Main Beach to Loganholme – 53 km (by bike)
We are on the traditional territory of the Bundjalung Nation
We are staying in City of Logan. “The acknowledgement and acceptance that Logan has a vast and rich indigenous and cultural history, enhances our commitment to reconciliation and gives us a deeper understanding of our past“ (City website).
As we three were leaving Crema Espresso, we were cheered on by Jeff Downes. Also an avid (boomer) cyclist, he was eager to mention us on Facebook. We will be looking at his website.
The route turned inland through Southport and the waterways of the Goldcoast hinterland, past subdivisions with moorings, backing onto the water. Then, we were into small towns and industrial estates close to the M3 Motorway. Near Beenleigh, we could smell the rum distillery, a byproduct of the sugar cane industry. The town square in Beenleigh was a quiet respite, where we ate pastries from the mall bakery beside the fountain in front of the courthouse.
We are now cycling on the Veloway 1 (V1 Cycleway), which follows the M3 and M1 motorways between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Today was a combination of dedicated bike paths and in-road bike lanes, but we expect more off-road cycling as we get closer to Brisbane. We were pleased to find that every roundabout intersection on this route has a paved cycle path around the perimeter, making it safer and easier to get around (ie, just crossing each exit, rather than cycling in the roundabout, something we would rather avoid.)The one exception was the large, very fast roundabout accessing the motorway (M1) at Beenleigh. There appeared to be a bike path between exits for cyclists going north-south, but not the other way. Tomorrow will be our final day cycling in Australia!
On Wednesday’s blog, we forgot to mention meeting Barry, another cyclist keen to chat about touring. Barry cycles on a recumbent bike which he swears by.
