Bikepacking Sydney
Explore bikepacking adventures and meet locals

BEST HIKE IN 'Straya? Blue Mountains GRAND CANYON HIKE. Pub Lunch & Beer.
Fri, Oct 9, 10:51 PMFrom TIMEOUT Magazine: *"One breathtaking bushwalk claimed the crown as the nation’s favourite. The gold medal went to the **Grand Canyon Track** – a challenging yet short hike through the lush rainforest of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park. The 6.3-kilometre circuit passes gently cascading waterfalls, giant ferns and moss-covered rocky overhangs that look straight out of a fairy tale."* Yup. A fahkin' fairy tale that ends with a beer and lunch. (Moved this to October as more sunlight will make for a better day!) **THE HIKE.** It's a 6.3kms loop hike. NSW Parks estimates 3-4 hours, which means this hike is medium in difficulty (430m of altitude gain is a lot of steps, but it's not that bad when you're there). It's absolutely beautiful - waterfalls, greenery, views, and more. It's like somehow Mother Nature carved out this perfect crevasse - hiking it has you exiting civilisation into Jurassic Park-esque world. *Fitness matters here, but we will be hiking at a relaxed pace so we enjoy our surroundings.* Last time I had a video of the hike here. I deleted it. Just come. At Step #1 where we view Evans Lookout, it's truly a "Woowowowowowow" type start. It only gets better from there. **THE TRANSPORTATION.** A train arrives at Blackheath Station at 951am. Let's meet at the pub across the road. There's parking and toilets there. However, let's try to get enough drivers for this one. The train arrives in Penrith at 827am. **[Perhaps drivers pick us public transporters there? Let's discuss this all in the whatsapp chat that you must join on this hike!](https://chat.whatsapp.com/KngCa1lMtdUEAoSy6zXuGP)** **LUNCH.** "[Spikes Bistro](https://www.facebook.com/p/Spikes-Bistro-Blackheath-61574548437651/)" (where all the locals are going these days) is now a family run joint at the golf course with GREAT food. I'll make a reservation right on the same balcony we had last time! It's a perfect ending to The Grand Canyon, and the family is thankful to have our business. Let's support the locals who support us. **ANOTHER HIKE.** We'll have cars. Shall we do another short hike? I'm open. Charles Darwin Trek is newly open, and it's an easy one with top, top views of Wentworth Falls. Valley of the Waters? Another 10/10 waterfall hike. Or no doubt you'll be able to get a lift to Blackheath Station if you need to get home. **THE DRIVERS.** We need some drivers for this one. If you drive each passenger you take from will chip in some cash - I'll see to it. We looooove you drivers! **THE LOGISTICS.** a) Gratuity $15 Cash or PayID on the day. b) Let's try to start hiking by 1030am absolute latest. c) Last minute Cancels and No Shows... *I'm not even going to say it.* d) Have a backpack filled with... well, you know all this shit by now. Make a list. Be safe. Be smart. This will be a hike you won't forget - I can't wait to see the "Holy shit, WOW" look on all of our faces! See you soon. MJ 0439 635 699 **In pressing the “Attend” button for this hike, you acknowledge that:** a) You are healthy and fit to complete the hike describe; b) You have read and will follow [NSW National Parks Bushwalking Safety Guidelines](https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/safety/bushwalking-safety) for this hike; c) You have no chronic / underlying health issues that deter you from completing this hike; and d) You understand your host is just that – your host, not a professional hiker – and that you and you alone are responsible for your hiking health, safety, and wellness; and e) You’ve been advised to obtain individual [hiking insurance from 1Cover](https://www.1cover.com.au/adventure-travel-insurance/hiking-trekking/?utm_source=google&utm_source_platform=gads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=13564994076&utm_term=adventure%20travel%20insurance&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=13564994076&gbraid=0AAAAAD_bfRAu6Io5ZkHeiIYCP_evtsQ_z&gclid=CjwKCAjwz5nGBhBBEiwA-W6XRLm8Itjn1am8sdPMxVhBtRmsDOWkolLlVATJcXW5jW-9JgB7hb9kMhoC7M0QAvD_BwE).

HIKEFit_EXpress - Summit Sessions
Tue, Oct 6, 7:30 PM**Feeling unsure about hiking?** You’re not alone. Many new hikers worry about endurance, steep trails, or what gear to use. **HIKEFit_EXpress – Summit Sessions** is designed to help you start hiking confidently — at your own pace — while building fitness, strength, and trail skills. ## **What You’ll Do in Each 60-Minute Session** **40 Minutes of Guided Hiking** * Explore beginner-friendly local trails * Build stamina gradually without feeling overwhelmed * Enjoy the outdoors in a supportive, encouraging environment **20 Minutes of Strength & Balance Training** * Exercises to support hiking muscles * Improve stability, flexibility, and injury prevention * Perfect for all fitness levels ## **Learn More Than Just Fitness** In **Summit Sessions**, you’ll also: * Get essential **gear tips** for safe and comfortable hikes * Discover **local trails** perfect for beginners * Learn about **longer hikes and international treks** so you can plan future adventures with confidence * Connect with a friendly community of fellow new hikers ## **Why Join HIKEFit_EXpress – Summit Sessions?** * Build endurance and strength **gradually**, without pressure * Gain confidence to tackle your first 2–3 hour hike * Learn skills that make hiking enjoyable and safe * Start your mornings energized and inspired

Nakasendo Way Japan by E Bike
Sun, Oct 18, 4:00 AMNakasendo Way by E Bike Tokyo to Kyoto about 500 km of cycle paths, back roads and forest paths, medium grade cycling made easier by modern E Bikes Cycling about 50km per day crossing two mountain passes, amazing scenery and fabulous ancient well preserved villages, think Megome and Tsumago plus Kiso Valley for those amazing thatched roof houses. Mountain views, rolling hills and the lakes of Suwa and Biwa the latter Japan's largest lake and we get to cycle around 2/3 of it on fairly flat cycle paths! Please ask for a full itinerary including day by day cycling and KM, accommodation At the time of RSVP please email david@discoverytravel.com.au your name and mobile number failure to do so at time of RSVP you will be moved to not going! Price is $2450 per person twin share plus bike hire as below. Deposit is non refundable and change and or cancellation fees apply for any cancellations, ask for details. Luggage are not included can be forwarded each day or over several days to reduce cost as remote cycling at its best! Bike racks and bags can be rented too. You are welcome to bring your own bike! **Cycling:** Bike hire is not included standard road bikes aprox jpy19000 per week Ebike aprox JPY24000 per week see link for more details [https://cycletrip.jp/ja/item_detail.html?s=471](https://cycletrip.jp/ja/item_detail.html?s=471) (The giant E Bikes are fabulous and comfortable to ride, fitting is extremely important) *Most days can be shortened or skipped by train if you wish* **Rinko bag:** These are required to take bikes onto trains, wheels need to be removed to fit into the bag and shoulder carried onto trains (We can mix in and help each other) Rinko bags can be pre purchased on Amazon or in Japan at Mont Bell (fabulous Japanese outdoor store) [https://www.montbell.com/jp/en/products/detail/1130425](https://www.montbell.com/jp/en/products/detail/1130425) **Cycling:** I suggest e bikes but if you are a hard-core cyclist welcome to take a road bike, Japan is a fabulous country for bike packing. Itinerary may change. This is an international travel trip and travel insurance with unlimited medical cover, including existing conditions is compulsory. By RSVP this meetup you agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of Aussie Explorers which can be found here: [https://www.meetup.com/Aussie-Explorers/](https://www.meetup.com/Aussie-Explorers/) Aussie Explorers organisers and leaders accept no liability during this meetup, leaders try to ensure the safety and well-being of members at all times however as this is a weekend away travelling, exploring different areas and hiking in the great outdoors accidents happen, please take responsibility for your own safety and your belongings. Deposits are non-refundable, final price is subject to currency fluctuation. **Inclusions:** Accommodation and leader throughout, gpx file if you would like it to navigate on your phone. **Additional:** Luggage transfers each day are about AUD$15 if you would like it, Bike Rental is about JPY24000 per week, both us extras which add up best get a quote. Rinko Bag is about JPY9990 purchased in Japan

IN PERSON! Apache Kafka® x Apache Flink®Meetup - Oct 2026
Tue, Oct 13, 6:30 AMHello everyone! Join us for an Apache Kafka® meetup on **Oct 13th from 5:30pm**, hosted by Mantel in Sydney! The address, agenda, and speaker information can be found below. See you there! **Venue**: Mantel Level 21, 580 George St, Sydney NSW 2000 \*\*\* **Agenda:** * 5:30pm: Doors open * 5:30pm - 6:00pm: Pizza, Drinks, and Networking * 6:00pm - 6:30pm: Jaehyeon Kim, Senior Data Engineer, Kasada * 6:30pm - 7:00pm: Chris Arthur, Customer Success Engineering Manager, Confluent * 7:00pm - 7:30pm: Additional Networking \*\*\* **Speaker:** Jaehyeon Kim, Senior Data Engineer, Kasada **Talk:** From Prototype to Production: Building a Real-Time ML Feedback Loop with Kafka and Flink **Abstract:** While many platforms power real-time decisions, most machine learning workflows remain stubbornly batch-oriented. This session presents a practical case study on redesigning an offline Python-based recommendation prototype into a highly scalable, real-time contextual bandit system built entirely on Apache Kafka and Apache Flink. We will explore how Kafka serves as the backbone of the feedback loop by managing real-time event ingestion and user feedback streams. From there, we will dive into how Apache Flink performs continuous, stateful online model training directly within the stream. Join this session to learn how to safely manage ML model state inside a distributed stream processor, decouple continuous Flink training from low-latency serving, and successfully integrate online learning workloads into your event-driven architectures. \-\-\-\-\- **Speaker:** Chris Arthur, Customer Success Engineering Manager, Confluent **Talk:** Atomic Writes Across Kafka and Your Database: What KIP-939 Changes **Abstract:** If you've ever built a system that writes to both Kafka and a database, you've hit the dual-write problem: how do you guarantee both writes succeed or fail together? Today's answer is usually the outbox pattern — a reliable but heavyweight workaround involving extra tables, pollers, and CDC pipelines. In this talk, we'll cover what 2PC participation actually means for Kafka's transaction protocol, how it differs from Kafka's existing exactly-once semantics, and what this unlocks for teams building event-driven systems that need real atomicity between Kafka and external stores. \*\*\* If you would like to speak or host our next event please let us know! community@[confluent.io](http://confluent.io/)

Spring Cycle - Bicycle NSW
Sat, Oct 10, 7:30 PM**Bicycle NSW Spring Cycle - Sunday October 11, 2026** Come along in Bike Leichhardt jerseys (or not) to ride 50 klms over the Harbour bridge along a dedicated route to Sydney Olympic Park. There is also a 10 klm route too. For full details - go to their website to find out more and register for the ride. Do it soon to get the early bird discount. https://www.springcycle.com.au/home Note there is a cost payable to Spring Cycle to attend. Its a great opportunity to enjoy a route open only once per year and to show the public as well as local, state and federal govts that cycling is a mass participation activity (and thus deserving a better share of roads and transport funding). Those who want to can meet at the start at St Leonards Park to ride as a group. Easiest way to get there is get the Metro to Victoria Cross and exit the station at the northern end then walk up the hill to St Leonards park near North Sydney Oval. We can enjoy coffee and lunch after the ride at Sydney Olympic Park. Its a great way to promote our club and to encourage more of the public to enjoy cycling. Bring family and friends too. Go to the website now, https://www.springcycle.com.au/home to register and pay for your participation.

Eastern Sydney Coastal Explorer
Sat, Oct 3, 9:15 PMA relaxed morning bike ride with plenty of stops to catch your breath enjoy the fabulous harbour views and coastal scenery. *This ride starts early to avoid the traffic that builds up around the beaches and harbourside suburbs throughout the day.* We'll ride (easy pace, mostly on quieter streets and shared paths) along on- and off-road cycleways and back to Bondi Junction (ETA 11.30am). **Refer to the ride route map for a more detailed description.** *The ride will go ahead in a fine drizzle but not heavy rain - please check the site on the morning of the ride for any weather-related updates!* **You must RSVP in order to attend the ride.** Please make sure you UPDATE your RSVP if you cannot make it as nobody wants to be waiting for a no-show. **Disclaimer:** *By signing up for this event you acknowledge that you are personally responsible for your own safety, and that you are participating in the event entirely at your own risk. You also agree to indemnify the ride host/organiser from all claims for damages which may be incurred as a result of your participation.*
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