Meetup Events Archive - Canberra By Bike

Yarralumla Embassy District slow ride (10km, easy)

No other city in Australia has embassies. See them, slowly, on this guided tour of the diplomatic missions in Yarralumla. We’ll start at the Beijing Garden at Lotus Bay, Lake Burley Griffin, and finish at the shops at Yarralumla.

I’ll explain some of the stories and architecture behind embassies and high commissions – including the People’s Republic of China, South Africa, Samoa (in the main photo above), and Nigeria. Learn more about the oldest of Canberra’s three diplomatic suburbs, including anti-apartheid actions at the South African mission, and bombings at the former USSR Embassy.

Check out this video on the embassy of Finland, the architecture for which which is modelled after a famous ship. We’ll visit this embassy and learn about its architecture.

Open to all ages and abilities, faiths, languages, & identities.
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Bring water, bike locks, sunscreen, sunglasses, smiles, and money for the cafes at Yarralumla. There are toilets at the start and finish.

Note – this is a leisurely weekend ride on quiet streets. It’s not a race; nor is it for fitness. Wear whatever is comfortable. Be yourself.

Civic By Brompton ($20; flat & easy)

Be one of six people only for this exclusive tour to see why the Brompton is the ultimate urban bike that makes the trips between home, public transport, and work so easy.

Your host, Paris, hired a Brompton late one Saturday night while on a study tour in London in June 2022, and wants you to experience why it’s an engineering marvel that is fun and practical to use. We’ll ride around some of the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin, through route C8 to the Alinga Street light rail stop, fold up the bikes, take the tram a few stops, unfold the Bromptons and keep exploring. We’ll return to Regatta Point by 11:30am, and then get coffee.

These bikes don’t just fold up, they compact into a third their full size, and can be wheeled across railway station concourses, through shopping centres, and store neatly under your desk. Even the repair kit has been designed to fit neatly inside the frame.

We’ve arranged with our friends in the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre, at Regatta Point, Barrine Drive, to set aside five Bromptons for our use ($20 per person, pay on the day).

Be quick as this ride has only five places.

Bring: money for the rental plus coffee afterward, sunscreen, sunglasses, a helmet and a MyWay card for the tram (or your debit card).