Canberra is a three-hour drive from Sydney, so this trip was based on an overnight stay in Airbnb accommodation with my eBike transported in the back of my SUV. The original intention was to ride the 145 km Centenary Trail which skirts the city and takes in much of the Australian Capital Territory. My Kalkhoff eBike would be perfect for the well-maintained dirt trail, all of which is off-road.

However, the plan had to abandoned when I discovered there are several locked cattle gates on properties that necessitate a bike being lifted over a fence. eBikes are much heavier than mountain bikes and any attempt to lift them would be most unwise. The ACT Parks and Wildlife are checking on this situation so the hope of doing the trail sometime is still alive.

Canberra is arguably the most bike-friendly city in Australia. There are bikes and safe bike paths everywhere you look. I did two rides; on the first day staying close to Lake Burley Griffin with a 20km diversion to see the Mt. Stromlo national mountain bike trail, passing long stretches of scenic nature without passing anyone. I covered almost 50km over two and a hal hours before just avoiding an afternoon thunderstorm.

 I enjoyed the first ride so much, I did a similar one on the second day. This time I took in many of the regular tourist sites, plus a visit to Mt. Ainslie and the Telstra Tower on top of Black Moutain. This ride covered 63kms over almost five hours.

Day two saw Yarralumla, Parliament House, the War Memorial, the lakeside suburbs of Kingston, several parks and gardens, and parts of the City retail centre. Excellent riding conditions everywhere and so much to see. I plan to do it again soon, maybe in reverse order and hopefully include all or parts of the Centenary Trail.