Welcome to the Redcliffe Peninsular on a Saturday morning.

Love the weekends, time for a relaxing and leisurely stroll just to catch up on what is in my neighbourhood.  I have now been here since 21st February, which isn't long when you think about it, less than two months and so much has happened.  I am just starting to relax into my new neighbourhood and enjoy the benefits of my lifestyle change.

On driving over the bridge tourists and residents are greeted by this very welcoming sign.  The Redcliffe Peninsular definitely has that relaxing holiday atmosphere.

Enjoy the photographs.

A local shopping centre with everything one would need.

This is the start of the walk onto the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge.  Up the small incline to the Ted Smout and around to the left to where the old Hornibrook Highway bridge used to be.  The walk over the Ted Smout is 2.7km each way.

Looking from the walkway over to the Woody Point Jetty.

This is a view taken from under the Ted Smout bridge. It shows the pylons of the three bridges, the Ted Smouth, the Houghton Highway and the new pylons of the fishing jetty built where the old Hornibrook used to be, popular with local anglers.

A view between the Ted Smout and the Houghton looking over to the other side of the bay.

The original entrance to the old Hornibrook Highway, in the distance you can see the entrance on the other side.

Some of the beautiful foreshore.

Here you can see the three bridges, I am standing on the new part of the Hornibrook Highway, the truck is on the Houghton Highway and the car, centre right, is on the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge heading to Brisbane.

Some of the local wildlife appreciating the old structures.

Looking across to the container wharves at Fisherman's Island and the airport.  You can see the planes flying and the cruise and container ships coming and going.

Valerie on her Mint Green Cruiser.

Cyclists and walkers, the weekend is very popular for cyclists.  I get out on my mint green cruiser and tend to get run over as I am not that speedy.

Amy and I did this walk on Friday night, walked down to The Belvedere Hotel for a couple of drinks, had a beautiful piece of barramundi for dinner.  Listened to a singer/guitarist in the hotel for a little while then strolled back.  We got eaten alive by mosquitoes on the way down, it was just on dusk, favourite time for bugs.   No problems on the way back, the mosquitoes had gone to bed.

Some views of the walkway and the beautiful foliage.

In training for the Tour de France, maybe?  Cyclists come in all shapes, ages and sizes, it is great fun.  Many, many cyclists in the over fifties age group.  I am over my fear of  falling off the bike and am enjoying my rides.

This is where I live, still some not yet sold.  Mostly on the side where the view is over the bridges and across to the city of Brisbane.

My favourite place at the end of a weekend walk.  The Drowned Rat Cafe, a charming little cafe on the ground floor of the unit complex.  Open until about 2pm every day.  Furry friends are welcome on the outside, you can see the water containers for the four legged customers.  There are doggy treats as well to purchase.


A very brief history of the bridges.

Manuel Hornibrook's vision, the Hornibrook Highway was opened on Friday 4 October 1935.  It was the longest bridge in Australia spanned the 8,806 feet (2,686 metres) between Sandgate and Clontarf.  When it first opened, there was a toll of 1/- (one shilling).

In 1979, the Houghton Highway bridge opened anticipating the use of the two bridges for a considerable number of years.  Unfortunately the old Hornibrook Highway deteriorated quicker than expected and the Houghton Highway was the only one in use for vehicular traffic.  The old bridge did stay open for a time for cyclists and walkers, but was demolished because of safety issues.

The Ted Smout Memorial Bridge was built and opened on 11 July 2010 by Anna Bligh.  It consists of 78 spans each 35m long.  The cost A$315 million.  The Ted Smout was the first bridge in Australia designed to withstand Hurricane Katrina-type storm events and built to withstand storm surges.

Another story from The Mint Green Cruiser

www.mintgreencruiser.blogspot.com

Thank you for your comments on my blog.