Mullum mullum and moonee ponds trails

[digbyj]

Hey folks,
I'm setting myself a goal to ride from Healesville to Riddells Creek by next Autumn. One option is via Kinglake way and other is via trails above which involves a lot less time on a few sketchy roads.
Does anyone know a rough time to ride from city to airport on moonee ponds trail? And also city to Croydon nth via Yarra/mullum mullum?
Thanks


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[DJIntegr8]

I ride Melbourne CBD to/from Donvale occasionally via Main Yarra Trail/Mullum Trail - it's about 35km and takes 1.5-2 hrs depending on how much you push it on the hills and twisty paths. The trail is incomplete between Park Rd and Tindals Rd - it's doable if you ride off track and through some front yards Probably add another hour (maybe a bit less) from there to Croydon Hills, never done that part before.

Brendan

[KenGS]

On a recent Audax ride we returned from Woodlands Park near the Airport along Moonee Ponds Creek trail back to Royal Parade on the Capital City trail in about 1h25 elapsed or 1h10 riding time with a big tail wind if that helps. Plus inbound is generally downhill
For Croydon to CBD I assume you mean along Mullum Trail then Koonung (Eastern Fwy) then MYT then Capital City trail? I've not ridden it in one go so can't help there with timings.
Which roads were you trying to avoid on the route through Kinglake?

[Mulger bill]

I'm not brave enough to ride the airport-Sunbury section...

[il padrone]

I ride Melbourne CBD to/from Donvale occasionally via Main Yarra Trail/Mullum Trail - it's about 35km and takes 1.5-2 hrs depending on how much you push it on the hills and twisty paths. The trail is incomplete between Park Rd and Tindals Rd

Take Rainbow Valley Rd and McIntyres Rd. Gravel but generally good roads. Good on a tourer, not so nice on a skinny tyred road bike.

Croydon-Fairfield-Moonee Ponds Trail route - 126kms


But overall, if I was to ride between those two places I'd be going up Chum Ck Rd to Toolangi, across to Kinglake and Kinglake West, then via Whittlesea to Wallan, Darraweit Guim, Bolinda and on into Riddells Creek. Nice roads, mostly not too bad for traffic.

Kinglake-Whittlesea-Wallan route - 113kms

[digbyj]

Thanks for the responses guys, il padrone- that was the exact 2 routes I was tossing up between. Main difference being on the bike paths would be more leisurely and quiet, where as the Healesville-toolangi-kinglake section is very narrow and I'm pretty inexperienced, although by the time I've trained for this I won't be!
So, is the answer NO, you can't ride from ringwood to city on continuous path? I thought it was a combination of mullum mullum and main Yarra trail but sounds like mullum mullum is incomplete. Next time I ride down that way (Thursday) ill go check it out.
Cheers


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[yarravalleyplodder]

you can ride from ringwood to the city via a bike path. I am not sure about all of the mullum mullum trail but if you start from the back of eastlands (crn warrandyte rd and ringwoowd bypass) you follow the mullum mullum trail to the eastlink trail, follow through some twisty sections but it pops out at park road near the tunnels and then it becomes the koonung creek trail and then it becomes the main yarra trail, it basically follows the eastern fwy all the way into town and once at abbotsford you follow the yarra all the way to docklands

You can definitely get from the city to ringwood on a bike path

[digbyj]

Thanks plodder, that's what I suspected.


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[DJIntegr8]

I ride Melbourne CBD to/from Donvale occasionally via Main Yarra Trail/Mullum Trail - it's about 35km and takes 1.5-2 hrs depending on how much you push it on the hills and twisty paths. The trail is incomplete between Park Rd and Tindals Rd

Take Rainbow Valley Rd and McIntyres Rd. Gravel but generally good roads. Good on a tourer, not so nice on a skinny tyred road bike.

Croydon-Fairfield-Moonee Ponds Trail route - 126kms

Oh god, just rode it this arvo. I was not ready for those steep pinches after coming up the Eastlink trail from Frankston.. It's all sealed so it would be fine for 23c tyres..

Brendan

[clackers]

Oh god, just rode it this arvo. I was not ready for those steep pinches after coming up the Eastlink trail from Frankston.. It's all sealed so it would be fine for 23c tyres..

And watch descending those wooden bridges on the Mullum Mullum when wet!

[VRE]

Oh god, just rode it this arvo. I was not ready for those steep pinches after coming up the Eastlink trail from Frankston.. It's all sealed so it would be fine for 23c tyres..

And watch descending those wooden bridges on the Mullum Mullum when wet!

Yes . I had a near-prang on Tuesday last week (the day it rained heavily). I was going down a winding section of path, over a bridge that slopes, and is also immediately preceded and followed by a bend, when my front wheel slipped, and I almost lost it. This occurred even though I ride down that bit slower than a lot of cyclists, and I also ride down it every week day.

[antigee]

Take Rainbow Valley Rd and McIntyres Rd. Gravel but generally good roads.

this was sealed early this year and though I like gravel it was pretty loose stuff - but somewhere in the thread I got lost - Park rd/ Rainbow Valley McIntyres links from the Koonung / Eastern Freeway trail to the northern mullum mullum trail which runs up to join the Yarra trail and this road link is for this north running section which is sadly incomplete off road though the link mentioned is very quiet but hilly and features a dead end cycle lane were one day the mullum mullum trail will go but be aware to pull into any traffic in good time

its a great link to take you back round to Candlebark and Westerfolds Park albeit on OK gravel in Candlebark


to get to Ringwood take the south running section of the mullum mullum trail from the koonung creek trail just after passing schwerkoff cottage beyond the tunnels and coming under the ringwood bypass (heading out of the city) this I think does get you all the way from the city to Ringwood without using a road (problem is then what to do when you get to Ringwood! I've yet to bite the bullet and ride mt dandenong road which quite a lot of people seem to suggest)

[il padrone]

Take Rainbow Valley Rd and McIntyres Rd. Gravel but generally good roads.

this was sealed early this year and though I like gravel it was pretty loose stuff - but somewhere in the thread I got lost - Park rd/ Rainbow Valley McIntyres links from the Koonung / Eastern Freeway trail to the northern mullum mullum trail which runs up to join the Yarra trail and this road link is for this north running section which is sadly incomplete off road though the link mentioned is very quiet but hilly and features a dead end cycle lane were one day the mullum mullum trail will go but be aware to pull into any traffic in good time

Yes, I was replying to DJIntegr8's comments about the trail being incomplete that way. These roads make a passable quiet link. Great to hear the roads are sealed now. It was not to be confused with the Mullum/Eastlink/Koonung Trail route that I linked, and that is much more direct.

to get to Ringwood take the south running section of the mullum mullum trail from the koonung creek trail just after passing schwerkoff cottage beyond the tunnels and coming under the ringwood bypass (heading out of the city) this I think does get you all the way from the city to Ringwood without using a road (problem is then what to do when you get to Ringwood! I've yet to bite the bullet and ride mt dandenong road which quite a lot of people seem to suggest)

From Ringwood the Mullum Trail continues along the creek towrds Croydon on the north side of the Marroondah Hwy, through to Highland Ave, not far from Yarra Rd. Then you can cut down Kent Ave to Croydon and get across onto Mt Dandenong Rd. I've never ridden it, but Durham Rd & Cambridge Rd are shown as having a bike lane and this will take you through Montrose to Swansea Rd. This is a busy but multi-lane road with good edges (much better than it used to be back in the day) and will take you to Lilydale. Partway along there are recreational bike paths through the Lilydale Lake parklands that lead into Lilydale township.

[DJIntegr8]

Yeah, it first came to mind because I normally do Main Yarra/Mullum trails without the Koonung trails - I like a bit of a gravel detour It'd be much quicker to go down Koonung to Eastlink and head up to Ringwood from there.

Brendan

[antigee]

From Ringwood the Mullum Trail continues along the creek towrds Croydon on the north side of the Marroondah Hwy, through to Highland Ave, not far from Yarra Rd. Then you can cut down Kent Ave to Croydon and get across onto Mt Dandenong Rd. I've never ridden it, but Durham Rd & Cambridge Rd are shown as having a bike lane and this will take you through Montrose to Swansea Rd. This is a busy but multi-lane road with good edges (much better than it used to be back in the day) and will take you to Lilydale. Partway along there are recreational bike paths through the Lilydale Lake parklands that lead into Lilydale township.

just looked at that in Melways and the suggestion of Durham and Cambridge roads looks good - will give that a go

[yarravalleyplodder]

mount dandy rd has a bike lane from ringwood all the way to croydon. I use mt dandy rd and swansea rd all the time and I see them as safe options. They are wide roads and the left hand lane is ample for cars to give you a meter and them not to move into the right hand lane. Once you get to lilydale you can take the trail to warburton if you wanted to

[antigee]

thanks YVP - a quick look at map makes me think I got Canterbury and Mount Dandenong road mixed up - thanks for this option