Newcastle (Australia)

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World Naked Bike Ride – Nudecastle

Ride in conjunction with Southern hemisphere ride locations (including Golden Bay, Melbourne, Brisbane, Lima, and Pretoria).

Protest for: Naturism, the Environment, Renewable Energy, Peace & Safe Bicycling!
Protest against: Cars & Climate Change Chaos!

Next ride

Date: Saturday 8 March 2008
Time: ?
Location: ?

How to participate

Read the following information first. This page is the most important source of information on WNBR Newcastle.
After this page read the other Wiki WNBR Newcastle pages (Newcastle_archive and Newcastle_previous_ride) and have a look at WNBR Australia (official site).

In months before the ride

It may seem like things are quiet between World Naked Bike Rides but the Newcastle organisers are working now to make the WNBR Nudecastle 2008 enjoyable for everyone. In the lead-up to the WNBR there are many other community grassroots events in Newcastle that are of interest to Naturists, Biketivists, Pacifists and Environmentalists. Have a look at the links to organisations that endorse the WNBR in Newcastle (see Newcastle#Endorsement below) and Australia and you will find something that will inspire your passion for expressing yourself for the benefit of the planet. All the organisations that endorse WNBR are friendly though our closest ally is Critical Mass (see Newcastle#Critical_Mass below). WNBR Nudecastle encourages everyone interested in participating in WNBR to also participate in Critical Mass.

Getting email updates before the ride

If you want to have emails sent to you with details of pre-ride events, reminders of the WNBR Nudecastle time and start location, or discuss any apects of the upcoming ride: you need to join the discussion group (see Newcastle#Discussion_group.2Fs below). If you have not got a Yahoo! account, you can set one up for free in about 5 minutes. You can use your existing email account or get a Yahoo! email account for free. You can set the email account up using a nickname if you want to as well. The management of Yahoo! have classified the discussion group as "adults only" but only because they are puritanical prudes who do not know the difference between the human body and pornography. WNBR is nothing to do with pornography so do not worry.

Privacy

You do not have to register, pay money, sign anything or give your personal details to anyone. There are suggestions on the international pages of WNBR websites that say you should complete the on-line registration process. This is NOT mandatory for the WNBR Nudecastle. Vetted media people will attend the WNBR Nudecastle 2008 to photograph and video the event so if you have any concerns about this you should consider painting your face, wearing a novel mask or big dark sunglasses to preserve your anonymity.

Critical Mass

Critical Mass Newcastle and the World Naked Bike Ride endorse and participate in all events held under both names in Newcastle. Critical Mass ride on the first Friday of every month and starts from Civic Park, opposite Newcastle Town Hall. Assemble at 5:45pm for a 6:00pm start. Ride Daily! Celebrate Monthly!

For more information on Critical Mass see: Critical Mass World Information , Critical Mass Australiaor Newcastle Critical Mass Discussion Group or email Daniel.

Cultural Stomp 2007

Push bike fun at CULTURAL STOMP Festival at Civic Park Saturday 19th May.

The Bike Corral is where lotsa FREE STOMP bike fun happens!:
1. Start point (every hour) for All Day Bike Ride
2. Bike Library Pickup point ($20 deposit applies)
3. Bring your bike to get fixed / checked
4. Bike fixing workshops, learn how to fix your bike
5. Bike skills workshops to stop getting annoyed by cars
6. Bike information:

• World Naked Bike Ride Australia and World Naked BIke Ride Newcastle
  
• Critical Mass Newcastle,CM Newcastle wiki and

CM World Wide wiki

• Newcastle Bike-Ecology Centre
  
• Eco Peace Biketivism Love Co-operative
  
• Newcastle Cycleways Movement Inc.
  

7. Workshop to set up your community Bike co-op
8. Film Premier: Along for the Ride by Yasmin Bright (a doco of World Naked Bike Ride in Newcastle 2007) plus other Biketivism Films. Venue: Ground Floor TPI House, corner of Auckland and King Streets. Screening times: 12:30pm and 4:30pm.

The STOMP Festival Bike-Train is a bike ride from Wallsend, going past the Uni and arriving at Civic park at 10am on Sat 19th May.
Start at Wallsend Plaza 8am.

Pick up points along the way:
Cameron St Jesmond Mall 8:20am,
Rankin Drive Uni 8:30am,
Waratah shopping centre 9am,
Clyde St to Tighes Hill TAFE 9:20am,
Hamilton Train Station 9:40am,
Parry St, King St to Civic Park, 10am!

• Click here for the Bike Fun at STOMP Poster or on the image below.

Bike Fun at Stomp 2007 Poster

• Click here for the main STOMP Poster or on the image below.

Cultural Stomp 2007 Poster

Media

Media enquiries for Newcastle: please contact Marte Kinder the WNBR Newcastle Organiser.

Please think ahead if you want to have a media presence on the day of the WNBR Nudecastle and contact Marte well ahead of time because your involvement will need vetting.

Newcastle previous ride

Date: Saturday 10 March 2007
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Next to Warabrook Station in Rosegum Road Reserve, Warabrook For more information about the pre-ride planning, events and media see Newcastle previous ride page.

Bodypainting Competition

These are the 2007 WNBR Bodypainting Competition Entrants (and results):

• Vote Green (2nd Prize)
• 100% Bare (3rd Prize)
• Peace OK (4th Place)
• What Democracy Looks Like (1st Prize)
  

Entrants and winners have "me" on their head or knee in the same colour as their indicative name. Look for more photos at WNBR Australia © Second Sight Photography (same as in the link below). Prizes were bikes donated by the Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre.

2007 WNBR Bodypainting Competition Entrants

2007 Photos

• Photos at WNBR Australia © Second Sight Photography

2007 Ride Reports

• Ride Report from Marte
• 26 riders participated naked or semi-naked in the the WNBR Nudecastle 2007.
• The length of the ride was 18.2km = 2.3km clothed + 15.9km naked. Collectively, the riders covered 413.4 naked kilometers.
• No arrests were made by Police. The Police reaction was to send 3 Highway patrol cars to the assembly area of the ride and speak to the riders before the event.
• Post ride party was held at Newcastle Surf Life Saving Club again as in 2006.

World Naked Bike Ride – Nudecastle 2007
Protest for: Naturism, the Environment, Renewable Energy, Peace & Safe Bicycling!
Protest against: Cars & Climate Change Chaos!

In Newcastle, on Saturday the 10th of March, 26 naked bike riders took part in the 4th annual World Naked Bike Ride. The local event is also nick-named Nudecastle in recognition of the policy that clothing is optional.

The ride was held simultaneously across the southern hemisphere with compatriots in Brisbane (32 riders), Melbourne (25 riders), Golden Bay in New Zealand (70 riders), Pretoria in South Africa and Lima in Peru (300 plus riders). The northern hemisphere will hold their WNBRs in June due to suitability of the weather.

Arriving at the assembly area
The potential riders in WNBR Nudecastle 2007 were told to assemble by 3pm in Rosegum Road Reserve on the Warabrook side of the Warabrook railway station. When I arrived a few minutes before 3pm, I could see from a distance that the normally empty car park was full of cars, people, bikes and 3 Police cars. I wondered how many other riders had seen the Police from a distance and decided to bail out because their presence was unprecedented for Newcastle. NBN were there filming, the car park was full of spectators and a really good turn out of riders were ready to have fun. Other riders told me that the Police had done the rounds asking for the leader to be identified to which they replied that WNBR has no leaders! Good one guys!

Police Liaison
At about a quarter past 3 a senior Policeman with lots of silver pips and epaulettes made an announcement to the crowd of riders. He warned the riders that arrests could occur as the intended ride would (in his opinion) breach section 4 and/or 5 of the NSW Summary Offences Act 1988 because we would expose our genitals in public. One of the riders disagreed with the policeman saying that the intended nakedness of the riders was not obscene and although the wilful exposure of genitals might meet the definition of indecent exposure, this offence no longer existed, much to the distress of the Reverend Fred Nile as mentioned in Legislative Council debate on the Local Government (Nude Bathing) Bill. The rider also asked why semi-naked lesbians could simulate sex with strap-on dildos during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and although no opinion of the right or wrong of this public behaviour was offered, it was questioned why such sexually charged behaviour was allowed by the Police while disapproving of the non-sexual World Naked Bike Ride. The rider also asked why the Police had chosen to visit when there had been no public complaints and no Police action in 2005 or 2006 and whether there had been any complaints this year. The Police responded that there had been no complaints that he knew of, though by accident or design, WNBR had received a lot of publicity in the media this year and that prompted their visit. He was right of course; people had been conspiring to publicise WNBR. The riders made it plain that they did not want to offend anyone, the event was intended as fun and had been accepted in that spirit by Newcastle people in previous years. The riders did not want to inconvenience the police with unnecessary effort or paperwork over an essentially harmless activity. In the end the Police said that if we were found on the street and an offence could be proven, we faced arrest without warning but the Police would not be following the riders and hence their action depended on a complaint from the public. The Police were thanked for the message.

Escape
By this time the Maitland train had come and gone from the station and as it was the last opportunity for riders to arrive, the whole pack of clothed riders escaped the Police, the onlookers, the uninvited press and their useless stinky cars by crossing the pedestrian bridge into the grounds of The University of Newcastle. If only the Police had thought to bring bikes …

Days later I heard that a photographer from The Herald had turned up at the assembly place late wondering what was happening and where he could get some pictures. He asked the Police what was going on to be told that the riders had been warned and dispersed clothed. For several days The Herald thought the ride had been aborted due to Police intervention.

Anyway, safely on Commonwealth Government property and within the Uni grounds, we found a beautiful bushland spot to strip off and paint ourselves with body paint. We did a quick headcount to find 8 women and 18 men had turned up to ride beating all previous WNBR records in Australia.

Painting up was fun and the most popular colour was fluro red. Peace signs, hearts, flowers, women’s symbols, ying yang signs and heaps of environmental, peace, bike activism and anti-consumerist messages were featured. One guy went crazy with blue paint and covered himself head to toe only to find that it was the most durable of all the shades and refused to wash off at the end of the day. He looked like a smurf!

Heading off
We posed for pictures on campus and headed off with a little trepidation considering the earlier police attention. About half the men had chosen to go completely naked and all but one of the women went top free. Everyone had fun shouting and chanting our protest messages which included: No Blood for Oil, Burn Fat not Oil, Burn Bras not Oil, Bring our Boys Home, This is what Democracy Looks Like, Stop Burning the future, Safe Cycling, Save the Walrus etc.

The first half of the ride from Uni to Tighes Hill TAFE was fairly quiet in terms of seeing members of the public. We took all the back streets. A glimpse of a Police car at Waratah sent ever naked bloke scrambling for his daks. If they even saw us, they did not stop or come back so that was a relief.

The second half of the ride followed the cycleway from Tighes Hill along Throsby Creek and the foreshore all the way to the end of Nobbys breakwater. We arrived at Honeysuckle just about 6pm and the harbour side restaurants were absolutely full of Saturday night patrons. “Oh my God! It’s the Naked Bike Riders! Look! Look!” was the first reaction followed by roars of laughter, cheers and standing ovations. Everyone enjoyed the parade.

A long way
In all, the riders covered 18km, 16 of which were naked. It was the longest WNBR in Australia and by the end there were a couple of people who were ready to quit but everyone made it OK. I gently reminded people with sore legs that helping with WNBR planning is open to everyone so your input to route and ride length will be considered if you get involved.

Finish
The ride finished in the Nobbys car park and then we went to the Newcastle Surf Life Saving Club for a beer, a swim, a BBQ and music. Lots of riders helped out with the cooking which was great. Everyone had a really nice time and said how it had been terrific fun. I was pretty busy and for a couple of reasons, did not manage to organise the riders for their competitions to see who had brought the most friends or had the best body paint. No one put their hand up for the participation competition so we ran the body painting contest as an online competition after the event. By the time this article is printed, the competition will have concluded and you can check the details of the winners on the website. The Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre donated the 3 prize bikes.

University
As in 2006, WNBR Nudecastle was well supported by students from The University of Newcastle. A bike activism stall was set up at the Uni during orientation week (12th to 16th of February) promoting Critical Mass, Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre, World Naked Bike Ride and a newly formed NUSA affiliated club: the Eco-Peace Biketivism Love Co-operative. Keep an eye out for EPBLC on campus in the coming months for heaps of bike fun events. Many students took an interest in the various organisations and their related themes. The organisers were helped during O Week by the Newcastle University Students Association (NUSA), the NUSA Environment Collective (who have both given their endorsement to WNBR) and the University Union. Big thanks to everyone at Uni from WNBR.

Melbourne
Melbourne WNBR went off successfully with 25 riders. There a policeman met them before the ride and did everything he could to protect the cyclists from possible bad behaviour of the public. The organisers gave the VIC police a copy of the ride route and the police gave a heads up to the local commands to keep a look out for the rider’s welfare. The cops were even happy for them to ride as bare as they dare. Isn't this great?

Final Note
WNBR Australia had 83 riders this year and I think that the event has come of age. The approach taken by the Police in Melbourne Victoria is marvellous and perhaps next year Newcastle can get the same sort of support rather than disapproving warnings even though there were no arrests. Perhaps next year WNBR Nudecastle can get the same approval that other harmless cultural, artistic and political protests like the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the naked mass public photography of Spencer Tunic.

How do I find out more?
Go to worldnakedbikeride.org/australia and follow the link or just go straight to wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=Newcastle If you do not have a computer or internet connection you could use an internet café or any libraries’ computers.

The following organisations support and/or endorse the WNBR in Newcastle:
Critical Mass
Critical Mass Newcastle and the World Naked Bike Ride endorse and participate in all events held under both names in Newcastle. Critical Mass ride on the first Friday of every month and starts from Civic Park, opposite Newcastle Town Hall. Assemble at 5:45pm for a 6:00pm start. Ride Daily! Celebrate Monthly!
Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre
Newcastle University Students' Association (NUSA)
NUSA Environment Collective
Opus
Eco-Peace Biketivism Love Co-operative
Second Sight Photography
Purple Spider Studio
Rowanmacs - Photography
Newcastle Nudists for Peace
Stomp
The Octapod Association
Michael Osborne of Newcastle Greens
Lee Rhiannon of NSW Greens

A dozen more organisations support and/or endorse WNBR Australia wide and details can be viewed on the website.

Photographs of WNBR Nudecastle 2007 for the media:
worldnakedbikeride.org/australia/newcastle2007/index.html
© Second Sight Photography
Glenn Mac Fadyen
Second Sight Photography
61 Maud St.
Mayfield West NSW 2304
phone: (02) 4967 3939
email: secondsightphoto@telstra.com

Credit MUST be given to the Newcastle photographers when using their work.

• Ride Report from The Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre (NBEC)
  
• Protest ride fun ending at hoon carpark
  

“On Saturday, 10th of March, the World Naked Bike Ride was a fantastic success in Newcastle. The police met us at the start and wanted us to have a safe & fun ride, but to cover up our natural bottom bits. Not deterred, the riders rode from Warabrook in towards Nobby’s beach, and the 26 push-bike riders made it the largest Southern Hemisphere ride numbers ever.”, Daniel from the NBEC says.

“People and families of many ages (8 to 60ish) and many lifestyles decorated their bikes and had colourful bodypainting showing protest slogans, peace signs, trees, hearts, and flowers. A large tree branch was in the NBEC trailer to signify sustainable bike culture’s harmony with nature: If you rescue a pre-loved bike from being scrapped, we can save on the whole destructive process of producing a new bike“, Daniel continued.

The World Naked Bike Ride is a clothing optional protest ride, and the Nudecastle 2007 protest themes this year were: Protest for: Naturism, the Environment, Renewable Energy, Peace & Safe Bicycling! Protest against: Cars & Climate Change Chaos!

“After the ride had concluded at Nobby’s Head, the riders returned to Nobby’s Beach car park, and to make their way to the Post-ride party elsewhere. The fun ended when a bunch of young car hoons threw a 2L container (filled with petrol possibly) towards an 8 year old and father. Thankfully the hoons didn’t succeed in hospitalising anyone and they raced cowardly away in their car. I later found out that they had waited for us to return after previously projecting other things at the family in the Nobby’s car area. Video footage will be studied to find the license plate number and if any of the public know anything else they should contact the police.“, Daniel said.

“This was the first long ride for this family. They were saying it was a practice to enable the 8 year old to be able to ride to school. After a longer time & distance then expected, at Carrington tiredness set in and the 8 year old’s bike was put in the NBEC trailer (with the tree) and the 8 year old finished by riding dinky with dad. I hope this doesn’t put them off riding to school. Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in Newcastle and walking and cycling to school is a major solution & health benefit for society.”, Daniel said

“These car hoons are at the extreme end of the spectrum for road rage against cyclists. But for the average cyclist, they can be victimised daily by just getting from a to b. So the next time a motorist gets angry for a push-bike rider using “motorists” roads or hogging the road we need to learn: The roads are for everyone, like parks from Tax payer money (not from rego money), and the cyclist is probably riding safely away from the deadly car door lane and to the right of the more deadly “bike picture lanes” in Newcastle. If a motorist gets angry of being safely stuck behind a cyclist for 10 seconds I hope over the years their anger doesn’t build up to what we saw the car hoons do. The council, government and RTA have encouraged this road rage by ignoring requests from the NBEC to educate the public about the “bike picture lanes” in Newcastle.”, Daniel explained.

Some painted slogans on riders were: Save the Walrus (threatened species due to climate change), vote green, safe cycling, end consumerism, I love oil wars [sic], Clean is not necessarily green (clean coal reference). All riders had a bike-tastic time laughing, cycling, singing, and chanting in towards town. When we rode along the Newcastle Foreshore Promenade area many 100’s of pedestrians cheered us on for protesting for a better world“, Daniel concluded.

Daniel Endicott Co-Ordinator of: Newcastle Bike Ecology Centre Your local environmental, not-for-profit, community based, sustainable transport, no green-wash cars, bikefun centre

Push-bike co-op and fix your bike (most Saturdays): We take pre-loved bikes & parts that are then restored by volunteers. Free workshops on how to fix bikes, cycling tips, & traffic skills. If you want a bike or parts, we help you recycle one, for free! Volunteers welcome to help save the world through BIKEFUN!

Publicity: flyers, posters, images etc

These were the flyer and poster used to promote the WNBR Nudecastle 2007. Why not colour one in and stick it to your refrigerator for fun? A new generic flyer and poster for WNBR Nudecastle 2008 will be designed and posted here soon.

Flyer

Poster

Save the Walrus

Why is WNBR Nudecastle 2007 also protesting to Save the Walrus?

Newcastle 2006

Date: Sunday 12 March 2006
Time: 7am
Location: Merewether Surf Life Saving Club
For more information about the pre-ride planning, events and media see Newcastle 2006 page.

History

See Newcastle archive for:

• WNBR Nudecastle 2006 Ride Report by Marte Kinder.
• WNBR Nudecastle 2006 Ride Report by Daniel.
• WNBR Nudecastle 2005 Ride Report by Marte Kinder.

Photos

2007

• Photos at WNBR Australia © Second Sight Photography

2006

• Photos at WNBR Australia © Second Sight Photography

2005

• Photos at WNBR Australia © Second Sight Photography and © Purple Spider Studios

Links

Website/s

• WNBR Australia (official site)

Discussion group/s

• WNBR Newcastle Yahoo! Group

Endorsement

The following organisations support and/or endorse the WNBR in Newcastle:

• Critical Mass Newcastle and Critical Mass Newcastle Wiki
• Newcastle Bike-Ecology Centre
• Second Sight Photography photographed the 2005 and 2006 WNBR in Newcastle.
• Purple Spider Studio photographed the 2005 WNBR in Newcastle.
• Rowanmacs - Photography filmed the 2005 and 2006 WNBR in Newcastle.
• Newcastle Nudists for Peace (no link)
• Newcastle University Students' Association (NUSA), see also NUSA Wiki Website
• NUSA Environment Collective
• NUSA Transport Collective
• Eco-Peace Biketivism Love Co-operative
• Opus
• Stomp
• The Octapod Association
• The Royal Exchange
• Michael Osborne of Newcastle Greens
• Lee Rhiannon of NSW Greens

Location information

• Wikipedia: Newcastle, New South Wales
• Wikipedia: New South Wales