Maribyrnong River Trail

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View of city skyline and Maribyrnong River at Essendon West
Maribyrnong River Trail
Length 25km Brimbank Park to Footscray Road
Difficulty Mostly easy
Hills Mostly Flat, hills around Steele Creek, Essendon West
Hazards Some steep descents
Water Brimbank Park, Canning Reserve, Riverside Park, Pipemakers Park
Path Gravel and bitumen path
Connecting Transport
Bus
Train Ginifer via Western Ring Road Trail, Newmarket via the Newmarket saleyards redevelopment, Footscray
Tram

Contents

[edit] Description

The Maribyrnong River Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Maribyrnong River through the north western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[1]

The path, often on both sides of the river, follows the meandering of the Maribyrnong River through a valley cut in the basaltic plateau in Keilor East at Brimbank Park, then across a floodplain to its entry into the Yarra River at Docklands.

High probablity of getting lost in Brimbank Park, Melbourne.

Combined with the Taylors Creek Trail this trail makes for a good trip into the Melbourne city centre.

[edit] Following the Path

Starting at the north end of Brimbank Park, Melbourne, the gravel trail winds its way through the trees along the valley on the east side of the Maribyrnong River and the western end of the park. It passes under the towering EJ Whitten Bridge. Near the bridge base a steep path loops up to the same level as the bridge platform, where it connects to the Western Ring Road Trail.

At Canning Reserve Tea Gardens at Avondale Heights the trail becomes concrete. On the weekends the smell of barbecues fills the air, with picnickers dotted along the length of the river, children enjoying playgrounds or water games. The path splits into a concrete path that follows a minor creek valley up into Avondale Heights to Monte Carlo Drive Reserve. The main trail, a gravel path, continues along the river.

Near the confluence of Maribyrnong River and Steele Creek at Essendon West the path becomes concrete and follows Steele creek inland before winding up the hillside to the top of the plateau at Lily St for outstanding views of the Maribyrnong River and the skyscrapers of the Melbourne CBD in the distance. Care needs to be taken crossing Buckley Street if turning off to Steele Creek Trail that connects at this point.

The path enters a switch back section that winds back down to the river. Further is Afton St footbridge (a cream coloured bridge). The trail now runs down both banks of the river. Do not continue down the east side of the river any further than the Pipemakers Park footbridge (a red coloured bridge), as further south the path runs out. Cross the bridge to Pipemakers Park.

At Maidstone the path on the western side of the river passes through Pipemakers Park with its Living Museum of the West which contains historical presentations on the river valley and the people who have lived there since its initial occupation up to 40,000 years ago by the Wurundjeri people.

The path passes Flemington Racecourse, where the Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday of November each year as part of the Spring Racing Carnival.

Cycling beside the Maribyrnong River at Avondale Heights.
Cycling beside the Maribyrnong River at Avondale Heights.

[edit] Landmarks

Maribyrnong River, Brimbank Park, Horseshoe Bend Children's farm, Pipemakers Park.

[edit] Connections

The Western Ring Road Trail connects with the Maribyrnong River Trail at the south end of Brimbank Park.

It connects to the Steele Creek Trail on the north side of Buckley St, opposite Lily St.

At Footscray, where Footscray Road crosses the Maribyrnong River, the trail splits in two. One path becomes the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail. The other is a 2.8km path, running along the south side of Footscray Road, which connects to the Capital City Trail.

On weekends, on the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail, a punt takes cyclists across the Yarra River under the West Gate Bridge at Spotswood near the Scienceworks Museum.

A 3km road section connects with Taylors Creek Trail in the north west. From the north end of Brimbank Park head north on Green Gully Rd using the east side service road and then west on the Old Calder Highway using the service road on its south side. At the point where the Old Calder Highway and the Calder Freeway become close to each other, is a side street to the left (west), called Burrowye Cres. The Taylors Creek Trail start 500m down Burrowye Cres on the right.

North end at 37.727171° S 144.835248° E. South end at 37.806250° S 144.906886° E.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Melbourne's Off-Road Bicycle Network
Anniversary Outer Circle Trail | Bayside Trail | Belgrave Rail Trail | Blind Creek Trail | Broadmeadows Valley Trail | Bushy Creek Trail | Capital City Trail | Craigieburn Bypass Trail | Dandenong Creek Trail | Darebin Creek Trail | Diamond Creek Trail | East Malvern Station to Centre Rd Trail | Edgars Creek Trail | Federation Trail | Ferndale Park Trail | Ferny Creek Trail | Gardiners Creek Trail | Gawler Chain Trail | Greengully Trail | Hallam Bypass Trail | Hendersons Road Drain Trail | Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail | Koonung Creek Trail | Kororoit Creek Trail | Laverton Creek Trail | Maribyrnong River Trail | Maroondah Aqueduct Trail | Merri Creek Trail | Moonee Ponds Creek Trail | Mullum Mullum Creek Trail | Plenty River Trail | River Gum Walk Trail | Ruffey Creek Trail | Sandridge Trail | Scotchmans Creek Trail | Skeleton Creek Trail | Steele Creek Trail | St Georges Rd Trail | Syndal Heatherdale Pipe Reserve Trail | Tarralla Creek Trail | Taylors Creek Trail | Toolern Creek Trail | Upfield Rail Trail | Yarra River Trail | Werribee River Trail | Western Ring Road Trail | Wurundjeri Walk Trail

Cycling in Melbourne and Victoria

Segregated cycle facilities