KSCA artist Gilbert Grace has several social bike rides planned for this year.

The first of these rides, the Great White Bird Trail, corresponds with a major exhibition of the same name happening at Broadhurst Gallery, Hazelhurst Art Centre in April. The Salt Pan Creek Trail will occur in July, and the Emerald City Trail, accompanied by art installations, will occur in September.

These rides are part of an ambitious infrastructure agenda: to create icon trails for active transport, with a green ring at its centre, taking people through beautiful parks, waterways, heritage sites and cultural precincts. Part of the Sydney Green Ring skirts Botany Bay, depicted above by Joseph Lycett in 1825.

The first of these rides are test rides, best for riders who don’t mind a few twists and turns. The Great White Bird Trail focuses on the intersection between contemporary art, 19th century Victorian heritage and the historic displacement of the first Australians. This ride will work its way around Botany Bay, the Inner West and CBD. Woven into the course of the ride is the narrative of Thomas Holt, who was instrumental in starting many of Australia's fledgling industries.

February 16th ride (part 1 of Great White Bird):

The ride begins at Kogarah Station and proceeds to Mascot Airport International Terminal (T1) to view the public artwork ‘Great White Bird’, by Michael Kitching. From there we will move along the Green Ring to the site of Holt’s ‘Warren’ at South Marrickville, and then Sydney Town Hall where Kitching’s ‘Sculpture to Honour Marconi’ is installed in the forecourt. Michael Kitching’s father was an engineer and emigrated with the family from Hull, England, to work on building the Caltex terminal. The family settled for a short while in Kurnell, Botany Bay.

Click on this meetup link to find out more info about the ride. And here is a link to the map of the ride.

February 23 ride (part 2 of Great White Bird):

The ride begins at Hazelhurst Gallery, Gymea. A short train ride will see us to Cronulla Station where we travel on bike paths and lanes to the Wanda Track, Kurnell, then along the Botany Bay Trail to Sylvania Waters, site of Holt’s mansion ‘Sutherland House’. From there we will journey across Tom Uglys bridge - Holt had seriously proposed damming the Georges River here to provide water for Sydney - then to Carss Park, finishing at Kogarah Station.

Go to the meetup link here for ride details and booking.