Sunday Easy Cycle - 12km Beaches of Newcastle Loop - Coffee at Dixon Park Beach

Name: Sunday Easy Cycle - 12km Beaches of Newcastle Loop - Coffee at Dixon Park Beach
Start: 2025-07-06T10:00:00+10:00
End: 2025-07-06T12:30:00+10:00
Location: Tree of Knowledge

Hosted By

Philippa

Sunday Easy Cycle - 12km Beaches of Newcastle Loop - Coffee at Dixon Park Beach

Details

This is a free 12km guided bike ride at a slow relaxed pace (15km/hr). New people very welcome!

This scenic route passes all the city beaches.

☕️ We will stop for morning tea at halfway at Dixon Park Beach cafe, which is also a great place for spotting whales.

Whether you're after a scenic recreational ride, or you want to know how to use your bike for everyday transport, this ride does both.

The main aim of this group is to showcase quiet routes & safe cycling principles so people have the option to cycle around town for everyday short trips 😁

😎 ✨

Ocean views & quaint inner city streets
Mostly flat (we avoid the Memorial Dr hill)
Quiet streets & shared paths only.
No high-speed, high-pressure roads
Great for most skill and fitness levels.
Low-stress cycling routes linking multilple suburbs
Observe & practice key city cycling skills, like claiming the lane, signaling & headchecks

Max. 10 spots. No children. Any questions, message me or comment below :)

Start/finish point: Tree of Knowledge Park, Wickham (the little park next to the outdoor carpark, at the corner of Honeysuckle Dr & Hannell St)

Start time: meet at 9:45am for a 10am departure
Finish time: approx 12pm-12:30pm

Relative cycling fitness level: very easy/ EASY/medium/hard/very hard

Infrastructure: 7.5km of shared paths, 5km of low-pressure, low-speed, low-traffic streets, two sets of on-road low-pressure traffic lights

Distance: 12km
Pace: slow, 15km/hr on the flat
Active pedaling time: approx 1 hour
Topography: flat, except for 2 steep 50 metre hills, a 200 metre gentle-to-moderate hill

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You’ll need:

helmet
bike with good working brakes and tyres pumped to the recommended PSI
bike lock
phone & opal card in case of puncture (a repair kit if you have one)
water bottle

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How we ride: We are a group of people with varying experience, confidence levels and cycling styles. A safety briefing at the start of the ride will establish how we ride together. I lead the ride and provide instruction at certain junctions. We stick together & ride in an alert, slow manner. We position ourselves to be very visible, keeping clear of drivers' blind spots, & keeping a predictable trajectory/speed. We ride in single file, clear of the doorzone & of the mouths of side-streets. We frequently take primary position (claiming the lane) to prevent unsafe passes, & to turn right. We pass pedestrians slowly. If you have never heard of primary position, or the doorzone, it doesn't matter. This ride is all about learning best-practice city cycling skills for everyday transport.

You are responsible for your own safety at all times.

Suitable for those who have recently learnt to ride through to those who are experienced. No prior experience on roads necessary.

However, you must be able to effectively: stop and start, pedal, steer, signal left and right, look over your shoulder to check for what's behind you, be always alert to upcoming hazards, and anticipate the behaviour of pedestrians and vehicles.
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This ride will showcase a low-pressure bike transport route that connects Wickham, Nobbys Beach, Newcastle Beach, Hunter St Mall, Queens Wharf, Newcastle Library, Darby St, Bar Beach, Merewether Beach, the Watkins St shared path, The Junction Village shops, Cooks Hill.

Getting there

By Bike: https://www.newcastlecycleways.org.au/way-finding, or find routes on the group’s Komoot account https://www.komoot.com/tour/1831416099?ref=itd , or message me for a low-pressure route :)
Coming by train? Bikes travel free. Alight at Newcastle Interchange.
Parking: free unlimited weekend parking at the outdoor carpark, cnr Honeysuckle Dr & Hannell St, or park in Carrington

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Indemnity and release of liability
By participating in this activity you unconditionally indemnify the organiser/host against any and all claims, demands, losses, injuries, damages, liabilities or other costs, whether present or future, relating to your participation and/or dealings with Bike About Town - Newcastle, including but not limited to, any accident, loss or damage to property or death or injury to any person.

If the weather is looking unfavourable, check the comments below for updates; heavy rain may result in cancellation.
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Great videos with tips on safe cycling principles for everyday city trips!