Some blind corners, steep drop into the river. In winter, on the north bank near the city, ice can form on the floating pontoons. A steep corkscrew path used to cross under Banksia St.
The initial stages of the path were very successful with high usage. This sparked several campaigns to continue the route along the River northeast into Hawthorn, Kew, and Fairfield. The neighboring municipalities of Hawthorn and Kew began purchasing residential frontages to prepare for future construction of the Trail.[5][6]
In November 1991, the bridge over the Yarra River at Finns Reserve was constructed. This brought the total length of the Trail to 20 kilometers at the time.[7]
From the punt landing, the trail winds through Melbourne Docklands, initially as a dedicated path on Lorimer Street, and then, east of Todd Road it continues as an on-road cycling lane along Lorimer Street.
At the west side of Yarra's Edge and before the Docklands Highway, it heads off the road towards the bank of the river. The trail can be picked up at the southern end of the "Koori Eel Trap" footbridge, where it intersects with the Capital City Trail.
At the pedestrian bridge at Southbank pedestrians and cyclists may choose the trail under Princes Bridge to Flinders Street station, on the north side of the river, or the path can be followed along the south side.
Continuing in Richmond the path meets up with the Gardiners Creek Trail. After going under the Victoria Street bridge in Abbotsford the path reaches the Walmer Street shared pedestrian and cycle bridge.
Once across the bridge on the north side of the river, the trail continues up a short steep hill to the base of Walmer St and turns immediately to the left (west) into the park. The path continues until it reaches Yarra Boulevard, where the path descends to cross the Yarra River again at the Gipps Street shared pedestrian and cycle bridge. Alternatively, cyclists and pedestrians can continue to follow Yarra Boulevard to Studley Park.
At Gipps Street, flights of steps connect to the concrete path on the western side of the river. Some cyclists choose to avoid the steps and ride the back streets of Abbotsford to meet the trail at the Collingwood Children's Farm.
A short way further the trail comes to Dights Falls, an ancient meeting place for the Wurundjeri people and tribes of the Kulin nation. The weir and water race were used to power the Ceres flour mill that was once located here. Here the Capital City Trail follows the Merri Creek Trail up the Merri Creek. The Yarra River Trail crosses the Merri Creek there, then passes under the Eastern Freeway and starts a long gradual uphill climb to Melbourne Polytechnic, before crossing the Yarra River at the pedestrian Pipe bridge at the Fairfield boathouse. The bridge is narrow. On the eastern side of the river, the path climbs steeply to Yarra Boulevard.
Fairfield boathouseFairfield Pipe Bridge in Yarra Park
An alternative to the Yarra River Trail at Yarra Bend Park is to follow the Yarra Boulevard as it continues through the parkland of Yarra Bend following the river. It is a tourist drive with on-road cycling lanes, which provides access to the Studley Park boathouse, where row boats can be hired. After crossing the Eastern Freeway the road climbs up a hill where it meets the Yarra Trail again.
From the top of the hill follow the Yarra Boulevard down to the Chandler Highway. A ramped connecting path leads under the main road and to the Yarra path, next to the National Guide Dog and Mobility Centre.
The Yarra River Trail tracks along the northern edge of the Eastern Freeway with first the La Trobe Golf Club to the south over the river followed by the Kew Golf Club directly to the south. The Yarra River is rejoined near Burke Road. The trail crosses over a footbridge to the north side of the Yarra, just before the trail passes beneath the Burke Road bridge across the Yarra and Eastern Freeway. If you travel straight ahead instead of turning left to cross the footbridge you will find yourself on the Koonung Creek Trail. From the footbridge, you can also use a hilly path, including a usually quiet on-road section (along The Boulevard, East Ivanhoe), to access the Sparks Reserve end of the Darebin Creek Trail.
Continuing the path travels along various natural features, including river flats, sporting ovals, market gardens, and paddocks with horses. There are many paths to explore as you ride through Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Lower Plenty and Templestowe to Westerfolds Park.
Topdown perspective of Ruffey Trail bridge between Westerfolds and Wombat Bend Park. Shot December 2018.
The southern section of the River Gum Walk Trail can easily be mistaken for the continuation of the Yarra River Trail. People coming from the south (from the City Centre) along the Yarra River Trail should turn right (east) 130m after crossing the canal at the end of Plymouth St, near the Banyule Tennis centre.
From the northeast corner of Westerfolds Park, the path continues up the Yarra River 1km to Candlebark Park. Across the long footbridge at Candlebark Park gives access to the Diamond Creek Trail. This intersection is unsigned except for some instructions relating to the usage of the park.
The Yarra trail continues to follow the river past Petty's Orchards and finally ends at the confluence of the Mullum Mullum Creek and the Yarra River in Templestowe. A lookout surveys the spot. The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail starts here leading to points further afield. However, an extension to the Yarra Trail is currently being constructed, which will extend the path to Warrandyte, via Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road and Taroona Avenue.
Abbotsford is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km (1.2 mi) north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Abbotsford recorded a population of 9,088 at the 2021 census.
The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Moonee Ponds Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Capital City Trail is a shared use path in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, which circles the city centre and some inner eastern and northern suburbs. It is 29km in length, and mostly consists of sections of other trails, such as the Merri Creek Trail, Main Yarra Trail, Moonee Ponds Creek Trail and Inner Circle Rail Trail.
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.
The Merri Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians that follows the Merri Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Mullum Mullum Creek is a creek in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Mullum Mullum Valley, a tributary of the Yarra River and Yarra Valley. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.
The Gardiners Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Gardiners Creek through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Koonung Creek is a small tributary of the Yarra River in Melbourne's east. The creek originates in Nunawading near Springvale Road, and flows to join the Yarra at the border between Ivanhoe East, Bulleen and Balwyn North. The place the two waterways meet forms the borders between these suburbs. Bushy Creek is a tributary to the creek, joining near Elgar Park in Mont Albert North. A shared use path follows the course of the creek, known as the Koonung Creek Trail.
Gardiners Creek, originally known as Kooyongkoot Creek, is an urban stream in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and part of the Yarra River catchment.
The Outer Circle Trail, also known as the Anniversary Trail, is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which partly follows the Alamein Line through the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Ringwood - Belgrave Rail Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Belgrave railway line from the Mullum Mullum Creek Trail in Ringwood to Belgrave railway station in Belgrave, in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Darebin Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians which follows Darebin Creek in the inner and outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Craigieburn Bypass Trail, is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. In 2008 it was given the local name of the Galada Tamboore Pathway - Wurundjeri for "creek waterhole" or "stream waterhole" - as it goes past the Craigieburn, Cooper street and Galada Tamboore grasslands which are all nationally significant for their plains grassland and riparian habitat for endangered and vulnerable native fauna and flora, including the critically endangered Golden Sun Moth.
The Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the coast line of Hobsons Bay in the inner western suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail forms part of the western half of the Bayside Trail which encircles Port Phillip. It runs from the west side of the Westgate bridge, south and along the coast, finishing at the Skeleton Creek Trail in Sanctuary Lakes.
The Koonung Creek Trail, also known as the Koonung Trail, is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Koonung Creek in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail also follows the course of the Eastern Freeway as it too, follows the course of the Koonung Creek, and has good connections to on-road paths.
The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Mullum Mullum Creek in the outer eastern suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Ruffey Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Ruffey Creek in the inner eastern suburbs of Templestowe and Doncaster in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Bicycle paths around Melbourne are off-road routes for use by people riding bicycles and walking have been developed over many decades. These primarily follow current or former watercourses and major roads to traverse long distances and provide facilities for both transport and recreation.
The Greensborough Bypass Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians which follows the Greensborough Bypass through the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It was built in 2006 as part of works to build the new road across around the suburbs of Greensborough and Watsonia North. The trail is managed by VicRoads.
The Bay Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians which follows the coastline of Port Phillip Bay through the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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