Last week I hit the Melbourne Capital City Trail which is a 30km loop around inner Melbourne. I decided to start the trail at Federation Square and ride clockwise following the Capital City Trail logo. From the start of my ride it was clear to see how popular the trail was particularly for City commuters and those wanting to get an exercise fix over lunch. The City Trail is a shared pedestrian and bike path that essentially follows the Yarra River, so I couldn’t possibly get lost. Or could I?
I’d read many reviews highlighting that the trail was not very well-marked so I was extra vigilant on my travels not to miss any of the City Trail logos. I first passed the Olympic Precinct seeing the MCG aka the ‘G’ and Aami Park carrying along the riverside towards Abbotsford Convent and Collingwood Children’s Farm. I was feeling very content. I only faced a couple of obstacles during this part of the trail and this was due to water damaged paths from the recent downpour in Melbourne where the city saw a months worth of rain in one night. These obstacles would have been great fun if you were riding the trail on a mountain or cyclocross bike. However, I was on a fixie so I decided it was best to get off and walk though the thick muddy sections. Otherwise, I could have ended up swimming down the river!
Having discovered Abbotsford Convent a couple of weeks ago at a Skirt and Shirt Market I decided to stop and refuel at Lentil as Anything. I’d really recommend a visit to Lentil as Anything if you haven’t been; It’s a vegetarian restaurant where you simply make a contribution based on what you feel your meal and experience is worth, according to your own financial ability – they also have restaurants in St Kilda and Footscray. The Convent is the perfect place to stop as it’s just off the Yarra River and is surrounded by the Collingwood Children’s Farm and Yarra Bend Park (you don’t feel like you’re in a City). The Farm Cafe at the Collingwood Children’s Farm is also another great place to recharge the batteries, and if you love a chocolate fix the brownie is to die for!
After consuming more than my own body weight in food it was time to get back on to my bike and join the trail to head towards Melbourne Zoo. I fastly approached Dights Falls at which point everything started to go wrong! My navigation skills went out of the window! I thought I had followed the instructions and signs, but for whatever reason, I ended up back at the Collingwood Childrens Farm! (confused.com). I asked a lovely lady who was working at the farm for her advice and she pointed my in the right direction. So off I went, again. I reached the Fairfield Boathouse and was checking my map to see if I was back on track; I must have looked confused as a cyclist stopped to ask me if I was OK . I asked if I was on the City Trail and he said “no”, at this point I explained how I had been lost since the Merri Creek area and that I needed to be on the City Trail towards the Zoo. He kindly offered to lead me back onto the trail taking me through the suburbs of Clifton Hill towards the Royal Park Station.
Following a trail which was signposted should not have been this hard but one little mistake had completely thrown me off track. What was supposed to be a 9km route from the Convent to the Zoo ended up to be about 20km. On a positive note at least I got to see another part of the City. Now that I was eventually back on the ‘right trail’, I said thanks and farewell to my temporary lead, and was on my way. I passed the Royal Park Station and the Melbourne Zoo feeling a sense of relief as it was starting to get dark and cold and the whole point of doing the trail was to see it in the daylight. The end was now in sight as I begun the final section of my ride to the Docklands finishing back in Federation Square for the Light in Winter celebration. Thankfully I didn’t get lost on and I enjoyed seeing the rest of trail including; the Ethiad Stadium, Melbourne Aquarium and the Docklands.
Despite getting lost I had a great afternoon, but if I was to do it again I would probably dedicate a whole day to do the ride to get the most out of the sights and attractions along the way. A GPS would probably come in handy too!
On the Road with Marlow 