Abbotsford Blog » Cycling

Best new website this century? Melbourne bike paths plotted on Google world

AbbotsfordBlogger — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:05:31 +0000

Now this is what I call a great inovation: Bikely. It plots bike paths, and users’ favourite on-road bike routes, on a street directory, and lets you look at the map in three views: standard street directory, Google world satellite imagery, or the latter with key roads superimposed (‘hybrid view’). Check out the 10 km loop taking in the Yarra Boulevard here, for example, and the instructions here. All Abbotsford routes here. The first hyperlink in this post are to all Victorian routes — 1616 of them. It also has running routes, which must also be walking routes. It will be interesting to see whether it is possible to put links to Flickr images in the instructions. Maybe one day I’ll finish this blog’s first ever post, and plot the King Walk from the Carringbush to Dights Falls on the site as a running route. The beautiful photo is courtesy of A J Shcroetlin of Colorado. Leave a comment if you think this site is as great as I do.

St Vincent’s stands on the site of John Wren’s Cyclorama

AbbotsfordBlogger — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:49:48 +0000

The Fitzroy and Collingwood Sketchbook also told me this:

“St Vincent’s, the most easterly of these great [charity] hospitals, became closely linked with the residents of the inner suburbs. Today it is still conducted by the same order of nuns who founded the institution [the Sisters of Charity].

The more recent extension of the hospital, and those sections erected in 1928, straddle what was once a roaring colonial fairground, where a host of noisy and sometimes disreputable sideshows attracted a wide-eyed throng on weekends and holidays.

Later, at the turn of the century, part of the site was used for a wondrous structure called the Cyclorama, owned by the well-known sporting entrepreneur, John Wren. At the Cyclorama there were regular boxing and wrestling contests and later it was used to house a spectacular series of dioramas where the public could pay for the privilege of seeing tableaux showing the Battle of Waterloo, the Eureka Stockade and the Panorama of Jerusalem.”

Funny thing is, a cyclorama is not a place where cycles go around and around. It is a long painting affixed to the walls of a circular room. The punter stands in the middle. Now there is a book about them by Dr Mimi Colligan of Monash University (“the only historian to have made a detailed study of Australasian panoramas”, quite a claim to fame). They were very popular in the 19th century:

“The most popular traveled from city to city to provide local entertainment — much like a modern movie. As the viewers stood in the center of the painting, there would often be music and a narrator telling the story of the event depicted. Sometimes dioramas were constructed in the foreground to provide additional realism to the cyclorama.

Many circular and hexagonal shaped buildings were constructed in almost every major US and European city to provide a viewing space for the cycloramas.”

Wren’s cyclorama was variously a cycle track and boxing and wrestling theatre, but he bought it at the moment when cinema began to throw cyclorami into a decline.

A helpful guide to some of Melbourne’s bike paths

AbbotsfordBlogger — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 23:38:23 +0000

Given how big and successful Bicycle Victoria is, how popular cycling is becoming in Victoria, and how many fantastic bike paths there are, the signage of bikepaths, and their ease of use is astonishingly bad. For a long time after moving into Abbotsford, I remained confused about which of the two possible ways to proceed in order to get to the city, starting from the Walmer St bridge near Victoria Gardens or the Gipps St bridge. The thing is that to get to the city from there, you have to go in the opposite direction from the city, via Hawthorn, before looping back with the Yarra towards the city. Very counter-intuitive.

But is there a sign at either one saying “City this way” (or “Dights Falls this way” or “Merri Creek path and CERES 1.5 km this way” or “Abbotsford Convent next exit”)? No. There should be a coloured line painted on the bike path so you can just follow that, just like in a hospital, all the way to the end. Furthermore, there should be little paper maps freely available. I have tried to ride the Capital City Trail, but when I go through the Royal Park station near the Zoo I have no idea where to go next. All this is why this site is a useful thing.

Thanks to Amy Walters for bringing it to my attention. The beautiful photo is courtesy of A J Shcroetlin of Colorado.

Shooter of cyclist on Merri Creek bike path fined $6,000 & ordered to do 100 hours’ community work

AbbotsfordBlogger — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:27:02 +0000

I have earlier reported the shooting of Melinda Zygarlicki, noting with amazement the fact that she thought she had been struck by a tennis ball, and continued riding home. This is a crime with a quicker than usual denouement — I read in the paper just a day or two ago of the sentencing of one of the characters who carved up one bloke with a sword after a fight over a girl in July 2002 and chased two others, instilling such fear into them that they jumped into the Yarra and drowned — no doubt because Andrew Pernell turned himself into police and then pleaded guilty to firearms offences. ABC Online reported:

“A man who accidentally shot a cyclist in Melbourne earlier this year has been fined and ordered to do community work.

Thirty-one-year-old Melinda Zygarlicki was riding her bike on a bridge over the Merri Creek in March when she was shot. The bullet narrowly missed her heart.

The Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court heard 32-year-old Northcote man Andrew Pernell handed himself into police, saying he had been sitting on his back doorstep cleaning his rifle and had accidentally fired it when he stood up.

He pleaded guilty to reckless conduct endangering life and firearms offences.

Magistrate Marc Sergeant fined Pernell $6,000 and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community work.

Outside court, Pernell admitted his actions were reckless.

‘I should’ve been a lot more careful,’ he said.

He says he no longer handles firearms.”

The photo of a little bridge over the Merri Creek, on the bike path, is a typically beautiful composition from Amy Walters, or Amylisha for Flickr purposes.

Travel Smart Maps: you gotta get one

AbbotsfordBlogger — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:56:10 +0000

The Yarra City Council staffs card-table stalls to promote public transport at places where Yarravites throng of a weekend: the Taste of Slow Festival, Richmond’s Gleadall St Market, etc. Amongst the badly arranged bits of paper with very useless information about walking and public transport are something truly useful to cyclists, a “Travel Smart” map about twice A3 size which folds into just a bit bigger than the largest, oblong, post-it notes. On the back are some really stupid bits to prove it’s created by the government, like this warning: “Walking and cycling, like any physical activity, are potentially hazardous. Use your commonsense [sic.]. Stay within your abilities, wear protective equipment and follow any applicable laws.” But there are more useful bits too, like lists of local bike shops, bike riding groups, train, tram and bus routes, and details of car sharing groups. If you want one — and you do — you can write to Kate Simnett, the Sustainable Transport Officer at simnettk@yarracity.vic.gov.au.It takes in Albert park in the bottom left hand corner and Ivanhoe in the top right, Brunswick in the top left and Glen Iris in the bottom right. Being an inner-city creature with inner-city friends, it’s all the Melway I need, and it folds up to fit snugly in the smallest pocket of my crumpler bag. I suggested to the winsome girl on the other side of the table — much passed by by the throngs in favour of special coffee or special coriander and chilli chutney stalls — that they take matters into their own hands and reverse, for the residents of the City of Yarra, the train people’s decision to scrap those dinky little station-specific timetables the State Government used to be polite enough to dispense. A timetable you can keep in your wallet would make train travel more attractive. But why stop there? Why the hell isn’t there a coffee vendor selling great, cheap coffee at just the right temperature for immediate drinking in mugs to be drunk while you wait in that offensively locked up once-was-waiting-room at Collingwood Station? Wanna get Melbournians on trains? Bribe them with good cheap coffee. In fact, why isn’t there a branch of Lentil As Anything there? Why aren’t there geraniums? Why don’t the coffee crew take responsibility for announcing late trains and say something real like “Two drivers have failed a random drug test and so the 7.31 has been cancelled. Connex is really sorry and the coffee’s on them until the next train?” Why aren’t there “No Ipod” carriages? Why aren’t there “No mobiles” carriages? Why aren’t there “No saying into a mobile ‘I’m on a train’” carriages. I know, the last comment was just grumpy.

Flow, a cafe on the bike path, near the Skipping Girl

AbbotsfordBlogger — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:12:43 +0000

On the way to Kew on Victoria St, or on the bike path, (or even on the river), depending on your perspective, is Flow. I rode past it regularly, then my dad said it was great, then Matt Preston seems to have given it the thumbs up. It certainly has a good location. I haven’t been there yet, but more when I have. Matt says:

“It’s a great spot. The look is modern, without being cold, and this cosy cottage is a warren of places to sit. Panels of swirly fabric cover one wall, while the bar is fronted by dark-stained timber blocks. The room is open to the roof beams and the floor is laid with rough, stone pavers stained charcoal. The best places to sit are by windows – in a comfy, raised red booth or at the narrow window ledge. …

We’ll come back again for their smoked salmon pizette or that burger, or maybe breakfast. I’ll order scrambled eggs with chorizo and some porridge with palm sugar and sultanas”.

They’re open from breakfast to afternoon tea and on Friday nights for drinks.

Gipps St Steps to Go

AbbotsfordBlogger — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 05:43:04 +0000

Only one flight of the forty-one Gipps St steps, which are to be replaced with a ramp are pictured. For many Abbotrigines, they are the starting point for any trip on the main Yarra bike path away from the city. No doubt many trips to the Collingwood Children’s Farm or the Abbotsford Convent, or Dight’s Falls which would otherwise be made along the safety of the trail are not made because of the stairs.

Having just spent a few days in Amsterdam, I con confirm the truth of the descriptions of the place in this treatment of the announcement in The Age. There are multistorey bike parks like Melbourne car parks there. The dedicated bike lanes means no one has to wear helmets. There are many bicycles designed for carrying substantial loads, what one might call bike utes, and kids ride regularly in their wheelbarrow like trays.

How the replacement of the stps can possibly cost $1.5 million is something I would be very interested to know. Another fascinating question is how it could have been considered a good idea for the teachers’ union’s Mary Bluett and the Police Union’s Paul Mullett to come out with the public criticism that the money could be better put towards (gosh what could it be?), yep, teachers, and police. Links:Bicycle Victoria: Yarra City Council – Yarra Trail behind CUB brewery

YarraBUG (bicycle users’ group) leaflet

Yarra Bug Campaign Review

Main Yarra Bike Path

Capital City Trail: map and detailed directions

Riding on a car-free Yarra Boulevard

AbbotsfordBlogger — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 01:58:35 +0000

With thousands of lycra clad fittos (and some notsofittos), I twirled through a few laps of Yarra Boulevard on 12 March when Bicycle Victoria blocked it off to cars (the next “cyclovia” is on 28 May 2006: 4 km of Sydney Road in Brunswick for 6 hours). It is one of the world’s few events where the coffee is free but water costs. It was all good. There were free muffins, and an Oxfam stall where these wonderful bags made fruit juice packs were for sale. I wonder if everyone else was as ignorant as me about Yarra Boulevard. Did you know that by going to the river end of Gipps St, following the bridge across the Yarra, and continuing up the path straight ahead, you reach Yarra Boulevard, and can then ride along an undulating and winding riverside bushland boulevard which starts nowhere in particular, ends nowhere, and is seemingly only used by late model Mercedes?

It’s 6 km long with just one intersection (and couple of side roads, one to Galatea Point, and another, happily, to the Studley Park Boathouse). Once you hit the Boulevard, you can turn left and ride to the end at Calder Highway having crossed over the Eastern Freeway and then u-turn back to the other end, Walmer St in Kew, and then u-turn back to where you started. You can also turn off towards the Kew end and ride along the loop of road closed to cars which the gate to Galatea Point gives off.

I didn’t actually know where the Botanic Gardens’ bats had ended up, but great views of the huge colony are had from the road, as well as of the Collingwood Children’s Farm and Abbotsford Convent. It was all good. There were free muffins, and an Oxfam Store where these wonderful bags made fruit juice packs were for sale.

There are hills; when I said “undulating” before, I was speaking as a driver not a cyclist. The fastest cyclists were doing the 12 km loop in 18 minutes. I did it in about 30, and was pretty buggered at the end of it. Riders would soar past me on hills in a nonchalant fashion as if they were on entirely different machines. Some of them were of course, but I overtook plenty of galahs with more money than sense on $8,000 bikes.

Yesterday I thought a few laps before breakfast would be a good thing and rode 24km up and down the hills, so tiring myself that while visiting my mother in law I fell asleep.

Decline of the English Murder; a King is overthrown by a mob

AbbotsfordBlogger — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:48:32 +0000

Discipline wanes. The relevancy criteria relax. Nothing to do with Abbotsford, except that there are lots of bike paths in Abbotsford and bike path snipers might strike anywhere there’s bike paths. The source of Melinda Zygarlicki’s was it a bird? was it a tennis ball? or was it .22 rifle? wound has turned himself in, saying he accidentally discharged his weapon. Weird, but reassuring.

Meanwhile, a Magistrate has ordered one of the two alleged hoodlums who were charged with the murder of the thief of the yellow racer, an Abbotsford lad, to stand trial in the Supreme Court on 8 August 2006, while dismissing the charge against the other, his half-brother. Ever since I read George Orwell’s “Decline of the English Murder” at an age when I found that, and “A Nice Cup of Tea“, more engaging than the leftist politics of the 1930s in England, I have enjoyed the odd Sunday paper article about a good murder. I want a nice Sunday paper article on the yellow racer murder.

And as the beautifully written Tariq Ali pointed out today in a concise and engaging must-read article, isn’t it wonderful to hear the good old fashioned news from Nepal, that desperately poor theatre of civil war waged by Maoists against — oh irony! — the Chinese-assisted King (pictured) who never expected to have to assume the throne (remember the “murder suicide” by the King’s nephew, the right handed crown prince who died from a bullet wound to his left temple after popping off most of the royal family?)? A general strike has overcome a shoot to kill protesters on sight edict and forced representative democracy onto the hilltop nation.

All this I find satisfying, wholesome; a counterpoint to the so-called war on terror. Mind you with 11,000 dead in the civil war, that’s almost a third of the Iraqis dead in this latest war, and it’s not getting a third of the coverage.

Sean D: photographer laureate of Fitzroy and the world of coffee

AbbotsfordBlogger — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:04:50 +0000

At Books for Cooks last weekend, I bought a Sean D photocard of a 1950s Gaggia coffee machine, a beautiful thing. Anyone who’s spent a bit of time wandering down Brunswick St of a weekend has probably bumped into Sean, his card table, and his photocards. He takes beautiful photos of coffee and cafes (and other things), and his website has pages devoted to Indian Coffee Houses and Cuban Cafe Culture. Blogging makes you google your day’s events, and I googled Sean D only to learn that he has these twin plans: to cycle from Oslo to Cape Town, and to walk 3700 km from Prague to Santiago de Compostella, the great pilgrimmage mecca for European Catholics. He is an eccentric, and a likeable one, and one whose grand amibitions I am delighted to finance in a minimal and occasional way.