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Mildura

Three Days In the Sprinkler Capital of Australia

By David Hume

January 7^th, 2017

In that lovely, slow start to the new year, it occurred to us that it had been ages since we’d seen a couple of our oldest friends. “Would you like to come to dinner tonight?” we asked Michael and Sue.

“Love to, but we’re in the car driving to Mildura for three nights. Why don’t you guys come across as well?”

So one quizzical look to Margot, and one phone call to the hotel later, all the arrangements were made. An afterthought was grabbing a couple of Bromptons from Treadly Bike Hire.

There is a learning curve with Bromptons, but it’s pretty quick. I’d watched a couple of YouTubes about folding them and unfolding them, and thought “OK guys – in theory sure, but in practice – It’s Not That Easy!” After half a dozen goes, though, it does become that easy. As a card-carrying bike tragic, I really came to appreciate the engineering quality of the Brompton. They are so clever, and so well thought out. It’s not like they are made of space age materials or anything, but they have been refined and refined to the point where they just work beautifully.

I don’t own a Brompton. I do own a crappy $200 folder that has served pretty well for a number of years, but it gets very little use. Bromptons are in another league – price wise and function wise.

There’s a cross-over point, where the Brompton is so small and so easy that you DO take it where you wouldn’t take another folding bike. They are small enough that two sat in the boot of our hatchback and took up less than half the space. I can easily fold or unfold them in under a minute. This means they are always there. The two of them sat inside our room, neatly folded in the space by the door.

I think what they give you is time. Given the choice I would have a bike with me everywhere I go, but it can be a hassle to organise. Maybe we could have hired a bike in Mildura (actually no) – but even if we did, it would have eaten half a day of a three-day holiday to organise. Security is not an issue because they live in your room. As well as the fun stuff, the normal stuff – like shopping – gets easier as well.

When visiting a new town, I love to explore the architecture and heritage, and there is no better way to do this than by bike. A bike allows you huge range, but at a slow enough pace that you can be always stopping to take in whatever sights you come across. You also interact with people on a much more personal level. Bikes are a very non-threatening way to approach someone. You start conversations, ask directions, get chatting and learn about the town. In short, you make contact.

For me, any kind of trip away is made better by having a bike, and Bromptons are a very easy way to do it. There is, however, a significant cost in getting on board; these bikes are around $2.5K each to buy. Hiring a couple for a holiday is a nice way to go. Not only do you get bikes for the holiday, but you can see whether you want to jump in and buy, or if occasional hire is more your cup of tea.