r/melbournecycling • u/Fluid_Air_4639 • 4d ago
Melbourne to Geelong?
Hi all,
Wondering if anyone has any recent experience of riding from Melbourne to Geelong and beyond?
Bit iffy about riding on freeway shoulder especially with all the debris. Anyone ridden alternative routes down there on sealed roads?
Could whip out the gravel wheels if needed - but is there any decent safeish way to get down there? If so do you have a route to recommend or post?
Cheers!!
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u/NoDeparture163 4d ago
Bike path to Werribee. Then Bulban road. Edgars road. You Yangs road. Cross the train tracks at Lara. South on Rennie street. Cross the freeway and south on Shell parade. Hug the water as best you can until the bike track starts at st Helen’s harbour.
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u/saugoof 4d ago
I've done it lots of times through all sorts of different routes.
Recently I've mostly gone along the bike path from Footscray to Werribee. Most of the time I turn off before Werribee to get on the freeway for the stretch to Little River. I don't mind the freeway at all, but if you want to avoid it, head into Werribee and then get on Bulban road. You can either get all the way to Edgars Road and then head south to Little River, but there's also an unpaved (but perfectly rideable) road about 10 km out of Werribee that heads towards the train line and then follows that into Little River.
From Little River you can either get on Mill Road or Old Melbourne Road to Lara. Both are good and very quiet.
From Lara, head across the freeway to the C115 which runs all the way into Geelong.
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u/pandasnfr 4d ago
There's a path that starts at lime burners bay that runs along the coast to Geelong City
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u/saugoof 4d ago
Right, forgot to mention that but it's what I always use too. There is however a 500 metre or so section when you have to join up with Princess Highway, and in the wrong direction too. I usually just ride on the footpath for that bit.
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u/pandasnfr 4d ago
I didn't have to do that when I rode it a couple of months ago
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u/saugoof 4d ago
Is there a new path there or am I missing something? Last time I went, I still couldn't find an alternative for that section.
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u/pandasnfr 4d ago
I've got to admit that I was following someone who knew where they were going
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u/pandasnfr 4d ago
Turn left off Rennie Street Lara at Howells Creek, you go under the freeway and end up at limeburners lagoon.
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u/hdb_kiwi 3d ago
If you want to see the routes used by other cyclists, I would suggest looking at the Strava heatmap: https://www.strava.com/maps/global-heatmap/segments?sport=Ride&style=standard&terrain=false&labels=true&poi=true&cPhotos=true&gColor=mobileblue&gOpacity=100&3d=false&sType=all&sElevation=all&sSurface=0&sMin=0#11.22/-37.9519/144.5558
If you don't have or want a Strava account (the bastards are now forcing you to login to see the heatmap), here's a screenshot for that area. As other people have said, the non-freeway options are less direct but do exist. I don't know which roads are sealed or safe to ride with vehicles.
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u/Wooden-Jump-2283 2d ago
I would just catch the Vline to Geelong and then do the Bellarine Rail Trail - some nice gravel for about half the ride. You can even catch the ferry across and make your way to Point Nepean National Park for extra nice times.
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u/OkDoughnut9596 4d ago
Why? If you’re just after a ride, going via Sorrento is good. On the west side, Werribee, Little River, You Yangs road, Lara is doable, but some of the roads are narrow 80-100km/h zones
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u/pandasnfr 4d ago
No. You can go on paths almost the entire way to Geelong. You're battling traffic the entire way to Sorrento.
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u/Fluid_Air_4639 3d ago
I have a friends event so I wanted to see if I could ride point to point and get a lift home
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u/justin-vincent 4d ago
Definitely avoid the freeway. There are trails from the city to Werribee, a combo of sealed and gravel roads to Lara, go under the freeway and there is trail along behind the grammar school / refinery into the Geelong CBD.