Yank in Melb. for two weeks looking to ride Yarra trails and others

K

KellyC

Cannon Fodder
Hi all,
I was in Melbourne back in October for two weeks for work.
I stayed in the CBD and did a ton of running along the Yarra.
However, I'm a mountain biker and, prior to the trip, didn't realize I could have been riding that whole time.

I'm coming back in March for another two weeks. I'd like to be able to ride in the evenings after work and will be there for one whole weekend during my stay.
I'd like to jump on a train with a bike and hit something out of the Melb area.

My plan is to bring my gear and pedals and either rent a hardtail 29er or take advantage of the exchange rate and Trek's Oz. discounting of US MSRP and buy a Trek Stache 29+, ride it for two weeks, and figure out how to get it home.

Can I please get some intel on the following:

1. Yarra trails from CBD. Assuming I'm staying on Market in Melb., is it realistic to do out and back rides from CBD, in the evenings or early morning, and hit the single track trails around the Yarra?
Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out exactly where they are. I ran as far as the docklands in one direction, and as far as approx. five miles one way in the other direction on the Yarra. Never saw the single track.
I'll read through the Yarra thread and do some Strava stalking but any insight is appreciated. Figure at night and in the mornings during the week I'd do around 2 hour rides.

2. What would be a realistic weekend destination ride? I'd prefer to keep it simple an just take my bike on a train each day and would rather hit two spots (one on a Sat. the other on a Sun.) vs. planning a vacation inside a work trip. Remember, all I care about is being able to say I rode single track in a couple of different places in Vic. It doesn't need to be epic.

3. If I decide to rent a bike, are there any bike shops in the Melb. CBD that rent decent high end hardtail 29ers (or 120mm fs 29ers)? I don't need XTR, but def. don't want to piss in the wind on some tourist rental mule for two weeks either.

Any advice would be appreciated. Apologies if this is the wrong spot.
It goes without saying if anyone on this forum has plans to visit Washington state to mountain bike, I will roll out the welcome mat.
 
mtb101

mtb101

Likes Bikes and Dirt
single track starts around the Yarra Boulevard Kew. best place is to get to the Studley Park Boathouse as a start point.

You can ride on road/bike lanes from the CBD, go Gertrude St, > Landridge St > Nicholson > Gipps St, pedestrian bridge cross Yarra river up on to Yarra Boulevard, left head to Kew Boathouse - plenty of single track, rocky climbs etc. good fun.

Yes you can do 50K up to Templestowe and back, mostly single track - stop at cafes.

Let us know when in town and we can organise a ride to show you around.

at hard trail is fine or a short travel dual suspension bike. 100 mm.
 
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K

kbekus

Likes Dirt
following on from mtb101's post you could optionally follow the shared path along the Yarra river from Southbank out to the Kew Boathouse then jump on the single track. It's a fair bit longer but it's off the road and a nice bit of riding.
 
Calvin27

Calvin27

Eats Squid
Sorry going to have to say this, but you will really need a car or mates with cars. Best trails (my opinion and experience without any knowledge of your preferences or riding style) in melbourne are:

- Lysterfield - 40 min on the train and then about 7km from hallam station.
- You yangs (no idea how to get there by anything other than car)
- Forest (no idea how to get there by anything other than car). Ideally you'd want to do the great ocean road during your time here anyways and i rekon a few days spent aroudn this area. So maybe roll it into some sort of overnight trips?
- Buxton (car only)
- Mt Dandy - no idea about this one, but it's close to a train which is why i put it ont the list.
 
Mrlinderman

Mrlinderman

Likes Dirt
What dates in march mate?

If my carrier is up and running in time I'd be more than happy to pick you up on the weekend and take you to you yangs then drop you back, you can grab a train to a station only 10min out of the city and then its only a 15min drive for me to collect you, can do both days if your keen but will need some dates in advance so i can book it in with the Mrs

chuck me a pm
 
C

cpgill

Squid
You can catch a train out to Woodend {Wombat State Forest} or Castlemaine, great single track riding for someone on a hardtail, in both locations. There are plenty of maps available online or strava.
 
dynamitedread

dynamitedread

Likes Dirt
Public transport options

Hi Kelly. I regularly drag my bike onto trains to go riding. So a trip to the You yangs should make a good day out for your longer rides. Train from Southern cross (city ) to little river train station then maybe 7/8 km ride to trails. Take lots of water and food as it can get hot out there. Also alternative to the Yarra trails is Plenty Gorge park prob 35mins from city. Get off at greensbourgh train station then a couple of k's along the bike path and your there. Word of warning best not to take your bike on train btw 8-9am & 4-5pm (good luck getting a bike on at that time anyway) as the comuters won't like your dirty wheels messing up there suits. Take it your getting/have an Aussie SIM card ? That would make everything much easier. Hope you have a smashing trip
 
The Reverend

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I would definitely recommend the train and pick up option.
Decent trails are too far to ride from the CBD.

If you're open to a train ride you can do Lysterfield at the weekend.
Evenings can be done but leaving the CBD outside peak evening traffic via train means arriving with about an hour of decent daylight at this time of year.

You can get on a train earlier but you'll feel intense stares and indignation. :^)

CBD to Narre Warren train station on the Pakenham line is about 50 mins. It's a ten min drive to Lysterfield and you can do a decent loop of the best trails in about 90 mins depending on fitness, capability and appetite.

Drop me a PM if you're interested. Got a crew of older guys 30-50 that rude there all the time.

Happy hunting!
 
Big AC

Big AC

Likes Dirt
The You Yangs can be accessed via a V-line train (think crappy Amtrak) and getting off at Little River, from there it’s an easy ride. Just be advised that there are two parts to the You Yangs MTB trails one part is XC, the other is more AM / DH.

http://www.youyangsmtbinc.com.au/

Plenty Gorge can be accessed from Greensborough railway station (you’ll need a guide for you first ride in there). Search for Kariboo Grove on Google Maps, it’s the area to the north and west of there.

You could ride the YT’s from the CBD; however, if you are tight on time then getting the train out to Heidelberg station will get you close to the halfway point, from there you could ride back to the CBD or out further.

Forest, Buxton, Lake Mountain, Mt Buller all need a car.
 
K

KellyC

Cannon Fodder
mtb101 said:
single track starts around the Yarra Boulevard Kew. best place is to get to the Studley Park Boathouse as a start point.

You can ride on road/bike lanes from the CBD, go Gertrude St, > Landridge St > Nicholson > Gipps St, pedestrian bridge cross Yarra river up on to Yarra Boulevard, left head to Kew Boathouse - plenty of single track, rocky climbs etc. good fun.

Yes you can do 50K up to Templestowe and back, mostly single track - stop at cafes.

Let us know when in town and we can organise a ride to show you around.

at hard trail is fine or a short travel dual suspension bike. 100 mm.
Click to expand...

Ok. That sounds like my playlist for riding during the week, either in the evenings after work, or, pre-work dawn patrol rides.
I'll send you a PM when I get to town. Thanks for the offer!
 
K

KellyC

Cannon Fodder
Ok. Thanks for all the replies.

So it sounds like I can count on getting to the Yarra trails from CBD for pre-work dawn patrol rides and post-work rides.

It looks like the Yo-Yangs are my best bet for the Saturday/Sunday ride. Either pack heavy and ride a train, or go rent a car for the weekend (which is possible since I blew way more money on my Phillip Island MotoGP trip last time I was there.)

Thanks for all the ride offers, I'll look you guys up when I'm in town.


The one thing that remains is renting a bike for the two weeks I'm in town. Any suggestions? Ideally I'd like to get a demo bike from one of the shops in the CBD and just work out a two-week rental.
Also leaning towards just buying a Trek 29+ since I've been wanting one for a rain bike back home.
 
Calvin27

Calvin27

Eats Squid
Oh I forgot wombat. That is accessible by train also. 8km I think from the station. Seems to be an SS mecca for some reason too.
 
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