Victoria has some of the best gravel rail trails in the world. A legacy of the infrastructure leftover from the goldrush of the 1850’s.
In 2020 I spent most of the lock down exploring the gravel trails of Melbourne and Victoria. Here are the top rails trails I tried, all of them easily accessible as day trips from Melbourne. Driving distances are from my home in South Yarra!
In this post:
Ballarat to Skipton Rail Trail
Distance: 116km return
Elevation: 689m
Effort Medium
Driving Distance 116km
This is the longest and relatively most difficult of the rail trails we tried. The reason for the difficulty is all of the climbing is on the back half of the ride as you can see in the elevation map.
This ride takes you over some magnificent old trestle bridges and infrastructure.
The only downside to the ride is the lack of any food and coffee stops of note. Our first stop at Linton was a disaster and after waiting an age for the coffee it was undrinkable and we had to throw it out. Skipton has also seen better days with limited food choices and surly service.
The highlight was heading back into Ballarat at the end of the ride and trading coffee for beer.
Bellarine Peninsula Rail Trail
Distance: 78km return
Elevation: 408m
Effort: Easy
Driving Distance: 82km
The Bellarine Peninsula Rail Trail is a great easy gravel ride relatively close to Melbourne. Starting on the outskirts of Geelong the path is well formed with very little elevation.
This ride has great views of Port Phillip Bay and if you are lucky you will see the trains on the old Bellarine railway.
The highlight of this ride is the historic town of Queenscliffe. There are great cafes, Fort Queenscliff and ocean views which we explored and got lost in so modify our Strava route!
Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail
Distance 78.6km
Elevation 478m
Effort Medium
Driving Distance 42km
The Lilydale to Warburton rail trail is one of the closest raill trails to Melbourne. Situated in the Yarra Valley it is worth putting on your rail trail bucket list. I rated it medium mainly due to the uphill push from the 60km mark.
Once you arrive at Warburton you have a choice of some great cafes either the Bike Cafe on the the rail trail or head into Warburton for the bakery.
Tallarook to Yea Return
Distance 77km
Elevation 505m
Effort Easy
Driving Distance 103km
This is probably my favorite of the four rail trails listed and one of the furthest we tried from Melbourne. I had often cycled past the start on the drive north to Sydney and wondered whether it was worth the stop. It definitely is worth the stop.
The starting point is also accessible by the VLine train which goes toTallarook about every hour or so and takes around 75 minutes.
The views are spectacular as you travel through the Goulburn Valley. On the spring day we cycled, the path was alive with butterflies.
The stop at Yea was a highlight with great coffee and egg and bacon rolls at Mint and Jam next to the Yea bakery that we also tried.
This ride can be extended all the way to Mansfield via the Great Victorian Rail Trail. This would be a simple bikepacking adventure by catching the train and starting at Tallarook.
