Brisbane Arrival!!
We arrived on Friday.... we did it = HOORAY!
52 days of cycling: Not the most direct route, but an adventurous one.
Our first day in Brisbane was spent as proper tourists. We even bought a backpack to wear on both shoulders and slung a camera round John’s neck. Hitting Brunswick Market and China town in the morning before venturing into the shopping centre. Brisbane is comprised an of an exciting mix grand 19C architecture and modern steel – like a tiny London.
Since, we’ve been doing much the same and seeing all the major
sights. The highlight for both of us however was a visit to Mt Coot-tha Park. Just a 20 minute ride from Brisbane; it’s 1500 hectares of open eucalypt forest riddled with purpose built single track (it was used in 1996 world championships, it was Terrifying!).
Approximately 370 animal species live the forest, including a number of rare and threatened species like the powerful owl. Others include goshawks, eagles, wrens and robins as well as possums and bats.
We left the camera at home for fear of landing on it – which proved justified as John (and bike) catapulted over a fence early in the day – (Who puts a 90 degree bend at the bottom of a hill!!!).
Inspired - we’ve now got a plan for the rest of our stay.
We’ve hired a camper van for the remainder of our stay (only eight weeks) and we’re going to visit the top cycling destinations between Cairns, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and back Melbourne.
52 days of cycling: Not the most direct route, but an adventurous one.
Our first day in Brisbane was spent as proper tourists. We even bought a backpack to wear on both shoulders and slung a camera round John’s neck. Hitting Brunswick Market and China town in the morning before venturing into the shopping centre. Brisbane is comprised an of an exciting mix grand 19C architecture and modern steel – like a tiny London.
Since, we’ve been doing much the same and seeing all the major
sights. The highlight for both of us however was a visit to Mt Coot-tha Park. Just a 20 minute ride from Brisbane; it’s 1500 hectares of open eucalypt forest riddled with purpose built single track (it was used in 1996 world championships, it was Terrifying!).Approximately 370 animal species live the forest, including a number of rare and threatened species like the powerful owl. Others include goshawks, eagles, wrens and robins as well as possums and bats.
We left the camera at home for fear of landing on it – which proved justified as John (and bike) catapulted over a fence early in the day – (Who puts a 90 degree bend at the bottom of a hill!!!).
Inspired - we’ve now got a plan for the rest of our stay.
We’ve hired a camper van for the remainder of our stay (only eight weeks) and we’re going to visit the top cycling destinations between Cairns, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and back Melbourne.
posted by John at 5:05 pm
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We said goodbye to Byron Bay and pedalled up the coast to Tweed Heads; the last town in New South Wales (or 1st I suppose) – It rained all night and all day but at least we got to use our waterproofs. As we crossed the ‘border’ the skies cleared, the sun came out and the traffic stopped. Paradise for some is a metropolis of hotels and themed restaurants. Luckily one of those restaurants was a Bavarian, “and what with us being connoisseurs and all”; we ordered litres of Becks and Warsteiner and mounds of pork and sauerkraut. A lederhosen clad sausage eater on guitar assured the evening’s entertainment with his medley of traditional oompa and hits from the 90s.
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