CYCLING CLIFTON TO PRATTEN via LEYBURN, QLD. AUSTRALIA

A nice rural view of the town of Clifton, taken looking east over the town . 

My brother in law, Merv. and I were up bright and early in anticipation of our country ride. We'd eaten breakfast, consulted the Met. Bureau and checked our bikes. The forecast was fine with a slight nor. easterly, which suited our planned ride. I had driven the route previously so had some idea of the quality of the road surface.

 

 

The road traffic was light so we rode abreast and chatted for the first few kilometres as we passed a lot of small crop farms closer to the town. Further on into the ride the vegetation became a mixture of open grazing and scrub.

 

 

The yellow plant is a prickly pear which is normally green in colour and would appear to be under weed control.

The pattern formed by bark is a favourite subject of mine to photograph.

Is this an old tree root or is it a fossilised monster from the past?

 

 It doesn't matter where you are or how uninteresting it appears, there is always a subject to photograph. The biggest problem is actually stopping to take the photograph when you are really enjoying the exhilarating moment of riding with a good tail wind but sometimes the urge to capture the subject is actually greater, particularly if you know you have a blog to write.

 

 

 

 

 

We had done some research prior to this ride and learnt that there was a clandestine World War 2 airstrip in this area, housing B17 Liberator bomber aircraft and we knew the general location of this old strip, so we set out to find it. Of all of the areas likely to have been an old B17 Base, this one looked to be the most likely. Looking at the above photo, it is not hard to imagine a strip running North to South, with a number of Nissen huts assembled to the side.

 

A little disappointed that we didn't find any evidence supporting our discovery, we headed for Leyburn.

 

 

 

 

As we arrived in town, we came across Liberator Park, a monument to the efforts of those who sacrificed much. The bomber crews from  21, 23 and 99 Squadrons who departed Leyburn never to return. The commando unit, Z Force members who, in their small specialised groups harassed the enemy in an unconventional manner gathering intelligence and harassing the enemy in the jungles of Timor and New Guinea. A lot of these men also paid the ultimate sacrifice. For more information, cross to the following link http://www.ozatwar.com/airfields/leyburnairfield.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leyburn is a place of significant history. It was pioneered in the 1840s by William Gray Snr. who arrived in a bullock dray from Pitt Town on the Hawkesbury River. This is a reasonable distance to cover by car that alone a dray pulled by bullocks. Imagine the thoughts that ran through his head day to day and the hardships he would have endured. There would have been a lifetime of images imprinted onto his brain that unfortunately, died with him as unlike myself, he didn't have the technology to record, store and retrieve the scene at the time. Of course, he or one of his team may have been able to sketch or indeed paint, but I have not found any evidence of this.

 

 

 

 

The oldest continually licenced hotel in Queensland, the Royal Hotel, is located  in Leyburn. The licence was granted in 1854 for the original hotel called The Travellers' Home Inn. The hotel is now owned by Shane Webke, one of Queensland's favourite sons as he represented Queensland and Australia in Rugby League  and also as a media star in his own right.

 

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On a lighter note, the abandoned airfield became the site of the 1949 Australian Grand Prix. The race was held over 35 laps of a 7 km circuit over a distance of 242 kilometres. The winner was John Crouch driving a Delahay. He completed the race in 1hr 49m 29.2s. Each year, Leyburn hosts the Historic Motor Sprints. People come from all over Australia to take part in their historic race cars. The event is akin to a country picnic race day and takes on a carnival atmosphere. I have been to one such event and had a great time, not only watching the time trials but looking at the immaculately kept old time race cars. For more information open the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Australian_Grand_Prix

 

 

The historic St. Augustine's Anglican Church, Leyburn

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Built in 1871, this beautiful old church is said to be a replica of the church in Leyburn, Yorkshire, England. The shingled roof has been replaced twice in it's lifetime

 

Having caught up with our local history, we ventured to the only cafe/general store, where we purchased a good old fashioned pie and headed across the road to the creek where there is a lovely, well kept park equipped with picnic tables.

With the assistance of a GPS and map, we then set off for Pratten. Merv had arranged for his wife Kellie to pick us up in Pratten at the conclusion of our ride. We were within 9 km of our destination, when our pick up, in the form of a  blue Subaru came up behind us. We decided to call it a day, loaded the bikes on the back and joined Kellie and Renae, Merv's daughter for the quick drive back to Clifton.

The distance from Clifton to Leyburn is 33 km but we spent an extra 9 km looking for the old airfield. The distance to Pratten is a further 27 km., quite an easy ride for the moderate rider. The area between distance markers 35 and 40 is where we searched for the old airfield. As the runway on the old strip was 7,000ft.long, the paddock where I took the photograph would have been the most likely location.

 

Cheers and safe riding,
Jimmy Bee

 

THE HYBRID RECREATIONAL CYCLIST by Jimmy Bee

Some of our group of Hybrid Recreational Cyclists touring on their Scott hybrids in New Zealand

I've been pushing the point that I am a recreational cyclist for some time, when in fact, all but bicycle commuters and couriers are recreational cyclists and most of these groups ride on their RDO (rostered day off).

A sample of surfaces that Hybrid Recreational Cyclists travel on

 

 

My true description is Hybrid Recreational Cyclist. Why hybrid? well! the people I ride with, in the main, ride hybrid bikes and we ride on a combination of surfaces from bitumen to single trail. On any given ride, we can change a number of times from riding on a bitumen road, usually within a dedicated bike lane but not always, to off road cement shared paths to dirt tracks through the forest.

 

 

 

Discussing anything except bikes....perhaps because few of us know anything about them

 

We are different from the groomed lycra 'roadies', in that when we stop for a coffee break, they look immaculate and ultra fit as if they don't really sweat when they are riding. Even if you are blind, the roadies can be heard crossing a hard surface when their exposed cleats make contact with the floor. Their conversations usually centre around their expensive bikes, bike parts and pb's (personal best times). On the other hand, the 'hybrids' usually look like something the cat has dragged in, of all shapes and sizes, dressed in an assortment of hand me downs, seldom in lycra and overall, looking like the poor country cousin. The majority of our group don't use cleats, they don't even wear proper cycling shoes and therefore can glide across the floor of a coffee shop like a Ninja, without an audible sound. The conversation differs as well, we usually spend our half hour solving the problems of the world.....a casual listener would wonder in awe, on listening into our conversation. 'Why should we bother voting for politicians at all', as it would seem, listening to this group, that all politicians are useless and our little group had all of the answers and would cost a whole lot less.

 

Like religion, there are differences, but, in general the creed is the same. We all love cycling and how it makes us feel. We all cycle to keep fit and the vast majority see the bicycle as being far superior to the automobile. As far as doing our fair share in keeping the coffee culture alive, I believe we well and truely subscribe to that culture.

 

 

Wikipedia Commons image

 

What about the rock hoppers, commonly called mountain bikers? I can't really tell you much about them as they are a secretive lot, somewhat like the Masons and like them, their heritage stems from rocks. I do know however, that there are few if any coffee outlets in the areas where they perform so they can't possibly be pulling their weight in keeping the coffee culture alive.

I'll finish this post with the following quote attributed to Daniel Behman :

        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).

 

 

 Cheers and safe riding,

 

 

Jimmy Bee

 

CYCLING FROM DUTTON PARK to NORMAN PARK, QLD, AUS. via Indooroopilly.

 

 

Spring in Brisbane is a magical time. Beautiful sunshine and superb colour can change a person's whole outlook on the world and there is no better way of experiencing this wonderful feeling of freedom than to cycle along the paths and trails of Brisbane. If Monet was still alive today, he would have had a ball bringing these scenes to life. 

Jacaranda trees fronting the Brisbane River

A lovely splash of colour



An arbour cover in Bougainvillea in full bloom

Once the gloomiest place in Brisbane, a place where no one wanted to enter the gates of.......Boggo Road Gaol, today, looks cool and inviting.

Changing the facade of an ugly old  building can bring startling results as witnessed in changing the entrance to this old gaol with some intelligent artwork. For more information on Boggo Road Gaol, open the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boggo_Road_Gaol

 

 

 



One of the first buildings to be seen on disembarking from the train at Park Road is the old gaol but instead of being gloomy, it is now part of a modern landscape of which the mural on the facade is a pleasant interlude. If you would like to know more about the Ecosciences precinct, please open the following link http://www.science.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v4/apps/web/content.cfm?id=16773

This is a Map my Ride map

Of course, you don't have to use the railway to partake in this particular ride, it is convenient for our group to travel by rail with our bikes from Cleveland. We find that in most cases when starting a ride away from our district it is more convenient to travel as a group by rail and inexpensive as well.

Follow the bike path down to the river passing under the Schonell Bridge and turning left into The Corso. Rather than trying to give you turn by turn directions, you either contact Translink and ask them to forward you a map, use your GPS system or simply download a map from Map my Ride or a similar organisation. Either way, it is quite simple to find your way on this ride.




Jack Pesch Cycle Bridge
 

St. Lucia Golf Links



The Bicentennial Bike way

The ride takes you across the Brisbane River via the Jack Pesch cycle bridge, through Indooroopilly, past the St. Lucia Golf Links where our group stopped for coffee etc.We then proceeded through the University of Queensland campus, under the Schonell Bridge on the northern side, eventually linking up with Coronation Drive, where we followed the bike way until we reached the Goodwill Bridge where we crossed the Brisbane River again, through Kangaroo Point, continuing along the river until we reached Norman Avenue, which lead us to Norman Park Station and the end of the ride.

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 30 km
Surface: Off road paths and bitumen suburban streets.
Highlight: Pleasant suburban ride

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

LOCATING A GEM IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD, QLD. AUS. whilst CYCLING







I set out this morning seeking to do some serious hill work. Serious! well, riding up a few inclines anyway. I'm not really a serious cyclist. What I mean is, I take my cycling seriously but not to the extent that some of the cycling programmes would like me to take it. I'm not into lycra , nor am I into PB's. I really like the recreational and social aspect of cycling and the fact that it is a vehicle I can confidently use both on and off road and in so doing, enables me to take photographs and write blogs.

 

The Platypus Corridor in Alexandra Hills, Queensland

It is my intention when writing my blog to take you the reader along for the ride and for you to witness in part what I see on these rides and with a little luck you may get the inclination to go out and do it all yourself where ever you may live. It is not necessary to own an expensive bike but it is handy to have a reliable one. If you have read a recent post of mine on photographing patterns and would like to try your hand at that, you don't need to have an expensive camera to do that either. In fact, having an expensive bike or camera is not going to make that much difference in the beginning but as you progress, particularly in the case of photography having the better equipment will certainly enhance your result.



Dundas Street, Ormiston. This hill is steeper than you would think. A 13 - 20% gradient
 

 

 

Now back to the ride. I did manage to climb some reasonable gradients which should help me on my planned country ride in a few days time but the highlight of the ride was that I found a trail which I had not ridden before and although it was quite short I was pleased to have come across it.

 

 

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

 



As I was riding alongside the creek line, I kept an eye out for the elusive platypus but unfortunately to no avail. These beautiful, furry, duck billed creatures are very shy and love their watery seclusion. You can learn more about the duck billed platypus by dabbing on the following link http://www.australianfauna.com/platypus.php

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

This area is the home of the Squirrel Glider as well, and although I stopped on numerous occasions and searched the tree tops, it was all to no avail, which left me a little dejected in the 'Big White Hunter' category......  No Platypus and no Squirrel Glider. Perhaps if I had a naturalist riding with me who was knowlegeable in these matters I may have had more success. Open this link for more information on the Squirrel Glider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrel_glider

 It's amazing how suburbia can co-exist with nature and no more so than on this trail, the end of which is a very busy road leading to and from Brisbane. As I was searching the creek bank and taking photographs I couldn't help but notice the similarity of the sound of a waterfall with the constant filtered sound of the traffic, no more than a couple of hundred metres from where I was.

We need all the conservation reserves we get in suburbia to stop us from succumbing to NDD (Nature Deficient Disorder).

NB. This post was originally published under the title The Platypus Corridor which was slightly incorrect. Although part of the same creek system, the Platypus Corridor was on another branch of the creek.

Cheers and safe riding and if you are on bush trails, keep a wary eye out for snakes.....it's the season.

Jimmy Bee

 

CYCLING and THE NATURAL PATTERNS OF LIFE by Jimmy Bee

 

It's awhile since I posted some of the results of my other passion, photographing the natural patterns of nature. The art is within my mind, I see natural patterns in nature and I use a camera to record those images. I may be walking or cycling along a path in the bush and I focus on a pattern which I feel would make a good image. Are my photographs enhanced? Yes and No. The pattern is not enhanced but sometimes I manipulate the colours to enhance the pattern and make what I would like to think is a piece of art.

 

Who would think that a simple patch of ferns could produce such a lovely piece of art.

 

 

 

 

 

The above image is of a small portion of a large sandstone block used in the production of a sea wall. I was taken with the randomness of the colours and how they blended as well as the texture of the sandstone.

 

 

 

 

This photograph is of a small portion of a leaf. I doubt any human artist could conceive the complexity within this pattern. Perhaps a futuristic town planner with an eye for detail could plan a residential development with similar characteristics. At least it wouldn't be boring.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this spectacle of colour was the result of the lens being squarely pointed at the centre of a volcano. In fact it is merely a dollop of sap from a Norfolk pine tree.

The above image was taken showing the pattern at the bottom of a seaside rock pool. How many times have you walked over the rocks at a beach and been so much in awe at the seascape, you failed to see the intricate detail in the little pools of water at your feet.

Mother nature can be cruel but she can also be extremely generous as in this case where she has provided a natural spectacle in the form of a piece of bark from an Australian eucalyptus tree.

It is almost as if an award winning graphic artist has added this beautiful design to the shell of the tortoise.

 

The next time you go out cycling in a park or walking in the woods or strolling along a beach or even a suburban street, be more aware of your surroundings and you too will notice the patterns of nature.

 

Cheers and safe riding,

 

 

Jimmy Bee

CYCLING POETRY with Jimmy Bee

Every now and then I try to break up the pattern of my posts by entering something a little different and when I read this poem by Henry Beeching, I felt I had to  include it in my blog. 

 

Going Down Hill on a Bicycle
by Henry Charles Beeching
A Boy's Song With lifted feet, hands still, I am poised, and down the hill Dart, with heedful mind; The air goes by in a wind. Swifter and yet more swift, Till the heart with a mighty lift Makes the lungs laugh, the throat cry:— "O bird, see; see, bird, I fly. "Is this, is this your joy? O bird, then I, though a boy, For a golden moment share Your feathery life in air!" Say, heart, is there aught like this In a world that is full of bliss? 'Tis more than skating, bound Steel-shod to the level ground. Speed slackens now, I float Awhile in my airy boat; Till, when the wheels scarce crawl, My feet to the treadles fall. Alas, that the longest hill Must end in a vale; but still, Who climbs with toil, wheresoe'er, Shall find wings waiting there. Henry Charles Beeching was born in 1859 and died in 1919. He was educated at The City of London School and later at Balliol College, Oxford. Beeching was a clergyman who became the Dean of Norwich. He was also an author and poet.

 

I can vividly remember flying down a hill at the ripe old age of fifteen on my Speedwell Fleetwing with no gears and only a back pedal brake to slow the pace. To make matters worse, it was winter,  the road was icy and at the bottom I had to make an acute right hand turn. Suffice to say I didn't make it. As I attempted to turn, the bike slipped out from under me and I skidded right across the intersection, up over a gutter and came to rest at the door of the hotel's public bar. The event emptied the bar as everybody came out to investigate the noise and although I was helped to my feet, I copped a fair whack of abuse for being stupid, that is after they determined I was O.K. The embarrassment was more acute than the actual gravel rash and bruising.

As a boy, I was always seeking adventure or fantasising about it. It was the era when kids roamed free, read comics about their fictional heroes and re-enacted the scenes from the Saturday afternoon cinema matinee. My bike was my most precious possession and I used it daily.

I remember one particular summer's day when a small group of friends rode to the top of the largest mountain in our area, some 5000 ft. above sea level. When I say rode, I say it lightly because we actually had some help in the form of semi-trailers. In those days, semi-trailers weren't as powerful as they are now and they actually struggled to make it to the top of the mountain with a full load. Boys being boys, we took advantage of this and held onto the side of the semi on the steepest climbs. It all sounds extremely dangerous, but in fact, we didn't perceive it as being dangerous as the semi would have been travelling around 5 to 10 mph, there was light traffic and it was quite easy to hang onto the side. Needless to say, we didn't inform our parents of our actions. To this day, I still love the exhileration of descending quickly down hills.

Cheers and safe riding,


Jimmy Bee
 

*CYCLING TO PELICANS FOR BRUNCH, QLD. AUS.

Pelicans

Every now and again, I am going to showcase a cafe which I like to go to when out riding. Cafes add to the social aspect of riding as well as giving the cyclist that needed hit of caffeine.

PelicansNauticalTreasures‎ can be found at 293 Esplanade, Redland Bay, Queensland, which can be quite difficult to find unless you can walk on water, have access to a boat or know the indirect route and knowing how difficult the first two can be, I'll assist you with the below map.

Once a month, I peddle with the Peddling Pathfinders from Cleveland to Redland Bay where we always ensconce ourselves in comfortable surroundings to savour a coffee before returning to Cleveland. We keep coming back for all the right reasons - it has a balcony large enough to house up to a dozen riders. We like this situation because for some unknown reason, cyclists of all creed tend to shout at each other after riding and this can be annoying to other patrons in the joint. You have a 180 degree pelican's view of the basin and inlet, the staff are attentive and the service is good and the coffee and cake etc. is always spot on.

 

 

 

 

 

As the title of this post is 'Cycling to Pelican's for Brunch' I thought I had better include a breakfast menu. I can personally vouch for the egg white only omelette, simply delightful. This is a very popular secret rendevous......Give it a go.

 

Cheers and safe riding,

 

Jimmy Bee