CLEVELAND, QLD. AUS. TRAINING ROUTE # 1

 

 

 

Dull and boring , this training ride ain't. Some of the scenery is breathtaking, there are enough hills to keep you interested and good roads and paths to bring the heart rate up whilst sprinting either by yourself or with a riding Buddie. It is, in my opinion, much better training with a partner because it makes you try that little bit harder, especially if you lack discipline and are easily distracted as I am.

 

Poinciana Tree adjacent to Cleveland Railway Station

This ride starts at Cleveland Railway Station and proceeds up a laneway on the eastern side of the station where it continues on to Ormiston.

 

 

Sleath Street, Ormiston

 

Here is where we encounter four hills of increasing gradient all in a row, Bainbridge Street, Crowley Street, Dundas Street East and Sleath Street (pictured). Although they are short in nature, they are quite steep and will certainly get the heart pumping.

 

 

 

Raby Bay Harbour

 

Raby Bay Beach
 

From Ormiston, we backtrack past the station and Raby Bay Harbour and head east along Masthead Drive to Raby Bay Foreshore park where you will discover a series of little beaches. 

 

 

The Lighthouse Restaurant and cafe at Cleveland Point

 

We ride along the foreshore of Raby Bay taking in the beaches and bay vistas before heading to Cleveland Point via Raby Bay Boulevard where a slight diversion will allow you to ride by the water's edge to the entrance to Endeavour Canal and then on to Cleveland Point.

 



 

The historic Grand View Hotel



Linear Park, Cleveland

Having ridden around the foreshore of the point, you then head along  past the historic Grand View Hotel situated on Shore Street North adjacent to Linear park which incidentally, has a path running through the entire length of it. Being a training run though, it is better to stick to the road.

 

Eddie Santagiuliana Way

 

A pleasant distraction on Eddie Santagiuliana Way

 

Another pleasant portion of the ride takes us along Eddie Santagiuliana Way which should be avoided on weekends due to the popularity of the area for both recreational riding and walking. This area can be avoided by taking Passage Street, but only if you are strictly a roadie as the road is not nearly as pleasant as the pathway although a tad slower than the road.

 

 

Take notice of diversion from track to road

 

Once reaching Oyster Point, you are required to take a short diversion along Ray Street, turning left into Erobin Street, left into Passage Street, right into Long Street and left into Channel Street which will lead onto the path past Fitzroy Park.

 

 

A collage of photographs along Santagiuliana Way

 

 Once you have reached Manning Esplanade you are officially in Thornlands.

 

 

I couldn't resist taking a phot of this old tree on George Thorn Drive, Thornlands

Wonderful birdlife at the end of George Thorn Drive, Thornlands

 

Thornlands

 

Ensure you pay particular attention to your map whilst riding the Thornlands section as it is not straight forward riding. If you are using this route for training, you have a choice of riding either the pathway or the road, both carry light traffic outside the normal peak periods.

 

 

The red line denotes a partially hidden path

 

 

Parts of this portion are retracing your original route

 

I was surprised at the gradient of this hill on South Street, as well

 

Once you have reached South Street, you turn left and start the longest ascent of the ride. On reaching Bloomfield Street, take care crossing and ensure you are seen by the drivers on both sides of you. As you descend, turn right into Waterloo Street, follow your map closely and you shouldn't have any problem finding your way back to Cleveland Railway Station.

 

 

Koalas taking a midday nap

 

As you are riding in the Redlands, there is always the chance of seeing one of these cuddly little creatures perched high in the fork of a eucalyptus tree.

 

This ride is easy and as fast as you may like to make it. There are approximately 5 hills which make the ride more interesting. Distance is approximately 32 km.

 

My thanks to Google and Map my Ride as they make my life as a rider/blogger so much more interesting.

 

Cheers and safe riding,

 

Jimmy Bee

 

BRISBANE BOTANICAL GARDENS, QLD. AUS. via the Go Between bridge

Brisbane Botanic Gardens

Last Saturday I rode with U3A Peddling for Pleasure from Norman Park station to Park Road station via The Brisbane Botanic Gardens and the University of Queensland.

This river and city scape was taken from Mowbray Park in East Brisbane on a perfect winter's morning

As can be seen in the above photograph, we had the perfect weather for cycling and whilst some of the group availed themselves of the public conveniences in the park, I managed to take a couple of photographs of the Brisbane River with the city in the background. This is what living in Brisbane is all about, a modern laid back city with a beautiful river winding it's way through it, affording many spots along the river to either cycle,walk, picnic or laze in the sun in the many parks along it's banks and if that's too much like hard work, there are many restaurants to meet up with old friends to share lunch or a cup of coffee.

 

 

Dockside

 

Creative use of an old dry dock

As we continued out ride along the river we passed through Dockside which is a multi-dwelling estate built on and around the site of the old dry dock . Most of the units in this estate have extensive views of the city and it's surround and makes for a great place to live if working in the city due to it's close proximity to the CBD.

The cycleway hugging the river past Dockside heading towards the Storey bridge spanning the river at Kangaroo Point.

We followed the river through Kangaroo Point and under the Storey Bridge, past the cliffs and under the Captain Cook Bridge, past the Maritime Museum, past the South Bank Parkland and under the Victoria bridge, passing the Cultural Centre, Queensland Art Gallery, Museum and Gallery of Modern Art, under the Kurilpa Pedestrian Bridge and the William Jolley Bridge, continuing on until we reached the Go Between Bridge which we crossed to continue the ride along the Bicentennial Bike way until we reached the tunnel taking us under Coronation drive and onto Sylvan Road in Toowong, turning left onto Milton Road which lead into Mt. Cootha Road and onto the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.



Peddling For Pleasure arriving at our favourite spot in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens



The Brisbane Botanic Gardens is a sub-tropical botanic garden built on 52 hectares located at the foot of Mt. Cootha, Brisbane's tallest mountain. There is a restaurant/cafe on the grounds near the crop of bamboo depicted in the above photograph which serves takeaway coffee.

Cycling the approach to the Eleanor Schonell Bridge

We were reluctant to leave such a beautiful location but instead of returning to Norman Park we retreated as far as the Bicentennial Cycleway, turned right and headed for the University of Queensland at St. Lucia

A view of The University of Queensland

Leafy St. Lucia

Eleanor Schonell Bridge

It is only a short ride from the Gardens to the university and is quite easy to navigate. Once the Eleanor Schonell Bridge is located and crossed it is simply a matter of following the bike path to Park Road Station. The entire ride is only about 24.5 km and if the sun is shining brightly, it will be one of the most enjoyable rides you could imagine.

Although the focal point of this ride is the Botanical Gardens, it runs through the following suburbs and can be started from either end or for that matter in any of the following suburbs : Norman Park, East Brisbane, Kangaroo Point, South Brisbane, South Bank, Milton, Toowong, Taringa, St. Lucia, Dutton park (Park Road Station).

Cheers and safe riding,


Jimmy Bee

CLIFTON LOOP, QLD. AUS. via Kratzman & Old Elphinstone Road

This view was taken from the junction of Kratzman Road with the New England Highway

Cycling is made so much easier when you have smooth surfaces and captivating scenery. This particular loop could be ridden with any type of bicycle and is just one of many routes that can be taken in the Clifton district. I'm particularly lucky because normally, I get to ride in this area every four to six weeks and therefore can experience all four seasons.



This view of the flowering trees was also taken from Kratzman Road

When travelling by bicycle, there is a greater awareness of our surroundings and it is so easy to just stop and frame the scene in a moment of time.



A north west view taken from Kratzman Road

It is great to get out in the countryside away from the city buzz, however, if you are travelling by car, I find it so much harder to make the effort to stop awhile and admire the view, whereas when cycling I am compelled to, as I feel more akin to the surroundings and it's constantly changing panoramas.

This patch of sunflowers was also taken on this ride.

These photographs were taken coming into winter and as I intend to ride this route in spring you can back it in that it will be a whole different kaleidoscope of colours and a whole new suite of images.

A beautiful crop of sorghum on Old Elphinstone Road

The above map was created by using mapmyride. Of all the map sites I have tried, this one in my view is the most superior....Why?.....because it is easy to use, accurate and if required measures not only the elevation but also the gradient of the climb which can be invaluable when planning a ride.


Cheers and safe riding,


Jimmy Bee

*CYCLING PARK TO PARK, BRISBANE, QLD. AUS. -- Newstead Park to Norman Park

 

The bike way runs along the waterfront with Brisbane skyline in the background.

This ride takes you on  bike ways which run along the side of the Brisbane River for most of the journey and as such makes it one of the most picturesque rides in Australia.



This is a good representation as to how the  upper scene would have looked in the mid to late 1800's

This waterfront is steeped in history. Up until quite recently, this was all wharf area originally  servicing sailing ships bringing whatever was needed in starting up a new colony including  wide eyed migrants from the other side of the world with expectations of making a new life for themselves and their families. My own family ancestors would have been on one or other of those ships in the mid 1800's as they originated from Ireland, Scotland and England. If only they could see it now.

 

 



American forces base in Bulimba, Qld. with troopship in the background





 

During World War 2, Brisbane was the staging post for the battle of the Pacific with General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters located here. As well as our own troops, there were thousands of Americans and hundreds of warships moving in and out of Brisbane during these turbulent years.

 

 

 



The entrance to Breakfast Creek from the Brisbane River



 

 As this ride is from Newstead park to Norman Park, we start from the entrance to Breakfast Creek which runs adjacent to the northern side of the park. Just for your information, there are some fantastic rides on the other side of this creek as well, a number of which I have already posted about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Above are an assortment of views on this bike way as it makes it's way from Newstead Park through Teneriffe, New Farm, Brisbane City, past the City Botanic Gardens, across the Goodwill Bridge to South Brisbane.

After crossing the Brisbane River the ride meanders through Kangaroo Point, East Brisbane to Norman Park. Following are a number of views of this stretch of the south side of the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This ride is suitable for the family, being 36km long and if this proves to be too long there is the option of catching a ferry back from several ferry terminals along the way.

Brisbane may not be the tourist mecca of the world but it is a great place to live. Perhaps I am wrong with this statement, as a British Rugby Union fan visiting our beautiful city a short time ago said,  "In Brisbane you don't have to make plans you just hit the town and wing it for a fantastic time."

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee