Bike Brisbane

Actually, we never made it to Brisbane. We were visiting friends in the suburb of Sandgate. But Bike Sandgate has less of a ring to it than Bike Brisbane. Our friends are nice eco-friendly people with a chicken coop in the backyard. Amazingly, this was second place we stayed with a chicken coop. My wife likes chicken coops. And we both like fresh eggs! Still, I still don’t see us getting a coop here in Astoria.

We got on our bikes (ours supplied by some of their family who live nearby). 5-year-old Sofia jumped on the trailer bike hitched to her father’s bike. I love that those things give the kid the option to actually peddle and contribute. Even if the help is more psychological than substantial. The sun is brutal there, even in tropical Queensland. Even without the helmet law, headcover is extensive.

This sign makes me think many things. Of course there’s the almost obligatory and ignored dismount sign. But the top part? I like to think it’s a warning to hold on tight so you don’t go flying off on the bumbs! (Actually, it means means pedestrians have right of way over bikes.)

Typical old houses with lots of wood slates:

Bats hanging in trees:

Interesting devices to keep all but the skinniest cars off of bike paths:

I can’t decide if it’s more or less elegant than simple poles in the road.

And a bike rack of a design I had never seen. At the Sandgate train station:

We spotted this bike with a nice homemade trailer.
The designer and builder was very happy to show it off. There are only five of these brackets in the world, he proudly told us.
The width of the trailer was exactly the same width as his handlebars. Clever. Did I mention he was odd and smelled pretty bad?

Conclusion: Sandgate is built for cars. Despite lots of rain, bikes don’t have fenders. But there’s a pretty good bike network if you’re odd and into that kind of thing. I am.