I’ve started Canberra By Bike on MeetUp, but the pandemic has delayed our first event.

The purpose of this group is to try recreating in Canberra some of the bicycle culture I see that people in parts of the European Union get to enjoy each day.

Here’s what Canberra By Bike is about: We’re a group for people who use bikes to get from A to B. People of all ages, abilities, & identities who use all types of cycles. We are not lycra-clad cyclists who want to ride beside traffic doing 80km/h. Think of us as trying to recreate the experiences of riding in Copenhagen or Amsterdam (as on YouTube channels Bicycle Dutch and Not Just Bikes), but with cockatoos and kangaroos. Leisurely weekend rides on quiet streets or bike paths, at a pace you can talk normally. Wear whatever is comfortable.

Our first ride should be on Saturday 18 September, 16 October, if the lockdown ends by then. I’ll lead a tour of the embassies and high commissions in Yarralumla, a suburb in southern Canberra that is home to the oldest diplomatic missions in Australia’s national capital, and share some stories about their architecture and histories.

The images below show, from left, the High Commission of Samoa, the High Commission of Papua New Guinea, and the High Commission of India, all in Canberra, Australia. What are High Commissions? They are the name for diplomatic missions of countries that are part of the British Commonwealth/formerly invaded by the British. They have the same rank as embassies.

The second ride, on Saturday 30 October, will circumnavigate all 42km of Lake Burley Griffin.

I want to organise future rides that show filming locations around Canberra, and also an architectural tour, but these are still in the planning stages.