From easy laps around the city to challenging coastal treks, the team at Reid Cycles has rounded up the best five bike rides in Melbourne. Hopefully you can get out and enjoy one soon!
1. Capital City Bike Trail
Distance: 30km
Where: Melbourne’s inner city
Difficulty: Low
Never leaving a 5km radius of Melbourne’s CBD, the Capital City Bike Trail is perfect for a weekend ride that sticks close to home. Although it’s a circular trail and you can jump on and off wherever you please, a popular starting point is Princes Bridge near Flinders Street Station. Stop off at Abbotsford Convent for cheap vegetarian food at Lentil As Anything and maybe even a quick look-in at the Collingwood Children’s Farm, then recharge with a coffee at St Ali’s Carlton North outpost. Bonuses are: no big hills and the trail is largely car free (read: stress free).
2. Around the Bay
Distance: 210km
Where: Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay
Difficulty: Medium/High
This one isn’t a Sunday afternoon jaunt. Around the Bay takes you from Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne all the way to Queenscliff, where you’re advised to hop on a ferry for some dolphin spotting if you don’t feel like swimming the 8km to Sorrento. Make a weekend of it by staying overnight on the Mornington Peninsula, then grab some breakfast at The Sisters Café in Sorrento village and be on your way, eventually finishing back at Alexandra Gardens. This trail can be done anytime, but for a great experience sign up for Around the Bay in a Day, held annually in October.
3. St Kilda Beach to Half Moon Bay
Distance: 13km
Where: Station Pier or St Kilda Beach to Half Moon Bay
Difficulty: Low
Scenic and family-friendly, the Half Moon Bay trail won’t take it out of you but it will provide you with continuous coastal views and a gradient of zero. Easily navigated (just stick to the coast), the relaxing and popular ride will take you past 11 beaches before heading back to St. Kilda Equally as popular is Café Racer on Marine Parade – packed with your lycra-clad kin – where we suggest you fill up before embarking.
4. Hobson’s Bay Coastal Trail
Distance: 24km
Where: Skeleton Creek, Altona to Williamstown
Difficulty: Low/Medium
Wetlands, water birds, beaches and bay: the Hobson’s Bay track is one to amble on and soak up the scenery. Upgraded a few years ago, this trail now boasts 3-metre wide paths and is marked out with cutesy nautical-themed signs and information about the area. The wetlands at the mouth of Kororoit Creek are a magnet for wildlife and you may run into a bunch of twitchers (birdwatchers) as you wind your way to picturesque Williamstown. Before heading back, it’s only right to reward yourself with a stop at Crowded House café, whose motto is ‘Great coffee, good times’.
5. Dandenong Creek Trail
Distance: 50km
Where: Outer Eastern and South Eastern Suburbs
Difficulty: Medium
Accessible from many of Melbourne’s southern suburbs, this trail will immerse you in the beauty of the Dandenongs whilst challenging you a little more than some other inner-Melbourne rides. A popular stopping point is Jells Park, where you can rest, buy a coffee and use the toilets. It’s a fun one because you can choose to deviate on many smaller breakaway trails, it’s often quiet and secluded; you’re likely to run into more birds than people here. If you’re a serious cyclist, consider tackling the steep ascent up Mount Dandenong – the effort will be rewarded with speeds of 80km/h plus on the ride back down!
Chat to the friendly team at Reid Cycles in North Melbourne, Collingwood and Windsor or online about updating your road bike, or get kitted out with must-have pannier bags for your ride.
