Tropical Townsville

so...  with all this time on my hands these days, I thought I should quickly zink up to see my daughter in Townsville before it gets toooooo roasting hot!!  maybe left that a bit late - but it was great to get back to the old stamping ground..  and Maggie came along too!

am once again impressed with the good condition Maggie arrives - just bubble-wrapped and placed in a plastic bag!  both ways she emerged with no rips or tears in the bag and no issues inside the bag!

over-looking Townsville from Mt Stuart

I arrived early in the morning and we went off to Betty Blue's for a rather flash but very tasty breakfast and welcome cup of coffee!  this was followed by some shopping and so by late afternoon we thought we would go for a nice drive up to the top of Mt Stuart so that Karina could show me where she was abseiling over the edge!!  yep, sure!  but definitely not my cup of tea!!

Launch site for abseiling down the front of Mt Stuart!

next day - I met up with some of Karina's cycle friends at Dominion Coffee after they'd done their 50km ride, while I rode about 3km to the coffee shop!!  After Karina headed off to work, I pedalled up the Ross River, after taking a short cut thru Anderson Park.

I remembered the way to the bike path that runs right along the northern side of the river, out past the Riverway.  Its a really pleasant ride and by that time of the day every bit of shade was really appreciated!

just down from Nathan St bridge

I thought I might ride all the way out to the Dam, but not long after Riverway, the path is just out in the baking sun on the side of the road, so I cut back towards the river and found a nice shady gravel walking track, which we renamed a bike path and headed back towards town.

resting in the shade

Managed to catch up with friends for a quiet cuppa before heading home in time to meet up with Karina who had knocked off early from work, so that we could go out and visit friends and meet new baby!

Friday was an early start for Karina who dashed off for another fast cycle, but again I managed to catch up with the bunch at the coffee shop - ahhh holidays!

We thought we would look for some cooler air, so we decided to head for the hills and take Ruby (Karina's new car!) for a spin up to Paluma, its always cooler up there!  well - sometimes!!  but not this time, the nice chill in the shady areas was missing!

Star Valley looks as remote as ever - because it is!!

But it was as beautiful as ever and Frosty Mango is still open and their Lime & Basil gelato is as tangy as ever!!

Saturday was a bit of a slow start - Karina had a hair appointment, which meant I got to drive Ruby, for reasons I won't explain and later, we somehow managed to squeeze in a lunch at the CBar - a fabulous location right on the Strand and the cool breeze from off the sea was very pleasant!

Pineapple juice at the CBar

Sunday started off with a mountain bike ride with one of Karina's cycle buddies - we went out to the Common and gawped at a big mob of pelicans crowding in one little puddle of water, with ibis and egrets squeezed in amongst them all.  Three brolgas got spooked by us, so they flew off, which was great as otherwise we wouldn't have seen them!  we checked the bunker but only one lapwing with chick, so rode out to Bald Rock and around to Shelley beach.  

my mountain bike buddies at Shelley Beach!

looking towards Magnetic Island

We returned via the new track along the Freshwater lagoon where there were heaps of egrets but not much else and back to Palleranda then home again.

Freshwater lagoons - a few puddles left!

after brekky and a nice long shower we attempted to catch the ferry to Magnetic Island, but missed two and ended up on the 1pm ferry.  We hired an old bright blue moke and puttered over to Horseshoe bay, occasionally finding third gear without grinding something chronic!!  Back to Alma bay for a swim with the sting rays!  thankfully the water was so clear, they were easy to spot, but a tad scary!

Alma Bay

a snooze on the grass under the coconut trees helped add to the total holiday feeling, until a crazy guy turned up who wanted to swim from Alma Bay to Arcadia and back, so as he was known to us, we waited to make sure he didn't get kidnapped by the aliens lurky on the rocky point!  we had another swim with the stingrays and waited for crazy guy to return - all good!

keeping away from the nuts!

so after dinner at Horseshoe Bay we puttered back to Nelly Bay, returned the moke key in the slot and sauntered over to wait for the return to the mainland.  

phew!!!  what a big day and a busy few days!  but all wonderful to spending time in Townsville with my daughter - my second home and one that I miss quite a bit!

Oh Island in the sun!!

South of the Border! 19-25 October 2016

Now that I have some extra time on my hands, I thought I would try a quick ride within Australia.  Have been reluctant before as motorists don't like cyclists here in Australia, but surely they are not that bad??

But the border is more than 100km from home thru mainly boring suburbs, so after a quick breakfast in the city with a good friend, I cycled over to the Roma St Station and caught a train to the end of the line - Varsity Lakes.  By then it was already noon and after a few false starts, I found a small bakery that was prepared to make me a salad sandwich and with a bottle of iced coffee, I had lunch sorted.

Riding through the Gold Coast area was how I expected it to be:  flash 4WDs with shining chrome bumper bars driving right up behind me...  stay cool!!! Eventually I was twiddling around on a bike path that should lead over the Tweed River away from all the glitz and glam...  and sure enough, once over the Tweed, I pedalled into Kingscliffe and with a lot of luck, found the wonderful bike path that runs along the foreshore all the way to Pottsville...  the regrowth along the sand dunes meant I could hear the sea, but couldn't see it...  neither could those living/visiting the flash sea side homes...

As I had started late, I was running out of daylight just before I got into Brunswick Heads, so decided to stay the night there at the Sails Motel...  after being treated to a wonderful sunset sky!

Next morning saw me pedalling ever southwards towards Lennox Head - but a zink into Byron Bay was necessary as was the coffee and apple crumble at the Twisted Sista...  wasn't too impressed with BB - sooooo many cars, soooo many cranky people so early in the morning...  where I could, I resorted to the footpaths and left the traffic jams to simmer in their own petrol fumes...  so much for alternative lifestyles...

After a minor dash along the A1 - where the shoulder was nice and wide and there were no problems, I cruised into Lennox Head...  I knew there was a climb ahead, up over a ridge to get to my friend's place and yes!  it did defeat me...  but whilst gathering my breath I was able to look down over the town and out to the sea, rolling in with a few surfers trying to dodge the sharks and catch a wave.

Looking down on Lennox Heads

And lunch with freshly baked Ikea fullkorn bread!!  yum!  so good to catch up with a good friend.

Later we took Kip down to the beach for a walk - and in the distance saw some blows from whales - and I even saw a large white flipper come out above the waves and disappear again!!  wow!!!

Kip making sure I don't get left behind :)

The next day we went for a drive up to Alstonville, which gave me a chance to check out the alt route I was thinking of taking...  hmmm.... a bit hilly, no shoulder and quite a bit of traffic... so I decided to stick on the main road, even tho it was a long and steady grind via Ballina...

I went for a short ride down to see Victoria Park - a remnant patch of rain forest and was treated to little Paddymelons hopping around, whipbirds calling and flicking leaves out of the way and a beautiful butterfly - could it have been a birdwing?


After a great vego lunch at Options, it was suggested that Maggie and me ride back to Ballina down the hill to compare the roads and it was downhill all the way!  plenty of shoulder most of the time and the traffic not too bad...  a tad scary as I was getting closer to the bottom with very strong gusty winds trying to blow me one way or the other...  but Jo was waiting at the bottom in the van so Maggie and me cruised back to Lennox in style.

beautiful jacaranda in Alstonville

Next leg of the journey was to Nimbin, so after an early brekky I was on my way, all loaded up again.  Found a nice little bike path along the shore which took me almost all the way into Ballina...  then, zinking around to get out to the huge roundabout and then up the grinding hill to Alstonville.  I think it was about 7km of up, but gritting teeth and cussing a bit, saw me get to the top without having to stop...  so to regain my strength, I went back to Options for coffee and cake and then on the hilly section to Goonellabah.  No one warned me that from there onwards it would be a wonderful downhill swoop right into Lismore - but that was fine and lots of fun!

Lunch at the Bank and then northwards to Nimbin...  I had this image of steep hills, but actually the road follows the valley past farmlands, black & white cows mainly.  As usual, the un-cared for land, with erosion along gullies with no natural protection, spoils what could have been really pretty country, but that seems to be the norm in Australia...

What did amuse me were the road art paintings alerting motorists, but especially this cyclist, to the various potholes along the road...  although no longer happening, a local artist - Roa Dart - had spent many hours of his own time,  painting patterns around hazardous sections along the road.  Thankfully most have been repaired but his art remains on the road...

There was a couple of steep narrow pinches just on the southern side of town, which I felt safer walking up, but after a rather beautiful ride I arrived mid afternoon in Nimbin and met up with my friend at the Grey Gums Lodge...  what a quaint place to stay!!  so well done out, with wonderful treasures throughout the rooms and common areas...  I would highly recommend this place to anyone passing thru or in the vicinity... Its well worth a slight detour out of your way to stay.

my bedroom at Grey Gums Lodge

Grey Gums verandah

sunset over Nimbin, from the Grey Gums Verandah

Nimbin also offers some pretty good healthy cuisine.  the pizza shop Armonica does the best pizza with several vego options!!!...  and the following day we had lunch out at the permaculture village Abundance, which we followed up with a stroll around their gardens...

sunshiny day - leaving Nimbin

Back on the road again on Monday - heading home, firstly to stay in Murwillumbah with wonderful friendly and informative hosts.  There was one steady climb that defeated me early on the piece, but the rest of the day was really a beautiful ride, through more forests and less farm lands, up and down, but generally a beautiful day.  Lunch at the Sphinx Rock cafe and then down into Murwillumbah, which seems to have been built on a few steep ridges!  I think one could quite comfortably settle in a place like Mur/bah!  a quiet country town!

so with the sun again shining down from a beautiful blue sky, I pedalled off towards Tomewin and the Queensland border.  I knew I was in for a big climb ahead and I also knew that I could have better lower gearing on Maggie, so the chant of 22-32-44 was running thru my head as I ground slowly to a halt on the flanks of Tomewin.  it was a case of pedal for a bit, stop and gasp a bit, walk or pedal a bit more, but eventually I got to the top...  the road is quite beautiful, thru forest and not a lot of traffic.  I scored a free banana at the fruit shop and bought another one and an apple and soon I was zooming down along the Currumbin highway.

I had been told about a short-cut but that it was really steep, but one can't resist a short cut...  but one should!!  it was mega steep, in places I could hardly walk up, pushing Maggie... and tooooo much traffic - especially white utes....  and the Old Coach way, was another nightmare, so won't be falling for that one again...

eventually a rather sweaty and pooped cyclist on her sturdy steed, rolled into the Varsity Lakes station, where a train was just resting and waiting for us to board..

It was really different cycling in Australia.  missing was the excitement for being in a totally different culture (like Japan) and seeing totally different natural scenery (lupins - lily of the valley - birch trees - wildflowers aplenty!!)  I think I need to travel to areas that I haven't already been in - like SE coast of Aust...

and I was dismayed at how dirty our roadsides are...  Keep Australia Beautiful seems to have failed... I saw more litter in the 5 days riding, then I have seen anywhere else...  volunteers clear it up once a year, but it seems that Australians just have no worries about chucking stuff out the window...  plastic drink bottles, coffee cups, plastic of all sorts and heaps of broken glass on the roads, amazed I didn't get a flat tyre...  maybe its just around the Gold Coast?  it was worse there!!  not happy Jan!!

Great Cycle Challenge - October 2016

Sunday 9 Oct 16

Sun was shining - a beautiful day for a ride and to increase my kms in the Great Cycle Challenge - Riding throughout October to raise funds for the Children's Medical Research Institue - here is the link to my dashboard if you are interested...
 https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/ChrisLucas

I have upped my challenge target to 725 Kms to mark with thanks all the dollars that have been donated by my family, friends and work colleagues.  So I had better get pedalling!!

October in Brisbane means Jacaranda (also school and uni exams for some!) so I thought I would take my camera along today and see if there were any good sightings...

I headed off to the Brisbane River and found the Brisbane Corso (under the Green Bridge) and pedaled onwards...  thru the Tennis centre, around through some suburbs, over the Walter Tailor Bridge, back through UQ and over the Green Bridge...  almost went home, but not many kms clicked over, so headed into the South Bank via Annerley Road to check out the new proposed bike lanes.  after dodging all the pedestrians and not hitting one, I zinked over the Kurilpa bridge to the Law Courts - ahh... this is where the breakfast for Ride to Work will be on Wednesday -  then back to the River and over the Goodwill... had to stop for a coffee on the bridge, but eventually got onto the well worn track to home...  47kms completed...  I should have ridden up through Toohey on my way out, but was too tired on the way home..  next time!

but I was not disappointed with the jacarandas!

Just under the Greenbridge

Maggie amongst the blossoms

behind 1WS - indeed wrong way!

an early morning ride around Rävgången and Oset - Nature reserves

so Maggie and me have been resting, but we have made a visit or two around this region.  

one morning we took a little ride around the Nature reserve, which is around the edge of the lake, Hjälmaren.  this is a summer breeding area for many different species of water bird - geese, ducks, gulls etc.  this year there seems to be an explosion of geese here.  I think it will be pretty impressive when they gather together later to fly south.

this area is a real favourite of mine and each time I visit Örebro, I try to make a couple of visits there because there always seems to be a new bird to see.

the resident swan did a nice performance for me - but really she/he was only cleaning the feathers, making sure each was in its rightful place.

The geese and ducks all had trails of little ones paddling, dabbling and doing their best to eat as much as possible in the short summer time because they need to fly far away.

should I go this way?  no - the gate is too tricky, or is it
 too much left on the ground....

Swan Lake

yellow iris is everywhere

and baby coots, so tiny but so busy

one of the bird hides there

dandelions gone to seed

what are those crazy coots doing?

where is Mother Duck? over the hills and far away....

which way to go?  either way is good!

Mother Duck trying to keep the brood together

This is Oset - a more open wetland and noisy as the gulls have claimed it as theirs