Explore Sydney’s Shire by bike
Despite the constant griping about the state of Sydney cycling infrastructure, it’s not just the planners at the City of Sydney that have been taking care of the road users shock jocks love to hate. You can extend your two-wheeled adventures southwards, for some coastal exploration or via some unexpected parks and waterways.
Sydneysiders all know the region referred to as “The Shire”, but when was the last time you visited Cronulla? Did you drive? Take the train all the way from Bondi Junction? Well, how about making the journey by bike. I’m not crazy, it’s a surprisingly lovely ride, almost entirely on dedicated cycle paths as long as you don’t mind a few small detours in order to stick to the quiet paths.
So with spring coming why not make a day of it and explore the less publicised cycling infrastructure that has sprung up outside Clover’s dominion? Wherever you come from in the eastern suburbs, we’re all going to have to navigate the airport. Well don’t fret, there’s a rather enjoyable path for cyclists that has the airport on one side, and a canal on the other. You join it from Coward Street (look for the Qantas catering building).
View of Alexandra Canal
From there you have choices. Do you want to detour up through Tempe reserve, which is the best option for the more nervous cyclist, or after a short journey on roads end up at Brighton le Sands, where you can cruise along the beach front all the way to Taren Point. Pop over the bridge and you’re basically there. All up it’s about 30 km from the Eastside radio HQ at the Paddington Town Hall, so you can extrapolate for yourself how long it would take you. Either way, I recommend it; since I discovered the cycle path along the airport I love cruising along en route to Tempe looking at the traffic and feeling ever so smug as I cycle a path I often have all to myself. Some useful sites to help you map your route:
and of course, Google Maps.