Best bike trails in Melbourne for adults and kids

Port Phillip Bay beckons as a prime location for bike enthusiasts and the Bay Trail that stretches along the coastline offers stunning views of the bay, beaches, bobbing boats and Melbourne’s CBD that stands proudly behind. 

This scenic, leisurely route we’ve nominated here starts from bustling St Kilda and its famous pier and penguin colony and navigates around the bay to leafy Elwood, Brighton, Sandringham and Black Rock before ending at Ricketts Point, Beaumaris. The ride is relatively flat from start to finish and takes in pretty coves and cliffs, coastal scrub, dunes, beachside parks and marine sanctuaries.

• Start: St Kilda Pier
• Distance: about 17km one way
• Difficulty: Easy, but it’s a popular trail so keep an eye out for walkers and other path users.
• Highlights: Point Ormond lookout at Elwood for a breathtaking view of the city, Brighton Beach bathing boxes, and HMVS Cerberus shipwreck at Black Rock.
• Pitstop: Park the bike at Half Moon Bay in Black Rock, kick off your shoes and enjoy the calm, protected cove. Stop in at the Cerberus Beach House Kiosk for top-class fish and chips.
• Best for: Sea breezes to blow away the cobwebs.

Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs live up to their name in this lush green corridor that follows the path of Gardiners Creek through parks, reserves, sporting fields and wetland areas.

The trail starts from the striking Yarra River in Toorak, heading east away from the Main Yarra Trail through Kooyong, East Malvern, Burwood and Box Hill South before reaching some remarkable bushland areas in Blackburn. It’s a family-friendly ride with well-established paths and abundant birdlife along the way.

• Start: Heyington Station, Toorak
• Distance: about 17km one way
• Difficulty: Easy, with a gentle incline.
• Highlights: Blackburn Creeklands and Blackburn Lake will have you marvelling at such natural beauty so close to the city. Look out for ducklings trailing their mothers on the creek.
• Pitstop: The wetlands deserve more than a passing glance as you cycle by. Park the bike and wander or just find a bench and sit.
• Best for: Nature lovers – think stunning autumn colour, shady avenues and plentiful birds and wildlife.

The scenic Yarra Trail (or Main Yarra Trail) is a majestic biking artery that runs from Melbourne’s CBD through to the northeastern suburbs, following the vast Yarra River and offering new perspectives at each bend.

This short, challenging and memorable green corridor we’ve outlined here starts at the historic Fairfield Park Boathouse and Fairfield Pipe Bridge, passing alongside ancient gums, billabongs, wetlands and, for contrast, golf courses, genteel parks and manicured lawns. The city views are outstanding and the destination, the Heide Museum of Modern Art, no less impressive.

• Start: Fairfield Park Drive
• Distance: about 10km one way
• Difficulty: Some steep climbs, but worth it for the city views.
• Highlights: Amazing vistas at Wurundjeri Spur Lookout; birdlife and tranquillity at Alphington wetlands, and world-class art and peaceful heritage-listed gardens at Heide Museum of Modern Art.
• Pitstop: Bring a picnic to enjoy in the 6ha Heide grounds or visit the stylish Heide Kitchen. Leave enough time to take in an exhibition or wander the sculpture trail.
• Best for: A lazy Sunday afternoon.

We’ve already taken a ride along an eastern stretch of the Bay Trail from St Kilda to Beaumaris, so now it’s time to soak up the wonders of the Bay Trail West, which is better known at this point as the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail.

The captivating trail starts near the imposing West Gate Bridge and now extends 23km to Skeleton Creek at Point Cook, although our focus on this shorter 10km route is from Williamstown to Altona Pier. You’ll see historic buildings and markers, dedicated coastal trail artworks, impressive city views, nature reserves, marine sanctuaries and internationally recognised wetlands. Also lots of opportunity for boat, bird and bay watching along the way.

• Start: Williamstown Station
• Distance: about 10km one way
• Difficulty: Easy riding, with a well-signposted path. Note that flooding can occur around Cherry Lake and the grasslands between Millers and Altona roads after heavy rain.
• Highlights: Historic Armstrong Cannons (c1864) and Port Gellibrand Lookout at Williamstown; marine and birdlife at Jawbone Marine Sanctuary; wetlands, grasslands, saltmarsh, mangroves and more at Jawbone Flora and Fauna Reserve; plus native birds and butterflies at Cherry Lake.
• Pitstop: Drop in to The Kiosk d’Asporto on pretty Williamstown Beach for panino, gelato, espresso and people watching.
• Best for: Warm weather so you can finish your ride with a swim at the beach (there are changing facilities at Williamstown Beach).

This combination itinerary starts north of the city at Coburg near the infamous Pentridge Prison (now a tourist attraction) and the historic Merri Creek Bridge at Murray Road (c1870). Head south along the burbling Merri Creek past market gardens, pretty reserves, parks, wetlands and historical landmarks.

Upon reaching Clifton Hill, you’ll join the Yarra River at Dights Falls, linking into the Yarra Trail (or the Main Yarra Trail) and going downriver through Abbotsford to the Collingwood Children’s Farm. Despite the nearby industry, high-density housing and traffic, this inner-city trail is a little oasis of nature, disturbed only by the sounds of birds, footy games and children playing.

• Start: Join Merri Creek Trail at any of the entry points near Coburg
• Distance: about 12km one way from Bell Street
• Difficulty: Easy riding with one or two short, steep hills and some inconvenient steps.
• Highlights: Ceres Community Environment Park, Islamic Museum of Australia, Dights Falls and nearby parks and swimming holes, plus Collingwood Children’s Farm.
• Pitstop: It’s hard to go past the Farm Cafe at Collingwood Children’s Farm, the perfect place to refuel with an excellent all-day breakfast and all-day lunch menu.
• Best for: An escape from the city, in the city.