cycling

Broadbeach to Currumbin Creek Road

December 22, 2020 by Les

Bookings in our Broadbeach apartment had been adversely affected by COVID-19, and the border restrictions, so we decided to avail ourselves of a few days there, along with our electric bikes.

Knowing that NSW/QLD border was due to reopen we planned to ride along a country road which links the two states while traffic was still light. We wanted to avoid the steep hill at Barneys Point near Tweed Heads so we investigated alternate cycling routes over the New South Wales and Queensland border in the direction of Murwillumbah.

One route seemed particularly interesting through a small town called Tomewin. Pretty much any road which crosses the border near the coast entails some hills but with our electric bikes we weren’t too concerned about the challenge they would represent. With the border closed, the road should be quiet and perfect for cycling.

The weather report told us that we should expect winds of between 25 and 35 kilometres an hour. This is not ideal for cycling, even with e-bikes. However, on a positive front, the winds were not expected to pick-up until 11:30. So if we had an early start, we would not have too much of a problem. Bad planning and a night out with friends scuppered this good intention.

We eventually left our apartment on Phillip Ave in Broadbeach at 07:30 and were soon on the beautiful bikeways that skirt along the coast down to Burleigh. Being a late start and a Sunday, the paths were busy with other cyclists, skateboarders and families out enjoying the beautiful day and visiting the beach.

Testament to the popularity of the area, was the long queue outside the café we had stopped at on previous visits to Palm Beach. We decided to give it a miss and continued on our way towards Burleigh Heads with a need for coffee high on our minds. We were unsure how to cross over the old highway to the Currumbin Creek Road. As we had done in the past, we took the Old Coast highway down to Palm Beach. As we reached 7th Ave we discovered a lovely cafe where we stopped for cappuccinos, pored over our maps and assessed the different options for getting to Tomewin.

Refreshed after our cappuccino we found our way down to Galleons Way and then onto Currumbin Creek Rd. We were delighted to discover a very wide cycling path and to be waving at other cyclists also taking this clearly popular route. The road towards Tomewin skirts along a river for a great deal of the route. It’s also lined with trees which provided shade and a beautiful archway through which to ride.

As expected, the road was not busy and the wide cyclepaths made us feel very safe. It was good to be out in the countryside on our own and breathing in the forest air. It was also good to be away from the manic runners who often insist on running in bike paths and always seem to take exception when somebody, be it cycist or pedestrian does not immediately yield and give them priority.

We never really intended to make it all the way to the border and decided to stop at a beautiful park a good few kilometres shy of Tomewin. We’d both been riding carefully so as not to deplete our batteries knowing that the wind, which had so far been at our backs, would be pushing against us on the return leg.

As we rode back through Burleigh, the markets were in full swing and, as it was approaching lunchtime we decided to investigate food possibilities at the local market. We found a place selling German sausages and sated our hunger with a fine pair of Bratwurst.

Fully sausaged-up we tackled the last few kilometres back to Broadbeach gleefully, battery assistance set to the max, in the knowledge that we would soon be recharging our bikes, and our own, batteries relaxing on our balcony while admiring the beautiful pacific ocean views.

Northern Rivers Diary

November 23, 2020 by Les

Tracy is obsessed with a small town over the border in New South Wales called Evans Head. Her obsession stems from having spent every Christmas there with her family since the age of two. It’s a pleasant enough place with a nice beach and a meandering river. The town reminds me a little of Herne Bay, my home town in England, in that there’s very little to do apart from walk along the beach (or by the river). I must admit the weather is better but, on the downside there are far fewer pubs. Evans Head is 220 kilometres from Brisbane and Tracy wanted to investigate the possibility of riding there through the undulating countryside which starts just south of the Queensland/NSW border. An area known as The Northern Rivers.

The Northern Rivers area of Australia, Evans Head not shown

First stop on the tour was the Tweed Heads Library where the friendly woman at reception was happy to take our information sheets about the books; Soft Nut Bike Tour of Burma, My Brother’s Bicycle and, Tracy’s nom de plume Jane Ellyson’s book, Over Byron Bay. The lady also offered to scan and send the information to the other libraries in the region.

From Tweed Heads we drove to Murwillumbah. We agreed that riding bikes on this road might not be too pleasant as, although relatively flat, cars and trucks were whizzing along and there was little in the way of a verge or any sign of a bike track.

Tracy introduced herself to Kym Thompson at Murwillumbah library, whom she had previously been in correspondence with regarding the possibility of a speaking engagement. We then visited the tourist office where the staff were extremely helpful. We left overloaded with information and brochures and ideas on ways to get from Tweed to Murwillumbah avoiding the busy roads. Tracy’s preference was to catch a boat from Tweed Heads to Tumbulgum. A nice idea but not overly practical as there wasn’t a suitable docking platform at Tumbulgum.

Leaving Murwillumbah we drove to Mount Warning and visted a place called Mavis’s kitchen, a beautiful Federation style house with lovely gardens and place to eat and buy jams and chutneys. It was too early in the morning for lunch, but we promised ourselves we would come back here at some stage.

We then took the road in the direction of Uki and headed for Main Arm. The lady in the tourist office had told it was “a pretty good road” which ran through a National Forest. There was very little traffic and we thought it could have potential for us on our bikes but once we reached the gravel part of the road, which went on for some way and climbed hill after hill, we thought differently. The road passed through beautiful lush countryside featuring magnificent looking cows and a jillaroo herding the cattle on the back of a majestic horse.

This whole area is also inhabited by a number of hippies (apparently they live in the trees) whose idea of living naturally seems to include the possession of various burnt out, or rusting, cars and trucks.

The drive through the range took us a while and we were ready for lunch when we reached the sprawling metropolis of Mullumbimby. We dined on Southern Fried chicken burgers and chocolate milkshakes (served in milk bottles).

From Mullumbimby, we drove to Coorabell and then into Bangalow.

On the way into Bangalow, we drove over narrow and beautiful roads and stopped at a lookout where an elderly cyclist was taking a nap in the sun.

It was a lovely viewpoint and we were disappointed to hear that it will soon be turned into a car park for a viewing platform being constructed there.

Bangalow is a picturesque town and Tracy hopes to use some of the photos she took to market her books about the area.

We had by now, agreed that the roads were way too narrow, with limited verges to make us feel safe riding our bikes. There were also a number of hills. From Bangalow we went directly to Evans Head taking the recently constructed main road.

On arrival at Evans Head we parked outside the Bowling Club and asked if we could look at some of the cabins they have for rent. They were quite luxurious and a far cry from the flapping tents and cold water showers of Tracy’s childhood stays. We re-entered the club where some locals offered advice on local bicycling routes. As a result of their suggestion, we planned to drive to the small town of Wardell the following day, and take a back road to where the Burns Point Ferry crosses the river into the main local town of Ballina.

We had plans to visit a friend of ours who had recently purchased a small house and some land close by so we headed out of Evans Head and back to the main road en route to our friend Gary’s place at Bungawalbin. His place is set in beautiful countryside and we sat on the terrace listening to the crickets and sound of birdsong late into the evening.

The next morning we awoke early to the sight of a number of kangaroos warily searching for breakfast in the surrounding paddocks.

After breakfast we drove to the ferry point and took the small ferry to Ballina.

In Ballina, we walked along the water’s edge and took photos. Tracy called into another book shop and gave them information on each of her books. We then took the Coast road to Lennox Head and paused to watch the many hang gliders .

There were a few cycle paths along the coast but few of them really connect the towns and are just short stretches between the beach access points. Any attempt to ride along the entire coast would mean using the main road for long stretches which, while it afforded spectacular views, was quite hilly and busy with traffic. From Lennox Head, we continued North to the fabled resort town of Byron Bay.

At Byron Bay, Tracy called into the Book Room Collective, where she had previously met with the owner, and discussed how sales of her two books, set in the area were progressing.

She left behind a copy of information on her latest book called Boy from Bangalow.

Our sales and marketing junket ended in Byron Bay and we headed north in the direction of home. Tracy was keen to follow the “old road” which was the preferred route to and from the area until a newly constructed highway opened a few years ago. This winding but picturesque route goes through all the coastal settlements on the way to Tweed Heads and the NSW Queensland border. Many of these small towns are now much sought after places to live and resorts and shopping centres have sprung up in areas which, a few years ago, consisted of little more than a petrol station and a pie shop.

At Tweed Heads, we rejoined the highway and travelled at a snail’s pace for some way before crossing the border. Due to COVID – 19 restrictions on entering Queensland, the four-lane highway is concertinaed into one lane while SES employees inspect traveller’s border passes. With our passes proudly displayed on the windscreen, we entered our home state and sped the remaining 100 or so kilometres back to Brisbane.

George, Tracy and Me in Myanmar

September 6, 2020 by Les

George Orwell and I have a lot in common. We both worked in dull, badly paid jobs in hotels; him as a plongeur in Paris and me in a similar role in, among others, The Dolphin Hotel in Herne Bay. There it was just called dishwasher and lacked even the vaguest air of romanticism. Orwell also spent long periods wandering the grimy streets of London, as described in his books Keep The Aspidistra Flying and Down and Out in Paris and London. I too had my share of peripatetic wanderings in the UK capital during the times I lived and worked there.

Sadly one experience Orwell and I do not share is much experience of travel in Myanmar. Almost 100 years ago Orwell spent five years living, working and exploring, what was then still part of the Great British Empire. The country has changed dramatically since Orwell’s time. Freed from the yoke of the Empire by independence in 1948 it went through a period of political turmoil and various, mainly communist-inspired, regimes. In 1962 a military coup took place and the Generals stayed in power for many years. Their tight grip on the country and its people began to loosen as early as 1990 but real democratic reform did not start until late 2011.

For some years now, crossing from Thailand to Myanmar and back again has become easier due to the increasing number of land border openings.

Crossing the Thai/Myanmar border near Myawaddi

So it would have been timely indeed if I had been able to accompany my wife, and a small group of friends, on a cycling tour of the less travelled roads of Southen Myanmar in early 2020. Sadly this was not to be. I injured my back a few weeks before departure and was forced to stay home while she flew off to experience the exoticism of South-East Asia firsthand.

She rode the often rough and always dusty roads between Hpa An and Dawei while I reclined on the sofa between bouts of physio and stretching, watching Netflix. We both recorded our experiences; hers sometimes physically demanding but always enthralling, mine often mundane but reflecting real life.

You can read our different takes on our trials and tribulations during two weeks in February, just as COVID-19 was starting to change everyone’s life, in our recently published collaborative book The Soft Nut Bike Tour of Burma.

Two diaries. One trip. A thousand memories.

Available from Amazon.

Riding the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT)

August 9, 2020 by Les

The BVRT or, as it is better known, The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is a 161 kilometre recreation trail which runs from Wulkuraka to Yarraman in Queensland, Australia. The trail follows the old Brisbane Valley railway line and is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. It is the longest rail trail in Queensland. Best not to tackle it all in one go then.

We planned to take the train to the southern starting point at Wulkuraka, about 1 hour from Brisbane, from there to ride to the next major point on the trail at Fernvale. This involves a change of trains at Ipswich.

Although there was a connecting train to Wulkaraka 30 minutes later we made the, in retrospect, disastrous decision to try and ride the 5 kilometres. Paul Heymans who runs the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Association advises against this due to the confusion of negotiating the Ipswich one way system. If only we had heeded his advice.

Once you arrive at Wulkaraka the trail is well signposted and starts right outside the station. The first few kilometres are paved and take you through some pleasant bushland skirting a few new housing developments before arriving at the start of the true off-road experience.

The trail was still perfectly rideable on our Leitner electric bikes and doesn’t really require a mountain bike although I would not recommend it for anyone with a road bike. Some sections were a bit rocky but for the most part it’s either compacted earth (so don’t attempt it after rain unless you like mud) or light gravel. There are also a number of cattle grids to stop the cows from wandering too far which can be daunting the first time you cross them.

We adopted a slow pace giving us time to enjoy the surroundings which, apart from the beautiful countryside and wildlife included a number of quaint memories from bygone days.

After about 2 hours of leisurely effort, we arrived at Fernvale and made our way to the legendary Old Fernvale Bakery and Cafe where we’d arranged to have lunch and recharge our bike batteries. While we waited for our delicious Aussie Burgers (it has beetroot in it) Tracy chatted with Bill Rose the affable owner who revealed himself to be the font of all knowledge about the town and surrounding area. He was also an early advocate for the creation of the trail.

After lunch we headed back along the trail to Wulkuraka station and home. Strangely there seem to be direct trains from Wulkaraka to the city although there are none (at least we could not find them) in the other direction. To avoid waiting we boarded the Ipswich train and after changing platforms at Ipswich took the train back to town enjoying a well-earned snooze along the way.

Next time we plan to stay the night in Fernvale and ride on the next day to Esk which is about the halfway point of the 161 km trail. Maybe one day we’ll do the whole thing!

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