Cycling with Jimmy Bee : CYCLING SHORNCLIFFE TO NEWPORT

Tuesday 17 July 2012

CYCLING SHORNCLIFFE TO NEWPORT

Shorncliffe, Sandgate, Brighton, Clontarf, Woody Point, Margate, Redcliffe, Scarborough, Newport

Our meeting place on this ride with U3A Peddling For Pleasure Group was Shorncliffe Railway Station. Once everyone had arrived our leader discussed with us the ride plan for the day which entailed the route we were to take and where we were going to stop to regroup, refresh etc.

Why pick the Railway Station, well, for a number of reasons actually. People have the opportunity of using alternative forms of transport. The station is in a handy location for people to find, and at weekends there is plenty of parking and a good park opposite to congregate.

U3A Peddling For Pleasure Group

The easiest way to find your way to the foreshore is to follow a map and then it is a simple matter of following the shared path, passing through Sandgate and Brighton and onto the Ted Smout Bridge, crossing Bramble Bay and linking Brighton with Clontarf on the Redcliffe Peninsula.

The entire strip along the foreshore has a myriad of parks with facilities such as toilets, shelters and places where you can purchase a cup of coffee or a snack. The paths are in good condition making riding a pleasure and on a beautiful sunny day when the water is glistening beside you, it would be difficult to recommend a better ride on the North side.

I can assure you that you will not become bored on this ride as you will be passing one scene after another and not all will be seascapes. Take for instance the many examples of early Australian architecture, whether it be commercial buildings, churches or housing typical of Queensland.

Snaps taken in the Shorncliffe/Sandgate area

Patterns in nature never cease to fascinate me and that is why I couldn't resist taking the photograph below at Shorncliffe. Modern art doesn't get much better than this and it is all around us, in cloud formations, flowers, sand, mud, water, leaves, the skin of animals, the feathers of birds and the list goes on. You don't have to be a Matisse to create a masterpiece, you just need a keen eye and a camera.

Low tide patterns at Shorncliffe

After many broken promises, a new duplicate bridge has at long last been built across Bramble Bay. Having it's own dedicated cycleway makes it so much better. There are so many beautiful areas on the Redcliffe Peninsula where you can stop off to take a breather, snap a photo or just admire the view. It may be to watch a skydiver floating in to land on a beach, a flock of Pelicans or a group taking advantage of the wind to fly their sophisticated kites.

Ted Smout Bridge spanning Bramble Bay

View of Woody Point from Pelican Park, Clontarf, Qld.

As we move on to Woody Point, take a photograph of the HMQS "Gayundah" wreck. The Gayundah was a unit of Queensland's early navy and was launched in Newcastle On Tyne 13th March 1884 and rermained afloat for 76 years.

HMQS Gayundah wreck

This is another ride where it is suitable to take the whole family cycling and if the entire return trip is too long, you can start and finish anywhere you please along the route. The kids will probably not notice the length of the ride providing you want to make a full day of it as there are plenty of attractions to keep them interested such as the Redcliffe lagoon for a short swim, sandy beaches, old wrecks, playgrounds and of course fish and chips.

Scenes around Redcliffe, Qld.

A lot of riders on reaching Scarborough, head for Morgan's Seafood where they settle in for a nice lunch of fresh seafood and it doesn't get much fresher as it is the retail outlet of the trawlers tied up in the harbour.