What path to take?

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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on May 1, 2008 at 2:31pm

Righti-o my knowledge of Ivanhoe doesn't extent much past Heidy Road & Darebin Creek.

Tried having a gander at Bikely for possible routes? I used to ride to Port Melb and avoided the city completely by coming down Moonee Ponds Creek, then Footscray Rd, Charles Grimes & Willy Rd. It's all a bit stuffed ("realigned") now.

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Permalink Reply by albonator316 on May 1, 2008 at 4:09pm

Perfect, thanks chris :D

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Permalink Reply by LongLoad on May 3, 2008 at 2:12am

To get to Southbank I used to go up Livingstone St to Fairfield, down Sharps road, Arthur st and under the railway line heading for Fairfield park. Then you can scoot down the Merri creek path to dights falls and come up on Johnston st (bike/bus lane in the morning), along napier st and dart through the city. I get lost after The best bit was the fact that the Merri ck path skipped a heap of traffic lights and traffic.

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Permalink Reply by Gav on May 7, 2008 at 1:20am

Hi Albonator316. I once worked in St Kilda and lived about 100m from Oriel Road, and skated between - so I found lots of bike paths and quiet streets. I can think of two main options for you, I'll post them separately to avoid confusion.

First, the western route - my favourite: Webb Bridge, Docklands, Footscray Road, path underneath CityLink, Flemington Bridge Station (bridge over Flemington Road), bike path near Lennon / Manningham, through Royal Park toward the Zoo, cross the train track at Royal Park station and head left up the hill, veer right through big tunnel under Royal Parade, eastward to Rushall Station, cross under train track, footbridge over Merri Creek, left on McLachlan, right on Westgarth Street, then left to South Crescent - slight wiggle to Wingrove Street, up to Darebin Parklands, Abercorn, Della Torre, done.

It's late now - second option tomorrow, but hit Reply if I've confused you.

PS. This route connects okay from the Port Melbourne light rail bikepath, via Johnson Street and Montague footpath. For you in Turner Street, I'm not sure of best route to Webb Bridge: maybe Ingles to Fennell to Brady, then Montague footpath. Or maybe Ingles to Lorimer.

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Permalink Reply by albonator316 on May 7, 2008 at 11:12am

thats a good one :D never seen that path before on any map.
the more options the better ;)

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Permalink Reply by Gav on May 7, 2008 at 2:24pm

Large sections were previously railway or tram reserves, now disused - eg the section from Royal Park station across to Rushall. There are signs saying (I think) "Capital City Trail", and even occasional drink fountains. It works well: mostly off-road, few traffic lights, long stopless stretches, interesting scenery. Hope it helps.

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Permalink Reply by Gav on May 9, 2008 at 12:51pm

Hi again.

Second route is inner east - more junctions and stops, but also passes more shops etc if you need to grab gear or pals en route.

First, get yourself across the Yarra - maybe Spencer St Bridge across to Batman Park, maybe Southbank footbridge.

Take the footpath along the north bank of the Yarra (behind Flinders St), wiggle up to wide straight pathway through Birrarung Marr, turn left at Batman Ave footpath. Right at Flinders, left at Spring, veer right to Macarthur, right at Victoria St, then left down good ole Napier.

Stay on Napier to cross Johnston and Alexandra, continue to Queens Road, turn right into outward service lane, left at Jamieson St. Spin right at Alfred Cres, then right at Falconer. It takes you to Rushall Station - use foot tunnel under train tracks, footbridge over Merri Creek, left into McLachlan, right at Westgarth, then South Crescent, wiggle to Wingrove, left at Yarana to Darebin Parklands, through to Abercorn, Della Torre.

This route is probably shorter than the western route (via docklands, citylink and zoo) and if you're a zippy rider it might be quicker - whereas the western route is more cruisy. As always, it's handy to try them when you're not in a rush. Good luck, happy cycling.

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