Gold Coast: Saturday 30th March

We had booked e-bikes to go on a cycle ride today. We set off early to collect the bikes at about 9.45am NSW time, which is 8.45am Queensland time. We are quite close to the NSW border here which does make planning and booking activities problematic given that Queensland does not have daylight saving.

We navigated our way to the bike shop only to find that they had taken over part of the business that we rented the cycles from and the actual pick up was at the other end of the trail.

It’s a there and back trail but Lee had booked lunch at this cheese factory place which is close to the end. However now it is close to the beginning. We did a lot of fluffing but eventually called into the lunch place on our way to pick up bikes for me, Mike and James, and ended up having a coffee and getting some frittata to take away. At least Lee and I did that. The boys couldn’t resist the brisket beef and coleslaw buns that they consumed with coffee at the Factory shop.

We then drove to the bike shop, got ourselves organised and set off.

It’s an excellent former rail trail. Pretty, easy and mainly flat. My type of ride. The trail is 24 km each way.

Around houses the trail is tar sealed but mostly it’s a compacted gravel surface in excellent condition

It would seem that the snakes are only a problem at road crossings. I didn’t see signage anywhere else.

At the end we made our way to some picnic tables beside the Tweed River and had our frittatas and water.

Then it was back the other way again.

Looks like a monorail but is actually some electrical cables that run the length of the trail

The streams and ponds look decidedly murky (and snakey).

The houses on stilts tell you about the stream-side location!

There was some discussion about whether we went right to the very end, given our butts were feeling a bit sore but we did the extra 3 km to the end. Very pretty it was too.

Some of the old over bridges are still intact and look very cool

After returning our bikes we went back to the cheese factory and got some glasses of wine, enjoyed a very nice cheese platter and got ourselves changed.

They even had some dudes playing Spanish guitar music. They actually played some Eric Clapton and other stuff also. They need to keep to the Spanish guitar

We then headed to a restaurant in Tweed Heads where Georgia joined us and we enjoyed a shared Greek meal at a place called Taverna.

The food was delicious but we were surprised by the cost. It turns out that the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Easter are all public holidays in NSW and they attract a public holiday surcharge. Nevertheless the food and environs was great.

Our first course of baked halloumi with honey