Calendar


Trip Diary

08-2012 Peel Island (An Ekka tradition)
08-2012 Moreton Island
07-2012 Rocky Point
06-2012 Blakesleys
06-2012 The Bedroom
05-2012 Breakfast on Karragarra
05-2012 St Helena
05-2012 Perigee Bedroom
02-2012 Queen Mary II
02-2012 Mud Island
11-2011 St Helena
11-2011 Shorncliffe to Redcliffe
10-2011 Weinam Ck to Dunwich
10-2011 Peel Island
10-2011 Breakfast on Karragarra
10-2011 St Helena and Green Island
09-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
08-2011 Fraser Island
08-2011 Canaipa Passage
08-2011 Karragarra
08-2011 Stradbroke Island
07-2011 St Helena
07-2011 So long, and thanks for all the fish.
05-2011 Green Island
05-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
04-2011 Upper Noosa River Weekend
04-2011 Easter at Woodgate
04-2011 Mud Island
04-2011 Karragarra for Breakfast
02-2011 Bongaree
02-2011 St Helena
01-2011 Weinam Ck to Blakesleys
10-2010 Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail
10-2010 Whitsundays
09-2010 Mud Island
09-2010 Redcliffe
09-2010 Girraween
08-2010 Upper Noosa River
08-2010 Potts Point
08-2010 Peel Island
08-2010 Gateway to City Bike Ride
08-2010 Mud Island
07-2010 Blakesleys Afternoon Paddle
07-2010 Kedron Brook to Scaborough (and return)
04-2010 Colmslie Beach
04-2010 Brighton Park
01-2010 Nundah Creek
01-2010 Blakesleys
01-2010 Upper Noosa River (with a difference)
01-2010 New Year Paddle
12-2009 Potts Point
08-2009 Raby Bay to Peel Island
08-2009 Wynnum Creek to King Island
07-2009 Sandgate to Redcliffe
05-2009 St Helena
04-2009 Wellington Point to Peel
04-2009 Breakfast on Karragarra
03-2009 King Island
03-2009 Mission Point
03-2009 Mud Island
01-2009 Morning Tea at The Pin
01-2009 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
01-2009 New Year Recovery Paddle
12-2008 Caniapa
12-2008 Pine Rivers
11-2008 Coochie Night Paddle
10-2008 Breakfast at Karragarra
10-2008 Girraween
10-2008 Coomera Falls Circuit
09-2008 Hinchinbrook Island
09-2008 Manly Harbour Festival
09-2008 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2008 Weekend at Blakesleys
08-2008 Old Woman Island
08-2008 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
07-2008 Upper Noosa River
07-2008 Weinam Creek to Dunwich
06-2008 Scarborough to Bongaree
06-2008 Wellington Pt to St Helena
06-2008 North Stradbroke Jazz Weekend
05-2008 Point O'Halloran to Blakesleys
04-2008 Upper Noosa River
04-2008 Aquatic Paradise to St Helena Is
04-2008 Eprapah Creek
03-2008 Paradise Point to Moreton Island
03-2008 Wynnum Ck to Tangalooma Point
03-2008 Amity Point weekend
03-2008 Bremer River
03-2008 Brisbane River - Gregors Ck to Barneys Rocks
02-2008 Play Day - Coochie Mudlo
02-2008 World Wetlands Day Paddle
02-2008 Brisbane River night paddle
01-2008 Australia Day Week
01-2008 Blakesleys 3/4 Moon Paddle
01-2008 Shorncliffe to Nudgee
01-2008 Brisbane River - Barneys Rocks to O'Sheas Crossing
12-2007 Raby Bay to One Mile via Blakesleys and Potts Point
12-2007 Diamond Head to Tipplers
12-2007 Wynnum Ck to Green and St Helena Islands
11-2007 Bike Ride Bay Islands
11-2007 Tingalpa Creek
10-2007 Potts Point Night Paddle
10-2007 Return to Gilligans Island
10-2007 Salt Water Creek and Coomera River
09-2007 Elimbah Creek
09-2007 Scarborough to Caboolture River
09-2007 Fraser Island Whale Watching
09-2007 Circumnavigate Russell Island
08-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
08-2007 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2007 Brisbane River City Reach
08-2007 Peel Island
08-2007 Brisbane River
08-2007 Green Island Day Trip
07-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
07-2007 Mooloolah River
07-2007 USS Kitty Hawk in Brisbane River
06-2007 Black Tie on Peel Island
05-2007 Harrys Hut Camping Weekend
04-2007 Theodolite Creek
04-2007 Upper Burrum River
04-2007 Circumnavigate Big Woody
04-2007 Walkers Point to Toogum
03-2007 Boat Passage to Big Sandhills
12-2006 Woodgate to Mon Repos
10-2006 Fraser Island Whale Watching
04-2005 Keppel Islands
12-2004 Fraser Island
10-2004 Munna Point Camping Weekend
10-2004 Mooloolaba to Maroochydore
09-2004 Coochie Mudlo Island
08-2004 Karragarra Island
07-2004 Wellington Point to St Helena Island
06-2004 Noosa River Camping Weekend
05-2004 Brisbane River Night Paddle
04-2004 Budds Beach to Moreton Island
10-2003 Bulwer to Tangalooma
05-2003 Eatonsville to Harwood Island

Links

SEQSK Discussion Group
SEQSK Newsletters
Adventurer Anthony Malloch

Gateway to City Bike Ride
Date: 08-08-2010
Launch: Coorparoo
Distance: 41km
Grounded. By lack of a suitable boat and desertion of two paddling companions. One went west, the other south. There isn't enough glass in a Raider to stomach a grounding along some of the races of Upper Brisbane River so it was on the bikes. We decided on a circuit that would take us out over the new Gateway Motorway Bridge, in via the City returning to Coorparoo on the usual eclectic suite of roads, footpaths and walking/cycle paths that are Brisbane's so called network of bikeways.

To give myself half a chance of keeping face with the pace I fed Mark a nice big helping of spag bol for lunch, getting him to finish off my last plateful for good measure. Worked a treat.

The ride started with the usual grind up and over the hills (burp) that bound Coorparoo then down to Carina to find the cycle path off Meadowlands Road. On a downhill run a wooden panel gate which is usually closed was open and a ute parked on the curb with landscape supplies in the back. On Sunday afternoon this looked like a potential for whoever was there to collect a bicycle in a barrow. A tinkle on a warning bell was met my a muffled apology from over the fence - no worries mate, just didn't want to be added to the load.

Passing through Minnipi Parkland with it's Sunday quota of family picnics it was onto the precarious Wynnum Rd. Here you enjoy the risk of your life imitating the art of the painted squashed bicycles marking where to ride. A risk reduced by the recent inclusion of a cycle path which ducks under the road surfacing next to the velodrome. Mighty tempting to go for a doddle around this in a counterclockwise direction to meet and greet the fragile branded flyers with our sturdy hulks. Minding our warped manners we plodded onto the circuit in the appropriate direction and witnessed a splat and spat in the making. A branded flyer was getting his partner into her clips for the first time, it didn't seem to be going too well and there hadn't been one rotation of the peddles.

Onto the $200 000 upgrade to a so called cycleway on Queensport Rd. Signified by a yellow line and more cyclist tributes, that paint must either be special stuff or there is a lot of money in reserve ready to paint some more tributes when cars fail to recognise or see the cycle lane. At the top of the hill was the nemesis. Crawling with traffic and looking a right construction mess at the base, Leo's bridges rose up and over the river. Maybe the paint is expensive because where to go was now pointed out by some of white laminated A4 posters taped to posts with "CYCLISTS" and an arrow.

We duly rode through the crash barrier lanes onto a wide path similar in design to that on the Ted Smout Bridge with cyclists to keep west of the solid line. Certainly no hassles with that - we only saw three on the entire bridge and only a few more pedestrians. The incline was moderate, but the windows about a third of the way up called for a looksee. Don't go straight to the top expecting a drink from a fountain - for some reason these are only installed at the viewing stations part way up. The obligatory jump safe galvanised mesh crowded the view but allowed the wind to pass through picking up with it lots of rubbish. There was a surprising amount of plastic flying around both the bike/walk lane as well as where the cars were passing. People were grubs as usual, leaving empty drink cans behind having no further use for it.

Over the hump it was whoopee all the way down to the bottom in 3 - 8. While I peddled, Mark sat and still passed me at the bottom. Here things went a bit pear shaped. Not sure where the MBC went, but it certainly wasn't where we rode. At a busy set of lights the pedestrian button was taped over and the walk sign hooded. We turned left and rode by the beautiful and sadly derelict brick buildings that are occupied by GJames. We were then riding parallel to the railway line with the MBC poking tongues from the other side of the tracks. We passed a small disused heavily vandalised train station, behind light industries and in front of the Eagle Farm TAFE. An attempt to find a rail bridge showed us a Catholic Church next to a very old Queenslander in the middle of an enormous block of land (at least 2 acres) in what was becoming Hamilton. We popped out on Nudgee Rd. Here we came across the MBC which directed us through some of the desirable addresses of Ascot. Desired by distracted motorists too, the only advantage for cyclists being that the places they were looking at and the car they were driving suggested they could meet your funeral expenses and sponsor a few more tributes on the road.

Skittering down Riverview Terrace it was across Kingsford Smith Drive to the shared footpath. Now it become apparent why this is a tosser free zone. Rough as guts this path would buckle those delicate rims. A small sandy beach had revealed itself at the foot of beautiful park. It looked like a real possibility for a kayak pit stop, if you could put up with the noise of the traffic. Instead of following the riverfront we decided to look for the cycleway that ran alongside the ICB. We ended up amongst the strudel around Abbottsford Rd and had a promising start with a cycle tunnel but that was where it too went pear shaped. The cycle lane was closed and instead we had landed in the the midst of the Ekka on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Many streets were closed, but not for bicycles. We were waved on by all and even had one lane to ourselves with the other taken by a long line of cattle trucks and the footpath home to tent accommodation. Incredibly the pedestrian walk light was malfunctioning outside one of the main gates to the grounds opposite the RBH. By the second change of the lights there was a mutiny and the crowd surged onto the road, ready or not, cars or no cars. After the solitude of the Gateway Bridge the noise and colours of the Ekka were more than intrusive. We made a welcome getaway to Victoria Park. It was then we heard the distinctive chuff chuff of a steam loco which also explained why people were standing on the overpass with a cam corder. I had thought it an art shoot while Mark had entertained it as a vantage spot for capturing mates hooning for posting on UTube. We found a place with a clear view of Blue Bell and her eight silver carriages and waved them by. By the time we got to Roma Street the familiar sound and smell were there too and I swear I copped a faceful of ash to add to the authenticity.

Last time we peddled in the opposite direction. When we came off the Kurilpa Bridge we got lost and found ourselves peddling around the forecourt of some inner city building. This time it was like riding the green carpet. A bright green two way cycle lane with little white tributes and a concrete curb to give motorists less of an incentive to mow you down. These city cyclists must have good lawyers, no such protection out in the burbs. It was a great ponse, almost started to feel entitled and develop an attitude.

Over the bridge and into the vagaries of South Bank. Talk about unpredictable pedestrians, they certainly don't need ipod induced deafness to add to the mix. The cycle path has been opened right down to where the mangroves are being ripped out at the base of the Goodwill Bridge. The pull up the hill out of South Bank and onto the cycle path was most welcome as it culls the pedestrian element. Parts of this path have recently been upgraded and are superb. We flicked off at the the overpass in Woolloongabba and returned to the patchwork of what Brisbane cycle paths are really all about. By now the legs were starting to notice what they had been doing for the past couple of hours and the downside of living up a hill is the last leg which at times I doubt my legs will last. We turned into the driveway with half an hour of light to spare and greeting from puss.

This 40Km circuit is an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Next time we will poke around at the bottom of the bridge and find the MBC. If you allow around 3 hours it gives grace for places like South Bank and about the right amount of time to be home in time for a BBQ on the deck.
Gateway from the Port Road overbridge
View from one third of the way up
Bretts Wharf ferry terminal
 
Gateway to City Bike Ride Map