Week 6: Highgate Hill to The Corner Café Indooroopilly ( 12km, 73min) [plus 6km walk home]

Caitlyn was assigned run co-ordinator this morning and I relished her choice for the following reasons: We enjoyed a little sleep-in with a slightly later start at 5:45am ; the distance was an achievable 13km (as compared to 15km last week); we couldn’t get lost as we just had to keep the river on our right shoulder and most importantly, the course had no repeats in it. A circular or one way course is a critical element to any good run or walk . Unless it can’t be avoided, I don’t like repeating scenery. The reason for the final distance of 12km as opposed to the intended 13km will be explained shortly.

Our trio was varied this morning. Bronwyn is in New Zealand attending a reunion, undoubtedly maintaining her training regime. Taking her place was The Husband. There was some alteration to the usual banter and pace but Caitlyn and I did manage to keep him in our sights. We started from Highgate Hill and crossed Gladstone Road and dropped down into Fairfield to the river under the Green Bridge. The path follows the river along the Brisbane Corso and is a delightful area with the mix of euctalypts, poincianas and luxury houses to keep one distracted from the task at hand. At some point around Yeronga, the husband led us away from the river across country, which appears to have cut 1km from the course. Human nature is such that there was no protests from the group as to the impact of the variation. We made our way into the Tennyson Tennis centre complex and onto Graceville with the river never far from our view. Some sections through Graceville don’t have a pedestrian path and are shared road with the oncoming cyclists on their river loop. The early morning traffic is minimal, so the access was not a problem. The Indooroopilly Bridge towers seemed to come upon us in no time as our landmark objective for breakfast.




Breakfast 26

The Corner Cafe' at Indooroopilly is located in the mix of shops behind the El Dorado cinema opposite Indooroopilly train station. Although a good meal and very friendly service, it was not quite in the same league as our other fantastic breakfast locations to date. Perhaps it was the lack of view , plastic tables on the side walk and my view of the brick wall? My companions declare I am a little harsh. Caitlyn continued her avocado devotion and devoured her ‘Breakfast 26” declaring the poached eggs and mushrooms were cooked to perfection. I enjoyed a variation titled ‘Healthy Breakfast’ with an inclusion of baked beans and a tasty tomato relish. My avocado was edible but damaged, bordering on whether it should have been served. The husband’s Breakfast Burger looked fresh and fulfilling, with a sneaky hash brown on the side. Given the unique size of the coffees and our breakfast cycling companions, I suspect the attraction to the café might be the local brew. Apparently an adequate coffee, but my husband, in referencing Jack Reacher’s attitude to espresso coffee, size is not as important as quality. The three of us ate for $52, which included a pot of nicely brewed leaf tea.

big eared mug

Breakfast burger