Melbourne day trips by bike

Want to know where to ride bikes in Melbourne? You’re not alone—Sam recently asked:

I am visiting Melbourne (from the UK) in March (13th – 18th) and am trying to decide how best to explore Melbourne and surrounding areas, and I am quite sure that a day’s bike ride would be fantastic! Would you be willing to recommend routes and possibly bike rental shops?

Sounds like a great idea, and I’d be happy to offer a few recommendations for cycling routes around Melbourne. There is a pretty good network of bike trails in Melbourne, so it’s not difficult to make for a decent day out. However, I’d suggest one of the following:

1. Capital City Trail

2. Bay Trail

3. Merri Creek Trail

4. Warburton Trail

A brief outline of each follows. All but the first are out-and-back routes, so you can adjust the distance to suit your ability and time available.

I have mentioned possible bike hire outlets for information only—I make no recommendations (but cafés on the other hand…)

All of these routes are reasonably easy to navigate, although it might be worth getting hold of the TravelSmart Map or the Bike Paths Guide for more information.

Ride 1: The Capital City Trail

Probably the best way to sample much of what Melbourne has to offer the recreational cyclist can be found on the Capital City Trail. About 30km, it loops around the inner suburbs of Melbourne entirely on off-road shared paths, taking you on a tour from downtown Melbourne through some of the best parks in the city. It also includes part of the excellent Yarra Trail—ride on the north bank of the river to try the floating path.

Notes and maps

• Trail notes by Bicycle Victoria
• Map by Visit Victoria
• Map by the Department of Sustainability and Environment
• Map at bikely.com

Suggested starting points

• Docklands (bike hire: Rentabike @ Docklands).
• Federation Square (bike hire: Federation Wharf).
• It’s a loop so start wherever you like…
• I recommend that you head off in an easterly direction.

Tips

• Stop for coffee at The Collingwood Children’s Farm, Nicholson Street, or Southbank.
• Detour to Studley Park for a picnic lunch by the river or take coffee (or ice cream) at the Boathouse.
• Grab some deli items in Nicholson Street then ride on to Royal Park for a gourmet picnic.
• You can cut the ride short by heading south at Princes Park, keeping the Melbourne Cemetery and University of Melbourne on your left and you will head straight back through the centre of the city.

Gotchas

• This route includes the infamous Abbotsford Steps a flight of 41 steps near the end of Gipps Street—compulsory dismount and if you have a child in a kiddie seat, please take them out before ascending/descending!
• There is also a short flight of steps at the southern end of Royal Park, at Manningham Road.
• There is a steep descent under Heidelberg Road at Yarra Bend Park—not really dangerous but take it easy, and watch out immediately after this: the trail gets a bit narrow after you’ve gone under the road bridge.
• Some low-lying bridges are subject to inundation after rain between Heidelberg Road and Rushall Station, and between Flemington Road and Footscray Road.
• There are frequent road crossings between Rushall Station and Princes Park.
• Webb Bridge at the southern end of Docklands Park is an architectural wonder and a dangerous piece of crap with a tight blind corner and central railings. Take it easy here.

Wow, that’s a pretty extensive list, but don’t be put off—it is a very enjoyable route.

Ride 2: The Bay Trail

The popular part of the Bay Trail runs from Port Melbourne to Ricketts Point (so popular is this section that much of it is a dedicated bike path, that is bicycles and foot traffic are separated onto different paths). The Trail continues south as far as Mordialloc Seaford [Thanks ozz]. Many people forget (or aren’t even aware) that the Bay Trail also continues to the west of the Yarra River, through Williamstown to Altona Meadows. Things may often be just a little quieter on that end of the Trail.

Notes and maps

• The Bay Trail page at Bicycle Victoria
• Map of the eastern section on bikely.com

Suggested starting points

• St Kilda (bike hire: St Kilda Cycles).
• Docklands or Federation Square as per Ride 1—head to the western end of Southbank Promenade, follow the bike trail from the corner of Spencer Street and Normanby Road (beside the light rail line) to Port Melbourne.
• Take the train to Williamstown, Brighton, or Mordialloc.
• There’s about 70km of trail here, so start wherever you like and ride until you’re ready to turn around.

Tips

• The Bay Trail is a bit exposed, so if it’s windy start off heading into the wind and let the tail wind bring you back.
• Take coffee at Ricketts Point, Acland Street or (if you fancy yourself to be hardcore enough) Café Racer.
• On the weekends, head west: take the Westgate Punt and trundle on to beautiful Williamstown—coffee and cake, or picnic in the foreshore park.

Gotchas

• The Bay Trail is very popular in warmer weather—from Port Melbourne to Brighton (especially on the St Killda foreshore) the path can be very crowded.
• On the eastern arm there are numerous vehicular crossings to foreshore car parks, which also get busy in warmer weather.
• The is a steep-ish descent immediately before Ricketts Point with a car park entry at the bottom—take it slow.
• Check that the Westgate Punt is actually running if you want to use it.
• Generally, it’s hard to get lost: the path mostly stays pretty close to the beach (except under the Westgate Bridge).

Ride 3: The Merri Creek Trail

The Merri Creek Trail is a very pleasant route along a tree-lined valley, running through inner northern suburbs of Melbourne. It branches off the Capital City Trail at Rushall Station. Cross the bridge to the east of Rushall Station, turn left into McLachlan St, then left into Cunningham St: the trail continues through a narrow exit at the end of the cul de sac.

Notes and maps

• Notes by Andrew Watkins
• Notes on Wikipedia
• Map on bikely.com

Suggested starting points

• Rushall Station.
• Federation Square as per Ride 1—follow the Capital City Trail east then north to Rushall Station.

Tips

• Stop for coffee or lunch at CERES Café.
• Take a picnic to Coburg Lake.
• This can either be an out-and-back route or a longer loop by continuing on to the Moonee Ponds trail (see notes by Andrew Watkins).

Gotchas

• Watch out for the occasional blind corner.
• The path swaps from one side of the creek to another, but isn’t too hard to follow as it stays close by the creek.
• Nothing else that I can recall (but I haven’t been that way for a while).

Ride 4: Warburton Trail

On the outskirts of Melbourne’s urban sprawl, about 40km of abandoned railway line have been converted into a picturesque ride in the country. The Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail is a very well maintained gravel path that follows the old railway reserve from the edge of suburbia to the foot of Mt Donna Buang.

Notes and maps

• Notes and map by Rail Trails Australia
• Notes on Wikipedia
• Notes by Bicycle Victoria
• Notes on this site
• Map on bikely.com

Suggested starting points

• Lilydale can be reached by train (bike hire: Yarra Valley Cycles).
• Mt Evelyn would require a car or the 663 bus from Lilydale (bike hire: Cog Café).
• The Launching Place Pub and Yarra Junction Recreation Reserve are also possible starting points for those who can drive there.

Tips

• Cog Café looks good for coffee, but I haven’t yet had the pleasure myself.
• There’s supposed to be a good pie shop in Woori Yallock.
• Warburton has some very pleasant picnic areas.
• Most people find the Warburton end of the trail prettier, so if you’re pushed for time or want to do a shorter ride, start from Launching Place or Yarra Junction.

Gotchas

• No major complaints here: all road crossings have warning sign posts and the path is well maintained
• Some folks find the steady climb from Woori Yallock up to Mt Evelyn a bit tedious at the end of the day but it’s at railway gradient, so it’s not what you’d call steep, just constant.
• I find the gateway barriers a bit low and have the potential to be a collision hazard
• Watch the water supply if the weather is warm: there aren’t too many refill opportunities

And there you go: four options, so hopefully there’s something there that suits you.

More on related topics

• Paths Less Travelled
• Starting the year on the Warburton Trail
• Melbourne’s coffee trails
• Researching writer rides
• Saturday at Studley Park