It was, of course, winter time in Brisbane. For us this meant just the right sort of temperature - like a good summer's day in Ireland. We had some rain (unusual for this time of year) but still warm and great to run barefoot in. Brisbane has numerous dedicated cycle and jogging tracks with generally good surface for barefoot running. And so I ran between about 3 and 10 miles barefoot most days during our stay.
Also, following my experience here in Ireland of being asked to leave a Dunnes store because I was wearing no shoes, I tried shopping barefoot in Australia and no-one commented adversely.
I met plenty of other runners but, just as in Ireland, I saw none barefoot. So strange.
Nudgee Beach is within a few miles of where we were staying and provides a vast expanse of sand to run on when the tide is out. Another run followed the Jim Soorley bikeway for some 8km, starting at the Nudgee road end. Another followed an extension of the same bikeway north through the Boondall Wetlands, checking out Anne Beasley's lookout on the way.
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| Looking north from Anne Beasley's lookout |
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| A sign at the north end of the bikeway |
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| Anne Beasley's lookout tower |
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| A typical raised section of the bikeway |
Contrary to folklore we encountered no crocodiles, sharks, box jellyfish or deadly spiders, and were not even troubled with insects. However the sand on the sea-shore was very sharp - it makes a strange noise as you walk and is possibly made mainly of crushed shells. Many of the bikeways and sidewalks were concrete made from this sand and it wore down the soles of my feet to the point of drawing blood. I made temporary repairs with Superglue but I guess it will be some while before my feet properly recover.
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