Grade: S-X
Distance: 11.8km, one way
Road Conditions: Mainly cycle paths
Route: From the Family Court, University Avenue, City via Commonwealth Ave bridge, lakeshore, Yaralumla, Yarra Glen, Curtin to Woden Town Centre.
Map: Location Map (Ride No 12) and detailed map of ride
Starting Point: Family Court, University Avenue, City
Description: Initially, follow the same route as for Commuter Ride 11, but instead of turning left after leaving CommonwealthAvenue Bridge turn right to ride parallel with Flynn Dr. Follow the cycleway as it proceeds alongside Coronation Dr. and then Alexandrina Dr., crossing a boat-launching area and access roads to the Canberra Yacht Club and the Lake Burley Griffin foreshore. The path skirts Yarralumla Bay, then crosses two carpark access roads before crossing Alexandrina Dr. and two bridges. Beyond the second of these turn hard left to ride through grassland and cross Schlich St., Yarralumla. By now you have ridden 5.5 km since starting off.
The path runs past the Yarralumla Sports Ground on the left and houses and tennis courts on the right. It passes a children's play area and Yarralumla Primary School and crosses Loftus, Weston and Guilfoyle streets to swing right and after about 200 metres cross busy Novar St. Turn left here and cross Dudley St to ride over Adelaide Ave/Yarra Glen by way of a bridge.
Road crossings are left behind for a time as the path turns right over the bridge and rushes along parallel with Yarra Glen past playing fields, the Royal Australian Mint and more sportsgrounds. Ahead are the office towers of Woden (an offshoot to the left next to a Curtin/ Hughes road traffic sign will take you on to King St, Deakin, and the Oasis Leisure Centre). The path rises to meet Carruthers St and crosses this road at an awkward intersection controlled by traffic lights. Once over this obstacle, turn right and cross Yarra Glen by another bridge, followed by a crossing of a dangerous access road to Carruthers St.
Continue riding down Carruthers St before turning left at a sign pointing to Woden. (If you kept going down Carruthers St you would shortly reach the Curtin Shops.) The path sweeps down through open space, passing a North Canberra turnoff sign on the left. As you proceed, notice another path shooting off to the right. This is unmarked, but leads to McPhee Pl., Curtin. Another puzzle arrives in the shape of the path dividing, about 10.5 km from the start point. There is no indication here of the way to go, but the left arm takes you on to Callam St, Phillip, while that going right will bring you out at Corinna St, near the Woden Town Centre Library. We are taking the right arm.
The path runs past vacant land and crosses Theodore St, Curtin (dangerous). It enters Lyons (on the right, Melrose Dr. on the left), then crosses Launceston St (traffic lights) and Corinna St before reaching a tunnel on the left marked by a signpost pointing to Woden (left) and Weston Creek (straight ahead). The tunnel has awkward barriers at both ends and once through these you will find yourself in a secluded barbecue area. Keep left and ride up to the Corinna St/ Furzer St intersection, Phillip, where the cycleway ends at the Woden Town Centre Library.
Back at the point where the path diverges, find that the left arm takes you under two bridges, past the Southside Basketball Centre and Phillip Oval (known as Football Park, home of Australian Rules in Canberra). It scoots under a third bridge (Launceston St to end at Callam St outside the curious steel, glass and concrete Callam Offices. Just before the path goes under the third bridge, an offshoot to the right takes you up to Launceston St and left to Phillip College and Callam Offices.
Pedal Power is grateful to Graeme Barrow for agreeing to allow this material and
maps to be reproduced here from his book "Riding Canberra's Bike Paths: A
commuter/tourist cycling guide". Other titles by Graeme Barrow include:
