Cycling the Capital City Trail in Melbourne, Australia

Ride along Southbank as part of the city cycle trail. Photo / Visit Victoria

Danielle Murray hops on a bike and tackles Melbourne’s Capital City Trail.

It is not a fine day. The skies are looking grim and it’s almost cold. But as we pick up our bike rentals down by the water, I decide it’s much better than the sizzling 38C high from the day before. Except maybe I’ll need a sweater.

It’s day three in Melbourne and the men in the family have tired of the cricket. While I am anything but tired of everything else the city has to offer, I am keen for a ride. Because cycling, in which the speed of travel is neither too fast nor too slow, is my favourite way to see the world. And I am particularly excited by the fact that Melbourne is flat. Flat is good.

A quick online search informs us of our options. Old-fashioned pedal power vs the “added boost” of an e-bike. Guided tour vs on your own. This trail vs that. We choose push, self-guided and a breezy 30km loop of the city.

The Capital City Trail is a shared-use path that winds its way along the Yarra River and the city’s inner eastern and northern suburbs, near the Melbourne Zoo and Royal Park and back towards Docklands and our start point at Batman Park, named after John Batman, founder of Melbourne, not as a masked superhero and partner to Robin.

From the get-go, the Yarra River is the star of the show. And as we wheel away from the downtown core and the river narrows and trees abound on both sides, it doesn’t take long before we forget we are in the middle of Australia’s second-largest city with a population much the same as the whole of New Zealand.

Melbourne city is a great one to see by bike. Photo / Visit Victoria

The first thing I notice on the trail, besides of course the beauty of the river beside me, is the distinct and slightly medicinal smell of eucalyptus. The second thing I notice is the “beware of snakes” sign. I worry about this sign although the people we encounter along the way do not seem to. These people who run in Lululemon workout gear and walk their dogs and push supposedly precious progeny in prams look chill and unafraid.

The miles roll along and I forget about deadly reptiles as the river on my right continues to captivate. But when a detour takes us away from the water and into a neighbourhood, I am equally charmed by street after street of rowhouses each with unique beautifully crafted cast-iron balconies and many with front garden gates too. They are, according to my research, “Victorian terrace houses” and date back to the Australian Gold Rush. While I recall seeing occasional one or two-storey examples on the shuttle into the city, here they are everywhere.

Back on track, after another snake warning, we come across the impressive Abbotsford Convent. Situated on land belonging to Australia’s indigenous Wurundjeri people, for more than a century the former “Magdalen asylum” functioned as an institution for “wayward” girls and “fallen women” where laundry work paid the bills and life was hard. As if to make amends, the complex now serves as an arts precinct and is home to dozens of studios and galleries, a cafe or two and a radio station. To be honest, the buildings still have a haunting look about them but it’s nice to know what was once a place of misery for so many is now just the opposite.

Abbotsford Convent now serves as an arts precinct. Photo / Visit Victoria

Also a happy place is the nearby Collingwood Children’s Farm, set up as a community centre for less fortunate local kids. As we make our way past, I see sheep, goats and horses. I also see people in a paddock, stepping in long grass, clearly oblivious that their lives are in mortal danger.

At Dights Falls - and yet another snake sign as a reminder that we are under constant threat - the Capital City Trail leaves the Yarra River and takes us into suburban Fitzroy North just as we are wanting a feed. As Melbourne claims the largest population of Greeks outside Greece, kebabs are the obvious choice and it’s always nice to find a place where you can watch the bikes from where you sit. And carry out surveillance too. Fitzroy North, after all, is where Offspring was filmed and I am not above stalking. I look out for members of the Proudman clan but Nina, Billie and family fail to appear.

After lunch, the trail travels through built-up suburbia and loses a bit of character - even the Victorian Terrace houses are few and far between. The glorious sense of calm created by the river is gone and where by water, the route is about the journey, away from water, it becomes about the destination. But that’s okay too – the path is bare and fast is fun. Especially on the flats.

Before we know it, the Yarra River is beside us again and we are back at Batman Park to return the bikes. The ride may be over but the buzz sticks for the rest of the day. And bonus - we survived the snakes!

NEED TO KNOW: MELBOURNE BY BIKE

The Capital City Trail is a collection of several trails - Main Yarra, Merri Creek, Moonee Ponds Creek Trail and Inner Circle Trail - and is 29.6km long. The grade is easy and mostly flat and the track is in good repair. The approximate cycle time is 4 hours.

Route maps are not provided and signage along the way is not always helpful (except for snakes!) so bring a phone for directions.

Blue Tongue Bike rentals start from A$25 for 2 hours/pushbike and A$40 for 2 hours/e-bike. Helmets and locks are included in the rental. Some bikes come with water bottle racks.

World Naked Bike Ride in New Zealand is held in three locations: Takaka (Golden Bay), Waitati (Dunedin), and Waihi Beach (Bay of Plenty).

CHECKLIST: MELBOURNE

GETTING THERE

Air New Zealand, Jetstar and Qantas fly direct from Auckland to Melbourne.

DETAILS

visitvictoria.com