We are sitting back at home with aching legs and feeling more than a little sore in the saddle. For my Birthday last year Barnadi bought me a bicycle, but since then we haven't had much of a chance to use it. My own personal love of cycling ended at the age of 12 when I flew over the handlebars and landed face first in the road, snapping my two front teeth in half. Every time I tried to ride a bike after that day I felt very unsteady and so I stopped riding altogether. The next time I rode a bike wasn't until just over a year ago in Cambodia, when we hired two bikes to cycle around Angkor Wat, and with the exception of the rear tire blowing out on our last day I coped surprisingly well. I guess once you learn you never forget how, kind of like, well, ridding a bike.
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| Dights Falls |
Barnadi didn't have to work today and the weather was cool but dry, so we decided it was time to get the bikes out and make the most of living in Northcote while we still can and take them down the Merri creek. We have walked along the Merri creek several times, but we have never got that far, my goal was always to get down to the Yarra bend park. As we started out along the cycle track Barnadi couldn't help but draw comparisons to cycling along the banks of the river Avon or the Kennet and Avon canal in Bath. The path meandered with plenty of options for wrong turns as it criss-crossed back and forth over the creek, sometimes veering away before doubling back again. As the valley got deeper it was possible at times to feel you were out in the bush and not getting closer and closer to the CBD, the only clues to the proximity of urban life being the massive bridges spanning the gorge. We reached the Yarra bend park and stopped for a picnic comprising crispy noodles and assorted pieces of fruit that Barnadi brought with him. Rather than heading straight back up the Merri creek however we decided to continue along the Yarra river which took us all the way out to Burnley before doubling back towards the city again. It was two hours from when we set out that we finally pulled into Federation square which was currently exhibiting a selection of emergency shelters outside and a fair trade market inside. Located in federation square are two museums ACMI and a branch of the NGV (the Ian Potter Gallery). We decided to explore ACMI while we were there, and although there are paid exhibitions that come and go, the main museum is free to get in. ACMI is the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, and although it is not that big it is chuck full of exhibits from the early days of film right up to the most modern 3D technologies and a lot of Australian movie memorabilia in between. A lot of the exhibits are interactive, from a pong Vs Wii tennis match to a shadow wall that morphs your shadow into alien monsters.
Already feeling quit tired and wanting to ensure we were home before dark we cycled the shorter and less scenic route home through the city. By the time we were home the complete round trip took us a grand total of 28.22km, an impressive effort even if I do say so myself. More impressive is the fact we had a wonderfully full and adventurous day out without having to spend a single penny.
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