Yarra Valley and Black Spur

A 420 km loop

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Why this ride

A rider’s loop: clean exit, memorable middle, calm return. 420 km round from Chirnside Park - plan on about 8 h 44 of riding. It goes by way of Kilmore, near Woodend, near Clifton Springs and Williamstown. The climb of the day is near Langwarrin.

Roadbook

1. Fuel stop in Chirnside Park fuel

   Fuel at 0 km.

2. Near Kilmore, on the way back swim

   Kilmore has a fair claim to be the oldest inland town in Victoria, and the stone buildings along its main street back it up. It sits in a gap in the Great Dividing Range, a natural passage that the early overlanders used on the road between Melbourne and the Murray, and the Hume Highway still slips through here today. This stop lies a little south of the town, in sheep and cattle country between Kilmore, Broadford and Lancefield, where the land rolls in broad folds of yellow-brown grass and dark clumps of gum trees.

   The area has known hard times. In February 2009 the bushfires of Black Saturday started near Kilmore East and swept through the hills to the north and east, and the scars on the landscape and in the community are still part of the local story. The regrowth is lush now, but locals remember, and you will see memorials and signs of the recovery as you ride. In summer, the fire risk remains real, and on days of extreme fire danger, riding in the forest is a poor idea.

   Lancefield, to the west, has a different claim to fame. A swamp near the town produced one of the richest deposits of ice age animal bones in Victoria, including those of giant kangaroos and wombat-like creatures, and the find gave scientists a window into the megafauna that once roamed here. Today the town is a quiet place with a handsome bluestone hotel and a few cafes, a pleasant stop on a Sunday ride.

   For fuel and supplies, Kilmore, with nearly eight thousand people, has petrol stations, supermarkets, bakeries and a good selection of pubs. Broadford is smaller but has the basics, and Lancefield has a general store. The riding here is mostly easy, with long bends and gentle hills, and a good surface on the main roads. Early morning, when mist lies in the hollows and the paddocks glisten with dew, is the best time to be on the road. Expect kangaroos in the evening and be generous with your braking distance.

3. Food stop near Woodend food

   Woodend is the gateway to the Macedon Ranges, a country town of old stone and weatherboard buildings, cool-climate gardens and excellent cafés, about an hour north-west of Melbourne. Its clock tower, a memorial to King Edward VII, stands at the main intersection, and the town has the slightly genteel air of a place where city people have long come to escape the summer heat.

   The great attraction nearby is Hanging Rock, a volcanic formation of tumbled pinnacles rising out of the plain just north-east of town. It was made famous by the novel and film Picnic at Hanging Rock, and it remains a strange, atmospheric place with walking tracks up through the rocks. To the south, Mount Macedon rises higher, covered in forest and grand gardens, with the Memorial Cross on its summit.

   The riding around here is excellent. The roads through the Macedon Ranges climb and wind through tall forest and open farmland, with tight bends on the mountain itself and faster sweepers on the country roads towards Kyneton, Lancefield and Daylesford. Surfaces vary from smooth to rough, and in winter the mountain can be frosty, foggy or even dusted with snow. Wildlife is common at dusk.

   For food, Woodend is a strong choice, with bakeries, cafés and pubs along the main street serving everything from a quick pie to a long lunch. Fuel is available in town. The Calder Freeway runs past, making it easy to get here quickly from the city, but take the old roads out of town if you have time.

4. Photo stop near Clifton Springs photo

   Clifton Springs looks north across Corio Bay, and on a clear afternoon the view is the reason to stop: the water in front, the industrial skyline of Geelong to the west, the granite bumps of the You Yangs rising out of the plain beyond, and on the best days the Melbourne towers far to the north-east. The town is part of the Bellarine Peninsula, a fist of farmland, vineyards and small seaside towns that closes off the western side of Port Phillip.

   The name comes from the mineral springs at the foot of the cliffs, which drew day-trippers by steamer in the late nineteenth century when taking the waters was fashionable. The old jetty and the bluffs along the shore still give a hint of that era, and the shoreline walk is a decent leg-loosener.

   As riding goes, the Bellarine is gentle. Roads roll between Drysdale, Portarlington and Queenscliff, with a few nice crests and open views but nothing technical. What you will notice is the wind, which comes hard off the bay and Bass Strait and can push a bike around on the exposed stretches. Summer weekends bring holiday traffic, caravans and families heading for the beaches; a weekday or a winter morning is a different, quieter world. Queenscliff, at the tip, has the ferry across the heads to Sorrento, a handy way to turn a ride into a loop around the bay.

   Drysdale, a few minutes away, is the local service centre with fuel, a supermarket and bakeries, and Geelong covers anything larger. Local wineries on the peninsula open cellar doors, though of course that is for passengers or for later. Grab a coffee, look at the bay, and decide whether the next leg is the ferry or the long run west towards the Otways.

5. Near Williamstown finish

   Williamstown was Melbourne's first port. Before the Yarra was dredged to allow ships to reach the city, vessels anchored off Point Gellibrand, at the mouth of the river, and the town that grew up there still has the feel of an old maritime settlement, with bluestone warehouses, pubs, churches and a timeball tower that once signalled the time to ships in the bay. Rides finish here on Hobsons Bay, off this historic waterfront, and it is a fine place to do so.

   The Strand, along the waterfront, has views across the bay to the skyline of Melbourne, especially beautiful at sunset, when the towers glow and the lights come on. A former navy minesweeper, HMAS Castlemaine, is moored as a museum ship, and ferries run across the bay to the city. The beach, on the southern side of the peninsula, is popular in summer, with a long promenade and cafés.

   To the north, the West Gate Bridge crosses the Yarra on a high span. During its construction in 1970, one of its sections collapsed, killing thirty-five workers, one of the worst industrial accidents in Australian history, and a memorial park stands beneath the bridge. Today the bridge carries heavy traffic between the western suburbs and the city.

   The Yarra Valley ride that finishes here takes you north-east of Melbourne to the wine country of the Yarra Valley and over the Black Spur, a winding road through tall mountain ash forest, among the tallest flowering plants in the world. Coming back across the city, the Monash Freeway and the West Gate jam up readily, so plan your return for a quieter time. Williamstown has fuel, cafés, pubs and fish and chip shops, and eating fish and chips on the foreshore, looking at the city, is a classic Melbourne way to end the day.

6. High point near Langwarrin pass

   Langwarrin sits on the edge of Melbourne's south-eastern sprawl, where the suburbs of Frankston give way to bushland, horse paddocks and the first hints of the Mornington Peninsula. It is not a mountain in any sense; the high ground here is gentle, but it is enough to give you glimpses across towards Port Phillip and Western Port on a clear day.

   The main natural feature is the Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve, a large patch of heathland and woodland that was once a military camp. Soldiers trained here from the late nineteenth century through the First World War, and the site later became a reserve. Today it is a haven for birds, orchids and kangaroos, and on an early morning ride you may see grey shapes moving among the trees at its edge.

   The roads around Langwarrin are a mix of busy arterials and quieter back routes. McClelland Drive and the roads heading south towards Baxter, Somerville and the peninsula hinterland have a pleasant rural feel, with gentle rises and bends lined by gums. Weekday peak hours can be heavy as commuters stream towards Frankston and the Peninsula Link freeway, so time your passage outside those windows. Watch for wildlife at dawn and dusk; kangaroos and wallabies are a genuine hazard on these roads.

   Nearby, the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery sits in bushland just off the main road and is worth a look if you have time. Fuel and food are easy to find in Langwarrin and Frankston. Think of this stretch as a transition: the city behind you, the peninsula's wineries, beaches and the winding roads of Red Hill ahead.

7. Scenic stretch near Cranbourne West scenic

   Cranbourne West is new Melbourne: wide estates, roundabouts, fresh bitumen and shopping centres that did not exist a generation ago. You would not ride out here for the suburb itself. But just to the east, on the sandy rise of Cranbourne, is something genuinely special, the Cranbourne Gardens of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

   The gardens protect a large expanse of native heath and woodland, and within them the Australian Garden presents the plants of the continent in a designed landscape that moves from red desert sand to coastal scrub. Even if you only have half an hour, the contrast between the manicured suburbs and the scrub full of banksias, wildflowers and honeyeaters is striking. In spring the heath is at its best, with flowers everywhere.

   As the end of a ride, this stretch is all about getting home without fuss. The South Gippsland Highway, Thompsons Road and the surrounding arterials carry heavy traffic at peak times, and the road network is still catching up with the housing boom, so expect roadworks and changing layouts. Outside rush hours the riding is easy if unremarkable: flat, straight, well signed. Keep an eye out for trucks and for drivers pulling out of new side streets.

   Practical needs are well covered. Fuel, coffee and food are all close at hand in Cranbourne and the surrounding centres, and the Monash Freeway gives a quick run back into the city. If you are finishing after a day in the Dandenongs or the Yarra Valley, it is a calm, flat place to let the adrenaline settle and the engine cool before the last few kilometres.

8. Back to Yarra Valley finish

   Chirnside Park and Lilydale are where Melbourne's eastern suburbs finally loosen their grip, and the hills of the Yarra Ranges start to rise on the horizon. It is a pleasant place to end a day in the Yarra Valley, with the road coming down out of the green hills, past paddocks and vineyards, to a belt of shopping strips and roundabouts. Lilydale is a proper town of sixteen thousand, with a lake, a railway line to the city and plenty of everything a tired rider needs.

   The valley behind you is cool-climate wine country, and the vines here are mostly chardonnay and pinot noir, planted on the gentle slopes either side of the Yarra River. Many cellar doors are open for tastings, and for a rider the better plan is to buy a bottle and drink it later. Healesville, at the top end, has a wildlife sanctuary where you can see platypus, wombats and Tasmanian devils, and just beyond it lies the Black Spur, a winding stretch of the Maroondah Highway through towering mountain ash, the tallest flowering trees on Earth. The road there is shaded and damp, with tight bends and a surface that can be greasy, particularly after rain or in the early morning.

   By the time you reach Chirnside Park the character has gone suburban, but you can still see the Dandenong Ranges to the south and the dark line of the hills behind. The roads out of the valley fill up on Sunday afternoon with day trippers, so patience helps. Speed cameras are common and fines are heavy in Victoria, so keep to the limits.

   Fuel is easy here, and so is coffee. Lilydale has a main street of cafes and bakeries, and the shopping centres at Chirnside Park have large car parks and plenty of food. Water and a short rest are available at the lake, where locals walk their dogs in the late afternoon.

   Weather in this part of Victoria can change fast. A warm morning may become a wet afternoon, and the saying about four seasons in one day applies fully. Pack a rain layer, and take a little care at dusk, when kangaroos and wallabies come out to feed along the verges.

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