Dam what a place!

Isn't it amazing what you find in your own backyard? Case in point Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast. It's fifteen kms down the road from our house in Highland Park and ever since I saw the sign showing how to get there on the way to work each day I've always wondered 'Who would want to visit a boring old dam?'

Turns out they do an amazing coffee here.

Turns out I should have visited it years ago - what a truly magnificent place!

So why now after all this time then?

Well I promised the kids I would take them on a bike ride (it had been a while) and Sophie (4) decided the usual track was far too hilly for her princess bike complete with training wheels and so a quick googling for kid friendly bike tracks coughed up Hinze Dam.

'Well the only dam I've ever visited was at my grandma's and that was tiny so how big could this be?'

So we packed up the bikes, the pump and the father in law (visiting for the week) and off we went.

Nissan Stagea 2000. Great for bikes and exploring random dams. Wifey drove, I directed from the back between the kids.

Thankfully I didn't need to pack any tools as this very handy bike tool stand is mounted right before the walkway starts. Everything you need to tighten up or loosen up your ride is there, ready to tinker with which came in handy for making sure the training wheels were on and staying on.

Very handy!

And then the walkway starts and the magnificent views appear. My god it was beautiful, even on a dull grey Tuesday afternoon. WARNING: Many pictures. And occasionally words. But lots of pictures mainly.

We're on a road to nowhere... (bikes in the middle, people on the outside)

Instagram filter for extra effect

Pop your head over the side to see more dam action!

Catch up Pa!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to take a go kart along this track..

This road goes to...the batcave?

Pics don't do this place justice, it's staggering in size

We barely scratched the surface

Apart from some patches of gravel, it's a great flat ground for bikes and we'd just made it to the second curve before we got tired and decided to turn back. There's still heaps of the path and the dam to explore (+other tracks that meet up with it at the end.) Here's to future bike riding adventures!