CYCLING ALBION TO THE GAP

This ride will take you through the following suburbs, Albion, Windsor, Herston, Kelvin Grove, Dorrington, Ashgrove, The Gap & Petrie Terrace.

The maps depicted below are merely an overview of the ride. For more accurate directions, it would be wise to plot your course on a professional map or GPS.

Albion to Banks Street Reserve, Dorrington



Banks Street Reserve, Dorrington to The Gap

The ride from Albion Railway Station to The Gap and back to Roma Street Railway Station was undertaken by three members of U3A's 'Peddling Pathfinders' to map the trail as a future destination for our main riding group , U3A's 'Peddling For Pleasure.'

We used the train as our form of transport, embarking at Cleveland, changing trains at Bowen Hills and disembarking at Albion. The waiting time at Bowen Hills was minimal.

A mural depicting aviator Bert Hinkler painted on an old shed in McDonald Road, Windsor

Modern playground in the heart of Industria

We exited on the western side of the station and started our ride in Mawarra Street. Apart from detours around major road works in the vicinity of Breakfast Creek and Lutwyche Road in Windsor, which will be completed shortly, the pathways are well signposted.



Bike paths beneath the overpasses

In the main, the paths flow through a series of parks and along creeks, making it a very pleasant and easy ride through to The Gap. We stopped at Coffee Club for some light refreshment, before retracing our ride back as far as Downey Park in Herston, where we changed course and headed for Roma Street Railway Station for our trip back to Cleveland.

Breakfast Creek, Brisbane

This historic creek could tell many a tale from old, from the early German and Irish settlers taking their goods and produce by horse and cart to market to grim forensic tales of murder victims located floating in the creek or on the mud flats amongst the mangroves at low tide.

Bowen Bridge Heritage Track, Herston

Part of the good signage on this track

Conservation groups as well as local councils are doing a lot to enhance our green space and without their dedicated work, we wouldn't have the facilities we now enjoy within our communities. Playgrounds for the children to play and exercise in, shared paths for the enjoyment of walkers and cyclists alike. Even pet dogs are given space to enjoy. Now is the time to take advantage of the amenities ........take up walking, jogging or cycling, you're going to feel one hell of a lot better and the more you exercise, the better you will feel. Join the revolution to build a healthier society.

Spring is in the air

The spring blossom is really beautiful this year adding to the ambience of the ride.

Renovated old Queenslanders

One can't help but notice how beautifully renovated some of the old Queenslanders are. I've started taking a photographic record of these grand old homes during my rides through the older suburbs of Brisbane, the best of which I will display in a future blog.

Pattern on the bark of a tree

As a photographer, you develop a sense in noticing the unusual. As I rode past a tree in the Ashgrove/Dorrington area, I couldn't help but notice the striking pattern and colour combination of the bark.

Enoggera Creek

For an alternative return route, take the Downey Street bridge at Downey Park, turning left into Butterfield Street, then follow the paths all the way to Roma Street Railway.

Downey Park, Windsor to Roma Street Station

Beautifying the parks in Herston

I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy life than to be with family or friends enjoying the weather we are so fortunate to have  here in South East Queensland.

Distance: 33km
Difficulty: Easy and well signposted.
Surface: Sealed paths, some on road but little traffic.
Maps used in this blog: GPsies.
It is always wise to ride with a map or GPS

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

CYCLING and SWELL SCULPTURES

WOW- Perfect Palindrome for a Memorable Moment...Artist: Midge Johansen, Queensland, Australia.

How fortunate was I, to be holidaying at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast at the same time as the 10th annual Swell Sculpture Festival was being held at Currumbin Beach. Even more of a co-incidence was that my wife and I happened to be cycling in the area and was able to view the entire exhibition whilst it was still fresh. I was so impressed I decided to share some of the photographs I took with you.

 

 




Mosquito - Artist: Ibrahim Koch, Turkey

Love Cats...Artist: Erica Gray, Queensland, Australia

The Last Wave...Steve Bristoe, Queensland, Australia.

The festival, displaying 50 sculptures from both local and overseas artists, is being held for 10 days from 14-23 September, 2012. For further information hit the following link www.swellsculpture.com.au/

 

Remember When We Used to go to the Beach....Jak Henson, Queensland, Australia.



Fetch....The Winged Collective - Artist: Falcini & Gottgens, Victoria, Australia

Macro....Artist: Ivan Lovatt, Queensland, Australia

I have seen some wonderful exhibitions in different parts of the world from time to time but this is the first time that I have been able to combine my love of cycling with an outside exhibition on a beautiful beach.

Jack Brown - Artist: Deborah Redwood, New South Wales, Australia



Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel SIEV- Erika Mayer, New South Wales, Australia

The diversity of talent that artists continually display in exhibitions everywhere never ceases to amaze me. The power and complexity of the  brain that inspires these beautiful creations just leaves me in awe.

A Peaceful Moment-Dion Parker, Queensland, Australia

Obsession: Artist: John Fitzmaurice

Uprooted ll & Uprooted IV- Jacques Van der Merwe, Queensland, Australia

I'll leave you with these couple of quotes from world famous artists.

"The world of reality has it's limits, the world of imagination is boundless"......Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential elements of imagination"......Edward Hopper


Cheers and safe riding


Jimmy Bee

CYCLING YERONGA TO ST.LUCIA LOOP

On this ride you pass through the suburbs of Yeronga, Tennyson, Graceville, Chelmer, Indooroopilly, Ironside, St. Lucia, Dutton Park and Fairfield.  

Our intention was to leave our vehicle at the Park Road Station car park and then take the pathway to the Schonell Bridge, cycle through the grounds of the Queensland University and return to Park Road via the Jack Pesch Bridge spanning the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer. Unfortunately, the car park was full and the nearby streets had central parking restrictions necessitating in driving to the Yeronga Station car park and reversing the direction of the ride.

On leaving the station car park turn left on Fairfield Road and follow the path to King Arthur Terrace. Continue on past the Queensland Tennis Centre and over Oxley Creek to Simpson's Playground, Graceville.

Queensland Tennis Centre, Tennyson



Oxley Creek, Graceville




Brisbane River with Jack Pesch Bridge in background

Taken from the Jack Pesch Bridge

This trail is easy and relaxing as you follow the river though Chelmer to and across the Jack Pesch bridge to Indooroopilly. During the next section of the ride to Queensland University you will pass St. Peters Lutheran College on the right, continuing on past St. Lucia Golf Links and back to the river and onto the University campus.



September is the start of display after display of beautiful flowering trees in Brisbane.



Terminus Park Bougainvillea Gardens

St.Lucia Golf Links

For the last section, you have to cross back over the Brisbane River on the Eleanor Schonell Bridge, turning right on the shared path running along T J Doyle Memorial Drive and the Brisbane Corso. Continue on the pathway until you reach Anita Street. Ride along Anita Street which continues as Kadumba Street all of the way through to Fairfield Road where you turn right and follow the path to the Yeronga Rail Station.




Eleanor Schonell Bridge

Distance: Approx. 18km
Difficulty: Easy
Surface: Mainly sealed paths.



Enjoy the experience and safe cycling.

Jimmy Bee

CYCLING METAPHORS

At present I am gathering information on some recreational rides which may be of interest to my readers. In the interim I have listed here a few metaphors on cycling which you may enjoy.

 

 

 

* A bicycle is a metaphor for life.
 

* Life's journey is a bicycle ride, "Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three   things about him.

          > We know he got on the bicycle and started to move.

          > We know that at some point he will stop and get off.

          > Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and end of  his journey he stops moving and does not get off his bicycle, he will fall off it.  That is the metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing and I think of any society of living things..........William Golding

* The bicycle is the most civilised conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart..........Iris Murdoch

* Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving..........Albert Einstein

*Few articles ever used by man have created so great a revolution in social conditions, as the bicycle..........US Census Report, 1900

* The most vital element for the development of our cities is that the bicycle is an instrument of experiential understanding.

* Life's journey is a bicycle ride downhill.

 

 

 

On the lighter side........A nerd was walking down the sidewalk one day when his friend, another nerd, rode up on an incredible shiny new bicycle.

The first nerd was stunned by his friend's sweet ride and asked, "wow! where did you get such a nice bike?"

The second nerd replied, "Well, yesterday I was walking home, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up to me on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want! "

The second nerd nodded approvingly, "Good Choice. The clothes probably wouldn't have fit."
(This joke is from a compilation 'The Ten Best Bicycle Jokes of all Time' by David Fiedler, About.com)

Cheers and safe riding

Jimmy Bee

 

INTERESTING CYCLING FACTS

I don't think the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" referred in any way to nudes on bikes in Seattle but what the hell, it makes interesting viewing anyway.

It wasn't until I started researching for items to include in my blog that I came across these interesting facts.

Did you know:

It takes far less energy riding a bike to cover 1km than walking. In fact you can travel three times faster by cycling than by walking using the same amount of energy

Approximately 1 billion people throughout the world use a bicycle each day.






 




Air filled tyres were used on bicycles before they were used on cars.

 

The term "bicycle"was first used in France in the 1860s.

 

 

 

 

  

Every year approximately 50 million bicycles are produced

 

The only vehicles allowed on the small island of Prvic, situated in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea with a population of 453, are fire trucks and bicycles.

 

If you lined up all the mountain bikes in America, tyre to tyre, and then rode a bike along that line, it would take you 36 weeks, riding 40 hours per week at 24km per hour to get to the end of the line.

The most efficient animal on earth in terms of weight transported over distance for energy expended is a human on a bicycle.

Half of all the parts of a typical bicycle are in the chain.

A bike is 30 times less expensive to buy and maintain than a car.

Facts and figures can be so boring but when presented like this, it is hardly boring.

All of these photographs were sourced from Wikipedia. The photographer was Bill Simpson

 

 

Keep up with the buzz and ride safely.


Jimmy Bee

CYCLING CLIFTON to GOOMBURRA STATE FOREST

It was -6 degrees as we headed off from Clifton on the Darling Downs for a 54k ride to the Goomburra State Forest. This is most unusual for me at this time of year, as daytime temperatures in Brisbane rarely go below 15 degrees . Once I settled down and warmed up, it was no time until I was discarding excess clothing and ski gloves. It turned into a beautiful day and although winter, the scenery was just magnificent. For the recreational cyclist and photographer alike, this part of the country is ideal to cycle in during the seasonal changes as the colour of the landscapes can vary dramatically, not only on a seasonal basis but also daily and in some cases hourly.
 

 

The road to Goomburra is sealed right to the entrance of the National Park where it turns to compacted dirt for the next 5km. Even then it appears to be kept in good condition. There is only light traffic to contend with  and the terrain could be described as undulating but necessitating reasonable fitness none the less.

 

 

We had made arrangements with our wives and family to meet us at the picnic and camping ground within the state forest for lunch. The picnic they produced was superb and a nice way to relax after completing the ride. This arrangement served other purposes than meeting up for a family picnic including having back-up in the case of a major mechanical failure and transport back to Clifton.

 

After lunch we all went for a 5 km walk along the creek where the highlight was a family of young Wallabies playing in the sunlight filtering through the trees. There were also a couple of small creek crossings to ford where the crystal clear water was running with an urgency, pushing reeds aside and effortlessly running between the rocks and over pebbles to wherever it was heading. 

 

 

 I just love the feeling of meandering along a bush track following a creek line where nature accepts you as one of it's own, listening to a cacophony of sounds and taking in the slithers of light as it passes through the leaves and ricochets off the rocks beneath the water and the silvery bark of the tree trunks. Unfortunately, I neglected to  take my camera with me on the walk and therefore unable to capture this magic moment in time.

 

 

By the time we arrived back at the picnic grounds the sun had started to recede below the hills and tree line and the air was beginning to chill, warning us of another cool night ahead. We didn't care though as we knew that there was food, a fire and a couple of bottles of red just begging to be partaken of when we arrived home. The cars being packed, we headed back to Clifton for a relaxing night in front of the fire.

 

The area is perfect for camping and just outside the forest, there are cabins for hire but I would suggest contacting them first to avoid disappointment. If you are aiming to spend a couple of days, there is always Clifton and Allora where there are a number of hotels offering accommodation. A quick search through Google will help you in this matter.


 

Google map of route - CLIFTON to GOOMBURRA STATE FOREST

 

 

 Cheers and safe cycling,


Jimmy Bee