If you’re a bicycle buff in Melbourne, you’ve almost certainly got a mental map of the best cycling routes in inner Melbourne.
Maybe you’ve freshly purchased a shiny bike from a nearby bike store and are excited to check out some suburban bicycle paths. But where are the blue ribbon Melbourne cycling trails that everyone should be aware of?
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Yes, there ARE many great places!!!
I like the beach front path, particularly the end section where it goes along the foreshore at Mordialloc, then along Mordi Creek and then runs through a bit of bushland and eventually ends up at the Edithvale Wetlands. Beware of snakes on the last bit!!
It’s not a favourite in the sense of a recreational ride but for actually getting around, safely, with no traffic, almost no traffic lights, no trams, I love the Brunswick Shimmy. Joining up to Canning Street or the Park St path to take me on to wherever I need to be. Awesome route!
Beach Rd is the obvious classic. Reputably one of the best rides in any city in the world. Almost flat roads for as long as you want to ride. I’ve never ridden much past Frankston, but that’s still a 100km ride from Richmond.
The Dandenongs are lovely to ride through. It’s a bit hilly though, and it takes a while to ride there (Canterbury Rd is my favourite road to ride out there along), but it’s definitely worth it. The 1/20 (named after its near constant gradient of 5%) is the most popular climb anywhere near Melbourne.
The Yarra Boulevard is a great piece of road. It’s a bit rougher than would be nice, but it’s about 7km of road with very low traffic and no traffic lights or anything like that to stop you, so it’s excellent for doing laps on. Good for fitness too.
Love the Brunswick shimmy. Once you can find it. Best kept secret in melb.
Up the middle of St Georges Rd, into the wilds of the north, and beyond!
The Lilydale to Warburton rail trail is 40 km one way,excellent.
Commuting or recreation? Canning St , St George’s Road etc have great complete road facilities. Bike paths in Melbourne are crippled by being shared use. This isn’t a pedestrian thing it is a design floor which means they cannot be safely ridden at commuting speeds. Too tight, too windy, too flooded.