CYCLING TO THE GALLERY OF MODERN ART (GOMA) IN BRISBANE, QLD. AUS.

The tremendous advantages of owning and riding a bike are numerous but in this post, I'm only going to touch on one.....commuting to busy entertainment precincts ......the traffic is always chaotic and the parking is either pretty much non existent or it will cost you an arm and a leg. However, if you are savvy, real savvy you will take your bike with you. Now, I don't know where you live, nor how close to the venue you can find a park but I can tell you that here in down town Brisbane, in the entertainment and cultural precincts you  can normally find free parking, out of business hours, within a couple of kilometres. It is then a simple matter of hopping on the bike, riding the short distance and locking the bike to a suitable object close and handy to the venue and with a bit of luck the said bike will still be there on your return. Chances are, you will be as fresh as a daisy when you get there and the money you save on parking will pay for the beer you know you are going to have when you arrive.

Pretend for one moment that you are a Brisbanite. Yes! there are such people and most of them are nice and law abiding but like all societies there is that one rotten apple of a thief who preys on cyclists trying to do the right thing, doing his or her part in lowering greenhouse gases, preventing unnecessary traffic congestion and most of all saving a buck by not paying the ridiculous parking fees demanded in entertainment/cultural areas.

Most rotten apple bicycle thieves in Australia are opportunists, which means that if they are confronted with any type of secure device they will quickly move on to a bicycle which is not secured. They also like areas that are concealed from the public gaze not ones that are well lit.

Which means that if you secure your bike to a nice well lit, healthy tree with plenty of passers by, you stand a better than even chance of having the bike there when you return. On the other hand, if you have a mean nasty streak, you may secure the bicycle to the steel support holding up the heavy branch secretly hoping that the nasty thief cuts through the steel support, releases the bike, and the branch minus the support falls on him without so much as putting a scratch on the bike.

 Please don't secure the bike to a valuable art work that is the property of our Founding Fathers, otherwise the wrath of hell will ascend and engulf both you and your bike.

 

Maybe, you could get away with it once.......maybe.

The whole point of this piece of theatre so far is to tell you that I do possess a small amount of culture in me somewhere and I do enjoy the exhibitions put on from time to time at GOMA and that the best way to travel to this venue is by bike, particularly during daylight hours.

Just to prove a point that GOMA is a great place to visit, take a peek at the following photographs.

Of course the above photographs are only a small sample of what some of the exhibitions have to offer.

Try driving, parking and then cycling to a venue, you may like it but I don't think I would try this if going to see the Russian Ballet dressed up in all of your finery but it certainly works if you are off to a more informal event such as a gallery, museum or even a matinee of a musical performance.

Don't be like me and arrive to find you have forgotten your bicycle lock otherwise you may face the conundrum of having to make the choice of leaving your bike unlocked and hope that it will be there when you return, or ride back to your vehicle all forlorn disappointed.

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

CYCLING MORNINGSIDE TO NORMAN PARK, QLD. AUS. via Hamilton & South Bank

 

To-day's ride is a little different from the norm. in that we took the train from Cleveland to Morningside, rode to Oxford Street Bulimba via Hawthorne and then caught the up river ferry to Bretts Wharf at Hamilton on the opposite side of the Brisbane River.

 

 

The beautiful old Bulimba Ferry Terminal

 

Brisbane Powerhouse

A short ride along the river, across Breakfast Creek and we were at the Brisbane Powerhouse, where we enjoyed a relaxing cup of coffee whilst socialising beside the Brisbane River.



New Farm Park in October

 

Mural outside New Farm Library

On leaving the Powerhouse we continued along the river past New Farm. New Farm is packed with history which I'll leave to another day but as we are passing New Farm park, I'll take this opportunity to place a couple of photographs in this post which may go some way to show why it is becoming increasingly popular, especially at weekends. 

An interesting aspect of the high rise of the CBD looking through the structure of the Story Bridge

Looking south along the Brisbane river as seen from the northern approach to the Story Bridge



City of Brisbane, Qld., Australia

U3A's Peddling For Pleasure Group making their way along the North side of the river

  If your bicycle is going fast enough in a straight line, you cannot fall over.... Anonymous

 





A group of Peddling For Pleasure warriors crossing the Go Between bridge

I suppose that was what attracted me to the bicycle right from the start. It is not so much a way of getting somewhere as it is a setting of randomness; it makes every journey an unorganised tour....Daniel Behman (The man who loved bicycles).

       

 

 



 



There is no doubt that there is a bicycle revolution occurring right at this very moment throughout the world. A few years ago the number of bikes being ridden on Australian roads and paths was infinitesimal, now they are everywhere and the government to give it credit is slowly coming up to the mark and introducing the infrastructure to make cycling safer. If my hunch is correct, the incoming Prime Minister, after the federal election next Saturday, should, as an enthusiastic cyclist himself, improve cycling safety throughout Australia exponentially.

 



 

City Cat

 



It was gratifying to find that the skipper of the City Cat was only too pleased to welcome our group on board to take us across the river on the start of this journey. It makes life so much easier to be able to commute by public transport and take your bike with you.

 

 

Another view of our great city

 



 Cycling through South Bank afforded us many beautiful scenic panoramas of our city. Tourists and locals alike can easily access the city centre by bus, train or ferry.

 



 

 

 



As we approached the Goodwill Bridge, we had a decision to make. Do we continue along the river or do we divert and take the cycleway running along the freeway? Normally, we would continue our ride along the river, however, on this occasion we decided to take the latter option and follow the freeway for no other reason than we hadn't done it before.

 

I was reading the blog  "Fat Cyclist" http://www.fatcyclist.com/2012/08/01/a-handy-guide-to-climbing-grades/ to-day regarding climbing grades and it brought home a certain truth "Among those in the know, the 1-2% grade is commonly called 'the grade of deception,' because it leads you to forget the hard realities that steeper grades will remind you of. Forcefully."

 

It was one such hill that we were about to climb. To start with, it didn't seem much. Didn't need to stand on the pedals, kept increasing speed, not hitting a brick wall but it just went on and on and on, very much like a rail trail going up hill. By the end of it, my legs knew that they had been under added pressure.

 

This final part of the ride ending at Norman Park Station, was pleasant enough but I wouldn't  normally deviate from sticking to the river for the very good reason that the river ride is much more interesting and scenic and being a photographer of sorts, this appeals to me.

 

Cheers and safe riding,

 

 

Jimmy Bee

  

REGIONAL FLAVOURS, SOUTH BANK, BRISBANE. AUSTRALIA with Jimmy Bee

South Bank outlined in blue

Every city in the world has a pearl within it's oyster and so it is with Brisbane's South Bank. It is the place where locals and tourists mingle. In some cities this takes the form of a square or plaza, in others it is the bank of a river but wherever it is, it draws crowds. Perhaps it is the entertainment or maybe the atmosphere, never the less it radiates a certain vibrancy and people gather.

 

On this particular day, my wife and I were riding through South Bank, unaware that a  special event was taking place here, so we decided to lock up the bikes and take a stroll to investigate.

 

We were pleasantly surprised to come across the annual "Regional Flavours" which is a showcase of approximately 100 food and lifestyle providers from across Queensland. Whilst browsing the myriad of tents, we were able to sample a diverse amount of the most incredible food  as well as finding out about some of the lifestyle alternatives that exist in this great state.

A sample of  some of the various providers at Regional Flavours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always find attending a country fair or a regional expo exciting as it gives me an opportunity to have some fun using my camera where, with a little bit of thought, can enhance the storyline.

 

 

 

We ended up sitting on the sidewalk outside a little cafe with an ice cream and a cup of coffee and just people watched, which is a great way to pass the time at an event such as this. 

 

Cheers and safe riding,

 

 

Jimmy Bee

 

CYCLING COOCHIEMUDLO ISLAND, QLD. AUS.

Boats off Coochiemudlo Island

Coochiemudlo Island is a small island only 5 square kilometres in size but having 4 kilometres of beautiful safe beaches and situated only a short ferry ride from Victoria Point in Queensland. I feel embarrassed to tell you that I have resided in the Redlands shire for 30 years and although I have walked around the island and also kayaked around it, I have never attempted to ride around it.
 

 

 



The Isle of Coochie as it is sometimes referred to.



 

 A short while ago, a group of us dedicated recreational cyclists decided it was time to transport our bikes across to the island and explore it. Normally cycling around such a short distance wouldn't take long, however, in this instance, there is so much to see that it was well worth the trip and I hope that my photography will do it enough justice that you the reader will enjoy it as much as we did.
 

 

 

 

 



 



 

 

The island has quite an historical standing as well with the famous explorer and navigator, Matthew Flinders whom most Australians would remember from their early childhood history lessons, actually landed on this island in 1799. There is no evidence to say that there was ever any aboriginal settlement on the island but we do know that the Koobinpul Klan visited the island regularly due to a number of stone artifacts and middens being located on the island. The island also held some importance during the 2nd World War with the beaches being used by the 43rd Landing Craft Company.

 

 



Morton's Steps



When I come across old steps seemingly leading to no where, I tend to become curious, like, who built them, when and why? In this particular case, my questions were easily answered by a sign nearby.

 

 

 

 

An awful lot of time can be wasted musing over such things but I have found in the past that sometimes digging a little further into the history of the object often pays dividends and if nothing else, keeps the imagination fertile.
 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever dreamed of escaping the city madness and heading to a deserted island? The isle of Coochie may well be what you are looking for.....not exactly deserted....but .....look at those beaches. if you can't find peace and solitude here, you won't find it anywhere. One pointer though.......don't come on a weekend when the sun is blazing because that water and sand is like the Genie that offers that one wish.....the only problem.......she offers it to everyone and they all accept. Hundreds of the buggers.
 

 

 

 

It would appear that the locals use bicycles to commute from home to the ferry and that to me makes a whole lot of sense. The roads, in the main, are in good order and it is easy cycling. It costs far less to replace a bike than it does a car when the inevitable rust sets in and it's good for the environment. It's a win, win, win situation.

It's obvious that some people think it's a pretty cool place to live.




Coochiemudlo Kiosk

I can honestly say that everyone enjoyed this ride immensely and before we departed we sat outside the
Coochiemudlo kiosk and ate some very impressive homemade apple pies with our mandatory coffee.


Surface: A combo. of bitumen and dirt tracks.

Difficulty: Easy

Bike: Any type

Family friendly: Absolutely


Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee



CLEVELAND TO VICTORIA POINT, QLD. AUS. and return

The U3A Peddling for Pleasure Cycling Group of which I am an active member, recently conducted a ride from Cleveland to Victoria Point and return. Conditions were perfect, sunshine, no wind and a high tide, making it a very pleasant ride. The weather this season has been extremely unpredictable with four seasons in a day experienced. This is more akin to our southern cousins in Victoria, however, there have been pockets of absolutely delightful weather and I have been lucky to have been riding these occasions.



Cleveland Harbour

The Railway Station, the starting point of this ride is adjacent to Cleveland Harbour and provides a most satisfying spot to gaze at the moored boats whilst waiting for the other members of the group to turn up.

A natural freshwater pond to the side of the shared path in Cleveland

A shared path on this ride

This view was taken from a quiet suburban Street in Thornlands

 

I love riding from  Cleveland to Victoria Point because it involves riding on a variety of paths, bush tracks, quiet suburban streets and a short stint on a busy main road but one with a wide dedicated cycling lane.  Riding on busy roads has the nasty habit of bringing one back to reality, where full concentration is required and this is pure anathema to the recreational cyclist whose whole existence is about enjoying one's surroundings.

 

 



Melaleuca forest at Point Halloran



This is one of those beautiful rides where one minute you are travelling through natural dry eucalypt and melaleuca forest and the next riding beside the sea. It was a Saturday morning and there were walkers and cyclists everywhere enjoying themselves. Sailing boats and kayaks making the most of the pleasant conditions on the bay and lots of seabirds soaring and diving for a meal. Each corner turned revealed another amazing view to take in. It was great to be alive.

 

 

We arrived at Victoria Point and the group opted for a takeaway coffee sitting down by the sparkling water to enjoy it whilst relaxing and taking in the views.

 

On our way back to Cleveland we took an alternative route along bush trails and paths which lead us back to Cleveland Railway Station.

 

 

Distance: 41 km.

Surface: Varies from cement paths to bitumen surface to bush track. All of which are in good order.

Type of bike required: Suitable for most bikes.

Difficulty: Easy.

Family friendly: Suitable for older children under supervision because of the main road (1 km). The earlier the start, the less traffic.

 

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee