
because it's quite important
down that section of road. (engine buzzes)
The Kangaroo Valley road itself,
the shoulders on the road
can often be unsealed,
and being a tourist road
and with the historic villages in the area,
it doesn't have too many overtaking opportunities.
So I don't overtake on solid lines
and if I get stuck behind a slow vehicle,
I slow down, pull in,
and have a drink of water, have something to eat.
The Hampden Bridge is really interesting.
It's the oldest suspension bridge in Australia.
Visually, it's a wonderful thing to look at.
It's only a one-lane bridge.
As you're approaching the bridge,
you've gotta slow down,
watch out for oncoming traffic,
then you can continue on.
Kangaroo Valley, to me, is a secret kind of place,
just to get away from work and stresses.
It's all part of the adventure.
But Kangaroo Valley should have definitely
been Wombat Hills.
There are kangaroos and wallabies,
but there's a hell of a lot of wombats! (chuckles)
Early mornings and evenings,
they're very active.
You've kinda got to pick your lane position
and just be aware of the peripheral vision
'cause they can really sneak out from nowhere.
The weather can change within 10 minutes.
You never know what you're gonna get.
Fog is one that will strike regularly, actually.
The fog in the valleys rise up and cover the road
and people can come out of literally nowhere
in a foggy situation,
so just put yourself in a position of safety.
What keeps me coming back?
It's always a different experience, every time.
Having been self-employed for so many years,
your brain never stops,
and to be on a bike, I don't think about work,
I don't think about customers,
I go and do it for me.
Because every corner's a challenge,
I love learning a new way to ride every time,
and round every bend is history,
scenery,
something better to look at every time.
I just love it.