Unfinished Business and the Business End of Town: Adelaide Metro

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In our attempts to ride the entire Adelaide Metro network we sadly overlooked the line from Woodville to Grange. Once this omission was pointed out to us Roger also realised, oh calamity! that he had not ridden the train from Port Adelaide to Outer Harbour. As a matter of urgency we set out to finish this unfinished business.

We rode our bikes down to Woodville station to catch the train to Grange.
 

Off we go!  Well, once the train gets here.

 

We could have caught a train from Alberton to Woodville but, given the 20 minute wait to change trains at Woodville, it was quicker to ride.  The ride to Grange was short - we were tempted to ride our bikes and race the train there but that would have missed the point of riding the entire Metro network wouldn't it?  So we caught the train.

Back at the Steamtown Museum in Melrose, they told us lots of stories involving trains overshooting the end of the line due to a lack of application of the brakes. Grange Station had a rather lackadaisical approach to the end of the train line, and a touching faith in the driver's ability to always apply the brakes.

"It's the end of the train line.  How should we make sure people know that?"  "How about we put up a pool fence with a merman on it?"    "Great idea!"
 

The bike ride from Grange to Outer Harbour was not particularly exciting. We've ridden it a couple of times now: it's always a pleasant ride beside the sea. Today was overcast and cool, with the usual southerly tailwind.

We walked out on the jetty at Largs Bay.  This is where we saw the seal stealing bait from the crab pots a couple of weeks ago.  No seals today.
 

Likewise the ride from Largs Bay all the way to Outer Harbour was not particularly exciting. My goodness, it hasn't taken us long to get all ho-hum about a beautiful foreshore and boardwalk through the dunes, has it? As we got closer to Outer Harbour Roger got all jittery and gave himself a deadline to catch the next train, so off he zoomed. I, having elected to continue around the Lefevre Peninsula loop back to Port Adelaide, toddled along at a much slower rate and did a little sight seeing:

First: the fishing/viewing platform at Outer Harbour.  This is next to the cruise ship terminal, currently a Very Quiet Place due to Covid.

Second: the Outer Harbour Railway Station.  Roger must have gotten there in time for the train, because the platform was empty. Or he got lost.
Third: around the corner to the business end of town.

The bike path went past the Biodiversity Park with a soundtrack of birdsong, and progressed along the railway line becoming more industrial as it went. The river side of the Lefevre Peninsula dropped any pretense of catering to the tourists and just knuckled down to business. I rode past giant LEGO constructions of shipping containers:



 

Very important Yacht Clubs Squadrons (Royal, no less): 

And various bits of big industry:

Sometimes the bike path meandered happily beside the train line, with the industry on the other side.

... and sometimes it went pretty much right through the industry itself.  I'm glad I did this on the weekend: I think it would be a lot scarier during the week.

I didn't take photos of the biggest industry on the Peninsula, the Naval shipyard which up until recently was building submarines and now... isn't. 

The finale of the ride was going over the big bridge with beautiful views of the Port.

Although there appeared to have been a little bit of confusion over what to name the bridge.


The view all the way across town to The Hills.

 

I got home very satisfied with my ride, to find Roger equally satisfied with his efforts (he didn't get lost on the way to the train, making it safely home to have the overjoyed dog slobber happily over him as they waited for me to arrive). 

We sat down and made plans to finish the last itty bit of the network: the tram to Glenelg.  Technically it isn't a train but in the spirit of inclusiveness we've decided to count it anyway, and will tell you all about it once it's done.




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