A number of people have enquired – in person, on our club rides – about Rail Trails and/or a multi-day ride as an option for our end of month social ride. I love riding Rail Trails – we have some stunning trails around Victoria. They take a lot of work to maintain and improve, usually (principally? solely? – depends on the RT) by volunteers.
I haven’t listed all of them here, just options we may wish to consider to get started. For more details (and more Rail Trails) please visit railtrails.org.au as a starting point.
If this notion interests you, please continue all the way to the end of the post for what to do next.
DATES
At this stage I think we should look at the second half of 2023 because we’ll have a better chance for a medium-large group to all find accommodation – but it depends how many people are interested in coming along. From the last weekend of August, potential weekends are:
- 26-27 August
2-3 Sep (Father’s Day)- 9-10 Sep
16 Sep – 1 Oct (VIC School Holidays)- 7-8 Oct
- 14-15 Oct
- 21-22 Oct
- 28-29 Oct
- 4-5 Nov (Weekend before Melbourne Cup)
- 11-12 Nov
- 18-19 Nov
- 25-26 Nov
Daylight Savings Time resumes from 1 October 2023. Aug-Oct is magpie nesting season but please note that aggressive magpies may or may not be present along the trails.
TRANSPORT & FARES
UPDATE: A couple of our members have chimed in to advise that, from 31 March, the state government is introducing a regional fare cap. The fare cap “extends the Weekend Saver cap for travel on Victoria’s regional network, meaning that on weekends and public holidays, your daily myki Money fare is capped at $6.70 ($3.35 concession)“.
Service times shown below may be subject to change. V/Line reservations (highly recommended, particularly in lieu of there cap) cannot be made more than 100 days before departure. https://www.vline.com.au/
RAIL TRAILS
We’re almost spoilt for choice in this regard; choosing one will depend on people’s time (and budget) for this adventure.
Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail
Close to Melbourne (Yarra Valley) this is a very popular RT.
Advantages: great surface, well maintained, facilities (water, toilets) along the trail
Disadvantages: accomodation in Warburton is in high demand, so prices even for some fairly average places) can be higher than expected. The food places are good; reservations highly recommended. The Warburton Hotel offers a bike transfer service, but staying overnight to ride back makes for a more relaxed and enjoyable experience.
Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Transport: Metro train to Lilydale from Richmond Stn = $4.60
Gippsland Plains Rail Trail
Enjoy two days (62km total) of rail trail on gentle inclines, with train services at each end. Heyfield is almost exactly halfway along the route and has a nice looking pub to stop at overnight.
Advantages: Varied gravel surfaces. Trestle bridge/s. A relaxed weekend away.
Disadvantages: The trail looks more appealing to ride west to east, but the PT options make east to west appear less stressful for getting back to Melbourne.
Duration: 2 relaxed days riding
Transport option 1 – West to east
Stn Cross To Traralgon
a) Metro Train: roughly every hour, pay with Myki
b) V/Line Train: 7:46 – 10am (bookings essential, but first class option available – gotta get in quick though. Cafe & snack facilities on board – and toilet.)
**PTV and vline.com.au do not show the same service information**
Stratford to Stn Cross
1) Coach to Sale, Train back from Sale 1:34pm – 5:05pm (3h 31m)
2) Train directly back from Stratford 5:31pm – 8:44pm (3h 13m)
Transport option 2 – East to west
Stn Cross to Stratford
V/Line Train: 7:54am – 10:58am (3h 4m)
Traralgon to Stn Cross
V/Line Train 2:20pm – 5:05pm or 3:20pm – 6:05pm (2h 45m)
Great Victorian Rail Trail
From Tallarook, a 1h 40min train ride north of Melbourne, the RT follows the Goulburn River, passing through Yea, the Cheviot Tunnel and right across Lake Eildon at Bonnie Doon. The trail ends in Mansfield near the foot of Mt Buller – although it can easily be ridden in both directions.
Advantages: the countryside is magnificent in springtime. Although the elevation may look intimidating on a map, the trail follows the original train line and is not hard to ride particularly if you take your time. Trail can easily be ridden from either end, catching PT at the other.
Disadvantages: ?
Duration: 2 long or 3 relaxed riding days, plus one day getting to/from Mansfield
Transport: Option 1 West to East
Stn Cross Stn to Tallarook
7:16am – 8:29am Reserved seating.
Mansfield to Stn Cross – last V/Line coach departs 1:15pm arrives 4:35pm? Or possibly 6pm arriving 9:05pm. Reserved seating only (i.e. you must book ahead)
Option 2 East to West
Stn Cross to Mansfield (Sat)
8:30am – 11:50am Reserved seating only (i.e. you must book ahead)
Tallarook Stn to Stn Cross
5:22pm – 6:37pm / 6:43pm – 7:57pm / 8.33pm – 9.47pm Reserved seating.
Great Southern Rail Trail
Recently extended, the start of the GSRT is now Nyora and runs for ~105km to Port Welshpool. Could be ridden over 3 days – but PT (V/Line coach-train) back from Welshpool requires a whole day to return to Melbourne.
Advantages: Beautiful countryside. Trail passes by plenty of towns/villages which makes it easy to plan how far each day’s ride is.
Disadvantages: ?
Duration: 3 days riding
Transport
To Nyora
V/Line Coach from Southern Cross to Mitchell St/Davis St, Nyora (about 50m from park where RT starts)
Friday 9:03am – 10:35am, or Saturday 9:02am – 10:43am
From Welshpool
V/Line Coach from outside the Post Office (this is not where the coach stopped last time…)
3 departures on a Sunday, last being 4:54pm – 8:15pm return to Southern Cross
3 departures on a Monday, last being 12:16pm – 4:44pm return to Southern Cross
Murray To Mountains Rail Trail
A very popular RT, right on the doorstep of Victoria’s high country; a popular holiday region known for wine production and gourmet foods.
Advantages: Sealed surface (although this doesn’t mean guarantee smooth), and long flat sections. Also quite scenic.
Disadvantages: Have to book a fair way in advance because there’s always something on in Bright or that region. Also, there are one or two sharp &/or big bumps in the trail, particularly if Beechworth is included.
Duration: 2 days ride (~82km) without Beechworth. 3-4 days (115km) with Beechworth included. It’s a long way to go to race through it…
Transport:
To Bright
V/Line Train to Wangaratta, V/Line coach to Bright
7:07am – 11:32am
To Southern Cross
V/Line Train
1:44pm – 4:53pm or 6:20pm – 10:05pm
O’Keefe Rail Trail
From Bendigo to Heathcote, the gravelly trail is 50km each way. To me it felt pretty isolated because there’s really only one town (Axedale) between the two ends.
Advantages: Easy to do in one weekend. Easy to get to and from Bendigo – assuming trails are running, or you can drive.
Disadvantages: I will not ride this in springtime. The magpies just outside of Axedale are manic.
Duration: 2 days riding
Transport: metro train to Bendigo
East Gippsland Rail Trail
Having ridden this one so recently (Sep 2023) I’d prefer to revisit another RT. You can find our ride report here: East Gippsland Rail Trail by Brompton Folding Bike
SHORTER ADVENTURES
Bass Coast Rail Trail
Sea views, trestle bridges, coastal heath, fresh air – this RT has a lot going for it! Starting in Wonthaggi, it’s about 17km (one way) to Anderson (the old turn-off to Phillip Is), or about 24km if we continue through to the current end at Woolamai. Option to ride to San Remo for lunch (rather than enjoy the lovely views at the Kilcunda Hotel), but that would make it quite a long ride, and it’s not flat.
Advantages: Easy weekend get-away, not too far from Melbourne. Stunning views of the coast.
Disadvantages: Getting there by PT is a PITA. Being a coastal trail, the top surface layer is often compact sand; riding over it felt energy sapping – like I should have been leaving deep track, although that was not the case. Please note that some of it is sealed (at the start) and some is compacted gravel. Even so, particularly on coastal trails, it’s important to be both observant and mindful of where you’re riding in case of wash-outs where dry sand has filled holes or gutters.
Duration: 1 day riding
Transport: Either 2 V/Line Coaches (each way) or drive.
Bellarine Rail Trail
From South Geelong to Queenscliff, this 35km RT is an enjoyable way to see more of the Bellarine Peninsula. You can also combine the RT with a train ride between Queenscliff and Drysdale (see The Bellarine Railway) to make the return ride shorter – particularly after a nice pub lunch at Queenscliff (don’t arrive too late).
Advantages: Close to Melbourne as a 1 day adventure, or stay over night in Queenscliff. The train ride is a bit of fun too.
Disadvantages: Known to have sections that are washed out or sandy after heavy rain. Ride to conditions (as always).
Duration: 1 day or as long as you’d like
Transport: Metro train (check for service disruptions) or drive.
LET’S GO RIDE A RAIL TRAIL!
To plan this as a group ride… I think we’ll need to start with two things:
- Preference/s for which RT to ride.
- Dates you think you’ll be available.
Please comment your preference below. If you have questions you can post them as a comment too. Please don’t include personal details like phone numbers. This is not a private forum.
Once there is consensus from enough people (ideally between 6-12 riders) to put an idea into action, it will be up to each rider/couple to arrange their own transport, book their own accommodation, pay for their own meals etc. Just like on a regular monthly ride, but longer and requiring a bit more organisation and commitment. But the aim is to have more fun, too.
Should you have any questions you don’t want to post in a public comment, you’re welcome to email me (Dayna) at melbournebromptonclub@gmail.com
MELBOURNE BROMPTON CLUB 
Hi Dayna, thanks for the post, we’re potentially interested I’ll consult with partner and get back. Probably something more adventurous than Warby trail which is easy to do any time, and we’re actually doing the new part of the Sth Gippsland trail this weekend. Note that all V/line fares are being cut dramatically following an election promise, I think it will be max $9.20 anywhere in the state from end March.
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Hi David,
Yes, it’s great news about the V/Line fare cap! Lisa also shared that link as a comment on the FB post.
Many thumbs up from people, only one or two actual comments (from helpful people like yourself 😉) regarding which trail to/not to do. Three votes so far for Gippsland Plains RT.
I’ll post an update once more people have had an opportunity to read and have their say. 🙂
– Dayna
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Hi Dayna.
I have been contemplating another rail trail ride in Victoria since I read your post a little while ago. The Gippsland Plains sounds good – I am interested. Living in Tassie without a good Brompton mechanic I could tie the trip in with a service at the Junction too!
Tony Cullimore
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Hi Tony,
Thanks for your comment. There have been a few comments in support of Gippsland Plains RT. Do you have a preference for when? August has been suggested – I was hoping a month or two later, but it’s still to be decided.
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October would be my favourite. September next. August – maybe. Does that help?
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Hi Dayna unfortunately, once again, I will not be able to join you. I am skiing end of August and then going overseas from an extended stay.
I was looking forward to it and had buddied up with Monica. She is now considering if she will go as a single or not.
all he best with it and I look forward to seeing on a ride between now and mid August if you have one
kind regards
Louise
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