Riding with the Family

Bikes are fun! The combination of being able to travel faster than you can walk or run and the wind flowing across you gives a fantastic sense of connection with your environment. Around Sydney we have some great places you can ride your bike as a family, connect with each other and enjoy the outdoors. As a parent you can also introduce safe road use and risk evaluation in a controlled way, laying the foundations for future awareness as full road users. These valuable life lessons can be made at the slower speeds of the humble bicycle when the consequences of making mistakes and learning from them are more manageable.

As your family grows then a visit to the local park and its simple oval path is no longer exciting, it’s time to venture further afield and explore some of the great cycling adventures it is still possible to have off the public road.

Whether you are looking for a quick spin with the kids or a full day out activity, Sydney Olympic Park can cover all bases. The surrounding area is popular with picnickers, walkers and cyclists alike and provides spaces for all. Click here for a map.

• Bicentennial Park is a perennial favourite for the picnickers and has some easy loops that will challenge the smallest kids but provide space for exploration for the pre-teens without ever getting too far from Mum and Dad.
• The Badu Mangroves take you from the scenic park and show you the original wetlands still full of wildlife. As you would expect it’s by and large flat riding but at time it can feel like you are riding through the wilderness.
• Wentworth Common also has some picnic areas but is blessed with some open fields that facilitate those that would like to get off their bikes and indulge in some ball sports.
• However it is the Millennium Parklands with the most expansive riding opportunities with a mixture of quiet paths, access roads and even some approachable hills you can ride for hours, returning to the banks of Parramatta river. From here you can also link up with the cycling route through Silverwater and onto Parramatta itself.
• For the more skilled off road riders there is also the chance to test yourself on the Monster BMX and 4X tracks on Hill Road (P5).

If dirt track cycling is your thing then you should also check out Jubes Mountain Bike Park behind the Golden Jubilee playing fields in North Turramurra. This reclaimed park features a skills park, pump track and non-technical 1km loop of open cross-country track, so you can keep an eye on the kids without getting on a bike yourself.

Parramatta Park is a popular training loop by many adult cyclists with a 3km main loop and a short climb 600m climb but outside peak times it’s also a great place to test the legs of the stronger juniors. Parking is relatively limited during the day, largely due to the nearby convenience of the city centre.

Going north from here you can get to the Windsor Road Cycleway. The full distance is 21km of largely undulating to flat terrain on dedicated cycle/walking paths. Interesting stops that break up the ride include the Rouse Hill Estate and regional park but perhaps it’s a drink at the Ettamogah Hotel at Kelly Ridge, just keep in mind that this is a popular meeting spot for many clubs so traffic does build up here.

If you want to see a large part of Sydney and finish off with a swim then you must put the Cooks River Cycleway on your list. For those based on Sydney’s north shore the route, mostly made up of off-road path or quiet suburban streets, starts from south Turramurra, past the Macquarie University, down through Meadowbank, skirts the Homebush precinct then follows Cooks River all the way round and past the airport and onto Botany Bay. With a huge range of stopping places it’s possible for this adventure to take several attempts to cover the entire route. Due to the mixed nature of the paths it is important to remember that there are a number of road crossings to negotiate but they are well sign posted and generally have cyclist safety islands to facilitate crossing.

Another longer ride is the M7 Cycleway. At around 40km this path takes you on a wide sweep through central western Sydney. It’s generally quieter than the Cooks River path and is almost exclusively off road but is also more exposed to the sky so remember to pack your sunscreen. The M7 cycleway is also a useful way to join some of the other trails together or provide a great commuting path between the Hills and central West. The path is generally flat with a couple of ramps around the motorway.

Other rides to consider include:

The picturesque Parramatta Valley Cycleway along the Parramatta River the shared path, with some on-road portions, starts at Ryde, goes through Morrison Bay Park along the Parramatta River and proceeds to George Kendall Riverside Reserve.

The flat and easy 17km ride along the Parramatta Rail Trail Cycleway with lots of easy stops at railway stations – remember off peak your bike travels for free! This shared path starts at Harris Park Station and stretches to Liverpool. Pass through train stations, shops, schools and industrial areas on flat, straight paths.

Further south you can also try the ride from Sutherland via the Como Railway Bridge. At 35km the ride is a little longer and features some hills but also has some fantastic views over the Georges River. There is also a chance to stop at parks, lookouts and feed-stations as you go through Oatley and on to Mortdale.

In a similar vein you can also ride the 27km from Carramar to Canley Vale. It’s mainly off-road and also features great views of the Georges River and surrounding wetlands.

If you want to throw in a visit to the Fairfield City Farm then try the 29km loop through parks from Guildford Station to Prospect Reservoir. Parkland Road which tops the wall of the Prospect Reservoir is closed for traffic

For something closer to the CBD try this ride from Birkenhead Point through to the CBD. Riding on the share path around Iron Cove, then up Lilyfield road (take care if coming down this hill) and over to the cycle bridges over Victoria Road and onto the Anzac Bridge and down to Pyrmont. From here you can divert to the CBD or back to Glebe.