Last week, we persuaded the kids to go stay with Grandma, Grandma to have the kids stay over, and Grandma and the kids to stop by and feed the dogs. We both arranged to take Friday off work, booked a VLINE ticket to South Geelong (you can check the timetables online but you need to actually go to a station to book) and a room in a nice old B&B in Queenscliff (Maytone), and that was about it.
Friday morning, got the kids off to school, patted the dogs goodbye, put a change of clothes in the panniers, then onto the tandem and off to Footscray station.
By 11.oo we were at South Geelong station. The Rail Trail is about one kilometre further, along Carr street, which is on the opposite side of railway line from the platform. The start of the Rail Trail is well signposted, and once you're on it, little navigation is
required. Sufficient maps are available from the Railtrails Australia, and there is a Bikely map that lets you print out a detailed cue sheet if you are really keen to know elevation and distance between roads.
The weather forcast for Friday was for rain and possible hail. We seemed to have a tail wind most of Friday, and started off in sunshine. The trail has chicanes at every intersection, probably to discourage trail bike riders, and to stop cyclists flinging themselves under passing motor vehicles. They might be navigable on a single bike, but on the tandem, we had to stop at each one, Anne would have to get off, sometimes lift the rear of the tandem round
to squeeze through, then cross the road, repeat the performance at the chicane on the other
side, then ride on to the next intersection. The novelty of this procedure wears off fairly quickly.
The overall distance is around 32 kilometres. Drysdale is located neatly halfway between Geelong and Queenscliff. We headed down the Geelong-Portarlington road - the road before the Drysdale station - into Drysdale township. We timed our arrival with a major downpour, so retired to a cafe (Confessions) for a great lunch and a pot of tea.
By the time we'd restored the inner cyclists, the rain had passed. We found our way back onto
the trail, via Princess street.
The scenery gets prettier from Drysdale on, and more rural. One unique aspect of the Bellarine Rail Trail is that it actually does have a railway line, and a functioning one at that. As we cycled we could hear the sound of a train whistle, and sure enough, there was the Bellarine Peninsula Railway works train, with a couple of chaps clearing fallen trees from beside the tracks.
A bit further on, and we could feel the air temperature dropping and a ragged squall line of cloud approaching. A railway bridge over a creek looked like the best shelter at quick notice, so we propped down there till the storm passed.
Friday morning, got the kids off to school, patted the dogs goodbye, put a change of clothes in the panniers, then onto the tandem and off to Footscray station.
By 11.oo we were at South Geelong station. The Rail Trail is about one kilometre further, along Carr street, which is on the opposite side of railway line from the platform. The start of the Rail Trail is well signposted, and once you're on it, little navigation is
required. Sufficient maps are available from the Railtrails Australia, and there is a Bikely map that lets you print out a detailed cue sheet if you are really keen to know elevation and distance between roads.
The weather forcast for Friday was for rain and possible hail. We seemed to have a tail wind most of Friday, and started off in sunshine. The trail has chicanes at every intersection, probably to discourage trail bike riders, and to stop cyclists flinging themselves under passing motor vehicles. They might be navigable on a single bike, but on the tandem, we had to stop at each one, Anne would have to get off, sometimes lift the rear of the tandem round
to squeeze through, then cross the road, repeat the performance at the chicane on the other
side, then ride on to the next intersection. The novelty of this procedure wears off fairly quickly.
The overall distance is around 32 kilometres. Drysdale is located neatly halfway between Geelong and Queenscliff. We headed down the Geelong-Portarlington road - the road before the Drysdale station - into Drysdale township. We timed our arrival with a major downpour, so retired to a cafe (Confessions) for a great lunch and a pot of tea.
By the time we'd restored the inner cyclists, the rain had passed. We found our way back onto
the trail, via Princess street.
The scenery gets prettier from Drysdale on, and more rural. One unique aspect of the Bellarine Rail Trail is that it actually does have a railway line, and a functioning one at that. As we cycled we could hear the sound of a train whistle, and sure enough, there was the Bellarine Peninsula Railway works train, with a couple of chaps clearing fallen trees from beside the tracks.
A bit further on, and we could feel the air temperature dropping and a ragged squall line of cloud approaching. A railway bridge over a creek looked like the best shelter at quick notice, so we propped down there till the storm passed.
After the storm had passed we put on rain pants as the path now resembled a creek and the tandem has no mudguards. (Not yet. Next enhancement!) We picked our way through the puddles down Marcus Hill into Queenscliff.
Some fantastic views from here.
Some fantastic views from here.
We got to Queenscliff round 3.00, and found a public convenience where we could clean up a bit, as we were worried that our accommodation would faint at the sight of two mud splattered sodden guests. We need not have worried - they were used to cyclists. A very relaxed welcome awaited us, and a garage for the tandem for the night as well.
Dinner in the pub (fantastic seafood paella and pasta - perfect cyclist food), a bottle of red, a very sound night's sleep, a terrific breakfast next morning, and we were on the road again by 9.30 am.
The trail had dried out overnight, and no rain, so we retraced the route,
following our bike tyre marks back to just miss a train. A pleasant wait in the sun reading the Saturday papers, a 55 minute train trip, and we were back home by 3.00, feeling like we'd had holiday
Dinner in the pub (fantastic seafood paella and pasta - perfect cyclist food), a bottle of red, a very sound night's sleep, a terrific breakfast next morning, and we were on the road again by 9.30 am.
The trail had dried out overnight, and no rain, so we retraced the route,
following our bike tyre marks back to just miss a train. A pleasant wait in the sun reading the Saturday papers, a 55 minute train trip, and we were back home by 3.00, feeling like we'd had holiday
1 comment:
Hopefully better weather for next time you take the tandem out!
Tony
Post a Comment