The new Rocket Appartamento in our kitchen. Hopefully one day I will be making as good espressos as the one I tasted at Amelia’s today.
NB: This is a copy of a post I made in Cycle Life back in 2016. I have a number of posts from Cycle Life saved offline and want to see if I can add them to this Blog without boring everyone. The other nudge for this post was a call from Ken today (16/11/21) to let me know the coffee machine I handed over to him that day, has finally carked it.
Hobart Inter City Cycleway: Ride 2 – the full length of the Cycleway
Tuesday October 18, 2016, 28 km (17 miles)
Today I planned to do two things. The first was to ride the Inter City Cycleway and the second was to perform a hand over of my (no longer required) coffee machine and matching grinder to friend Ken who lives south of Hobart.
(As reported last week I had just picked up the new blingy coffee machine. It has taken about a week to get a proper coffee out of it but now it is all systems go. But I digress.)
Well, completing the two activities actually means completing 3 things as there is also the drive required to carry bike and coffee paraphernalia from home to Hobart to the start of the cycleway. A 190 k drive through the centre of Tasmania. I allowed 3 hours for the drive and was thankful I did. The Midland Highway is undergoing a big shakeup – yellow machinery and yellow coated workers everywhere plus reduced speed limits and occasional halts while things happen to the road surface. Eventually it will be good but today ……..
Started at 6.30am when the temperature was 6°C. It fell a bit as we gained altitude and was quite fresh at Oatlands where I stopped for a coffee (not the object of the ride coffee!). On and into Hobart by the River Derwent at 9.30am. Now for the ride.
After donning riding gear I positioned the bike so as to show the ride began at Cornelian Bay.
Sue and I lived in Hobart for about 10 years and we used to walk the dogs at Cornelian Bay. Sue was a member of the dog walkers group set up to keep the dog walks open when the Council wanted to close them. Just up from the water is a (now unused) rail line alongside which a cycleway has been constructed. It originally ran between Hobart and Glenorchy. Both are cities hence the title of the cycleway – Inter City Cycleway.
I cycled from Cornelian Bay to the south-eastern end of the cycleway near the Hobart War Memorial so that I would cycled the whole length of the track. When I lived nearby I used the track to cycle to work.
On the way the cycleway passes under the Tasman Bridge which connects the two sections of Hobart separated by the Derwent. It is possible to get a bike up onto the bridge and cycle across on paths which have been slung on the outside of the bridge. The paths are very narrow, the paths are edged by railings and the winds up there can be strong so it can be a bit of a challenge. Not to mention the steps to climb/descend to get up there!
The Tasman Bridge. You might be able to imagine cycling across it in a breeze let alone a high wind.
Under the bridge we go. Always fun when the traffic has banked up just to the left here – and you pedal past.
The cycleway proceeds close to the river for a few kilometers then moves away and into suburban areas. We pass shopping centres and schools, then streams coming down from Mount Wellington flowing underneath. BUT then the railway passed through the industrial areas of Moonah and then Glenorchy. To us cyclists that means we have to cross several busy roads.
Some of the crossings of busy roads keep you on the ball
The crossings are supplied complete with rails for hanging on to both at the end of the cycle path and in the middle of the road. Correctly used you can wait and cycle across when all clear (or a gap appears) while leaving your shoes clipped in. Of course, incorrectly used means a tangle of bike and attached person.
The cycleway now goes on past Glenorchy as the Councils have gradually extended the trail out through the suburbs all the way to the turn off to the Cadbury’s Factory. Yes, the chocolate people!!
This is the north-western end of the cycleway. This arch was not here when I used to cycle the track some 8 years ago now. The low cloud is coming off the foothills of Mt Wellington and did supply some showers as I cycled close by.
The extended path takes us out past MONA. This is the Museum of Old and New Art which has been developed by an enigmatic character who has made a great pile of cash out of gambling. I don’t profess to know how he has done it but it involves heavy maths and lots of people placing bets on specific races. Race winnings are tax free and so it all mounted up!! The Museum has become a tourist attraction with free entry to Tasmanians. It used to be free to anyone but it was taking a lot of money to keep it open. Basically it holds collections owned by the owner and other private collectors. The main focus is on Death. Unlike any other Museum I have been in things are not placed in any sort of logical order. Initially it jars to have a modern work of art next to a Roman sculpture but I got the hang of it and quite enjoyed it after a while. Others cannot handle it and never return. The kids like the poo machine. Set up in a very long room, meat goes in one end and I will leave you to guess what comes out the other. It is certainly a very smelly art installation.
A very poor picture. Mona is the big grey building. It also runs down the face of a cliff but it was not possible to photograph the good bit from the cycleway. This pic is even blurry. What a poor show.
Nearing Hobart once more I could see a ferris wheel under construction. It was being set up for the Hobart Show. We are currently in “show season” during which any town of any note has it’s annual agricultural show. The ferris wheel was in Launceston for the Launceston Show two weekends ago, it was 2 blocks away from home in Longford for the Longford Show last weekend and now it is in Hobart. It must be an interesting engineering project to develop a wheel that can be set up, used and pulled down back onto the truck all in a week.
In the distance on the left skyline a ferris wheel under construction can be seen. The road junction was very busy on the way out but quite clear on the way back.
Continuing back towards Hobart I passed the Cafe where I was due to to meet with Ken shortly.
The New Town Nursery Cafe. The cycleway runs alongside. When the cycleway was being suggested businesses were wary as it would make another access to their properties for thieves. This concern has proved a fair one. There have been barriers removed, vehicles on the cycleway and businesses robbed.
As well as concerns re robberies people were also concerned with the track getting lighting. In some places houses have their back yards and back windows lit up. Even though the concerns were expressed strongly, the cycleway went ahead. I though about these old battles as I cycled along today and wondered how everything settled down.
After returning to Cornelian Bay, getting changed and packing everything into the vehicle I drove a block to the Cafe and met with Ken, we moved the coffee gear between cars and finally had a very tasty lunch.
Short Black
It was another 3 hours to get back to Longford where the temperature had returned to 6°C after a seriously large rain and hail storm. Luckily I didn’t meet with the storm on the road.
Ride 3 will not be so far away!!
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