Flow Mountain Bike acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country through the areas surrounding Melbourne and Geelong. We recognise the connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past, present and emerging.
You’ve been cooped up in the office all week, and you’re champing at the bit to ride — probably not helped by the fact you spent your lunch break rewatching one of Brandon Semenuk’s mind-bending edits, and salivating over the latest new riding destination to open up.
Fortunately for you, there are multiple trail networks within about an hour of Melbourne to help you scratch that itch! The Victorian landscape is incredibly diverse, offering mountain bikers the opportunity to explore a variety of terrain only a short distance from the Big Smoke. Another benefit of having varying terrain is there is usually somewhere to ride even in wet conditions — subject to the guidance of the local club or land manager.
We should note that we do our best not to promote unsanctioned trails, and even within some well-known, established trail networks, there are community-built trails. Regardless of how well-known they are, we can’t actively shine the spotlight on them.
So, without further ado, here are our favourite trails that are less than an episode of Game of Thrones away from Melbourne. If you’re keen to venture further afield, check out our Destination Hub or our article on the best mountain bike trails in Victoria to start planning your next trip.
Related:
You Yangs | The mountain in the middle of a plain
If you’ve ever driven south-west of Melbourne, then you’ve likely sped past the isolated collection of granite ridges named The You Yangs. Situated 50 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD, this unique location provides entertaining trails for all levels of riders and is the ideal after-work hit during daylight savings.
The You Yangs is split into two sections – the first is Kurrajong made up predominantly of XC trails with limited elevation. The green and blue singletrack of this area is purpose-built for developing skills or going for a calorie-burning ride. Cruise the twisting Axeman’s track to get an easy introduction to what the You Yangs trails can provide.
The more gnarly cousin of Kurrajong is the Stockyard’s Area, where you’ll find the more technical trails at the You Yangs. This area offers tricky blue trails mixed in with challenging black and double-black runs. This is a great spot to prepare yourself for an upcoming race of any discipline. There are tight technical XC climbs and boulder gaps to keep you on your toes. Burn down Track 13 Cressy Descent for a healthy serving of rock gardens, jumps and berms that you can really sink your tyres into.
Plenty of parking and facilities are available for both areas — the Kurrajong & Drysdale Rd car parks offer toilets, gas/electric BBQ, and picnic tables. So whether you’re going for the desk-jockey express ride or looking to settle in for the day and enjoy a packed lunch, You Yangs is ready. We do recommend bringing your own water as there are no nearby drinking water facilities.
Silvan | Tacky, loamy, jungle riding
The complete antithesis of the You Yangs, and located on the other side of Melbourne’s CBD, you will find Silvan. Situated a touch over an hour east of Melbourne, this is a great location to enjoy some rewarding descents and well-manicured trails under a lush green canopy.
There truly are a plethora of trails within the Silvan area, and finding your favourite trail to session will take multiple visits. With a carefully curated mixture of steep technical sections and fast-flowing trails, Silvan runs the gamut for a large swath of mountain bikers.
After a light dusting of rain, the dirt here is all-time — tacky, loamy and fast are the words we’d use to describe Silvan in its optimal conditions, but don’t let that deter you from tackling these trails over the summer months. The hard-packed clay base on Temple of Zoom makes for an epic trail by name and by nature; this run offers a heavenly mix of berms, jumps, steep corners and speedy sections. If you’re new to Silvan, stick to this area, and you will find oodles of trails to explore, all serviced by a fire road with a relatively friendly gradient.
With multiple entrances to the trails and no dedicated trailhead, finding your way around Silvan on your first visit can be challenging. Make sure you have Trailforks downloaded on your phone, and stick to the legal trails here.
There are a couple of options for parking at Silvan — the Silvan Reservoir car park offers the only area with toilets and might be a good option for family, friends or partners looking for a walking track whilst you’re riding. Parking at the Mount Evelyn football oval is another option for those coming from the south-eastern suburbs.
Lysterfield | More than just the Comm Games track
Home to the infamous 2006 Commonwealth Games XC track, Lysterfield is a convenient location for a ride being only 40 km out of Melbourne.
Lysterfield provides an excellent outlet for after-work rides or an early morning hit-out; it’s also a unique location to enjoy some of Australia’s native animals as you cruise along the singletrack around the park.
The saying “there’s something for everyone” rings true here, with 24 km of purpose-built mountain bike trails to put a smile on the face of riders at every skill level. With 139m of elevation, there are plenty of climbs around this park to challenge yourself or get that heart rate pumping. With its accessibility and proximity to the city, Lysty is a brilliant venue to grow your skills and confidence to tackle more technical elements or gravity-focused trails.
An outstanding launchpad for beginners and families is Trailmix. This easy-flowing green trail can be linked onto Lake Circuit for a solid loop around the picturesque setting of Lysterfield Lake. For those looking to up the ante, take on Follow Me or Aneurysm for some technical rock gardens and bermy speed. Both trails are sure to keep you on your toes and leave you happier than a pig in poo once you’ve nailed the A-line.
There are plenty of facilities around Lysterfield with multiple car parks to choose from. For those looking to enjoy a relaxing ride and sightseeing, the Mahogany Carpark is your best option, with toilets, drinking water and BBQ facilities nearby. If your main goal is to push yourself on the black diamond trails, we’d recommend the Hallam North Carpark, complete with drinking water facilities and bathrooms.
Red Hill, AKA Arthur’s Seat | Yes, there is a gondola!
Providing perhaps some of the most diverse terrain only a touch over an hour from Melbourne are the Red Hill Trails, also known as Arthur’s Seat. Located inland of the picturesque Mornington Peninsula lies this unique set of trails, which have played host to Enduro National Champs on more than one occasion.
Arthur’s Seat State Park offers over 20 km of diverse singletrack. With more than 320m of elevation across the three sections of this trail network, it will take more than a one-day visit to experience all that is on offer here. The world is your oyster when it comes to how to tackle this beast, from pedalling the various loops on offer, to shuttling your favourite trails and even jumping on the Arthur’s Seat Eagle — a bike-friendly gondola that provides access to a few select trails.
It’s a dynamic and changing trail network covering off several riding expereinces. Pins & Needles (Track 8) is a fantastic black diamond trail that offers ‘the lot’ — fast flowy sections, challenging drops, and off-camber elements as you traverse through skate pine forest and tacky sand. If you’ve had enough pedalling and want to take advantage of a gondola ride, then Charlotte’s Pass (Track 13) is another high-speed descent that provides granite boulders and rock roll-overs to test your skills. For a more relaxed trail experience, take the Loop Trail (Track 12), a rolling ribbon of dirt with gentle climbs to get the legs spinning. For beginners, we’d suggest checking out Wombat and High Roller descents before levelling up to Fall Line, Crusher or the newly built trail Gunn Barrel trails.
There are three main access points to the Red Hill Trails: Seawinds Mountain Bike Carpark offers a trailhead inside the main gate and toilets but no drinking water. The Arthur’s Seat Road Carpark gives the best access to the area’s eastern trails; however, there are no toilets or drinking water available. The Boundary Road Carpark has the most facilities with toilets, drinking water and also a bike maintenance station.
Woodend | Moss, ferns and singletrack, accessible by train
Situated amongst the stunning native bushland of the Wombat State Forest lies the Woodend Trails (also referred to as Wombat), these trails are more suited to the XC whippet and provide a great loop to better your fitness. Wombat is located between iconic foodie hubs Daylesford and Woodend, around 80 minutes from Melbourne. Fortunately, if you don’t have a car these trails can also be accessed by train — simply catch the V-Line to Woodend and pedal your way to the start of the trails.
Dry and dusty in the summer and moist and muddy during the winter, the change of seasons brings a new challenge to the trails in Woodend. As you traverse along the singletrack keep an eye out for the furry locals in the area — wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas & wombats all frequent the trails. Just make sure you don’t ride into one of their burrows for an OTB!
The Wombat trails provide two main loops to enjoy — at 6km, Loop 1 is the smaller of the pair and better suited to beginners and families. The longer 11km loop requires a moderate level of fitness and sees more technical elements sprinkled throughout.
Park at the Wombat MTB Carpark, but be prepared to be self-sufficient, as there’s not much more than a dirt parking lot and a trail map here. Once you get out into the network, everything is well signposted, so getting lost out here is hard to do! After you’ve worked hard carving up the singletrack, be sure to head into Woodend, which has a couple of superb country pubs & bakeries.
Plenty Gorge | Undulating, punchy and old-school
As the name suggests, the Plenty Gorge trails are predominantly built into a gorge that traverses along the Plenty River, providing a cluster of tight and steep trails. Located a little less than 30km from Flinders Station, The Gorge, as the locals like to call it, offers its own unique style of rugged and raw mountain bike trails not far from the city.
It’s worth noting that this area is easy to get confused and disoriented in, so we definitely suggest riding with someone who knows the area to avoid an unnecessary hike back up a dead-end trail, as some are still not yet sanctioned.
Plenty Gorge is home to some of the region’s most iconic trails, with a distinguishable old-school vibe. There aren’t many sustained climbs, the tread-width is narrow and being built into a gorge some exposure is built into the price of entry. If you know where to look, there are some eye-wateringly large gap jumps to test even the most competent of riders — at the very least, it’s a great pit stop to watch some talented riders on your journey.
The best trail access is located on the corner of Goldsworthy Lane however there are no facilities here. Another option is the Yellow Gum Carpark, which provides toilets, BBQs and Picnic Shelters. If it’s a hot day, checking out the Blue Lake is an excellent option for a post-ride swim.
Candlebark Mountain Bike Park | Mobbin with the kangaroos
Westerfolds Park is home to the Candlebark Mountain Bike Park and a well-placed spot to get your singletrack fix. Named after the picturesque candlebark trees which surround the area, these trails traverse along the Yarra River and provide a tranquil escape from the concrete jungle.
Westerfolds Park is located about 30 minutes out of Melbourne, making it one of the closest trail networks to enjoy a lengthy offroad loop. This area is truly a gem given its proximity to the CBD, and riding these trails first thing in the morning is met with eerily quiet trails and an abundance of wildlife to peruse — what a fantastic way to begin your morning before heading into work!
The tracks of Candlebark are predominantly blue, meandering through the native bush. Do keep an eye out for some tight sections and trail washouts along the way, as well as kangaroos, who are great at jumping out of nowhere to give you a fright.
All the trails within Candlebark are in close proximity and it is easy to tie them in together and curate a larger loop, however be warned there are some unsanctioned trails in this park.
There are numerous parking options across Westerfolds Park, found off Fitzsimons Lane. Most of the parking spots here have toilets, and some even have barbeque facilities too. Drinking water is hard to find, so make sure you pack plenty of your own.
Quarry Park Mountain Bike Trails | A pocket park in the big smoke
This one is exceptionally close to Melbourne’s CBD and provides a great outlet for skills testing and just having fun on your bike. When you’re super tight on time, but you’re still desperate to rip some berms and send some tabletops, set sail for Quarry Park in Footscray.
A compact pocket park, it provides a trio of short descending trails catered to a variety of skill levels. Coupled with a cracking view of the city, this is the spot to get the whole family out on the bike. The three descending trails consist of one easy green trail, one slightly more technical intermediate descent and a blue jumps trail. All of the descending trails are serviced by an easy climbing trail making it effortless to smash out lap, after lap, after lap.
In addition to the trio of descending trails, there is also a beginner and intermediate pump track to dial in your cornering. The beginner track is dirt and aimed more at young shredders, whilst the intermediate is bigger with an asphalt surface, so you can really get some pace and race your mates around this one.
The best parking for this is off Farnsworth Avenue at the base of the pump tracks where there is also toilet facilities and drinking water.
The Hill, Geelong | The pocket park in the other CBD
The Hill Mountain Bike Park is another fantastic skills testing location that is bang on an hour out of The City. If you live in Geelong, it’s an amazing asset to have right in the CBD. This park is situated on around four acres of land and provides three XC trails to enjoy as well as a couple of pump tracks and a jumps line to perfect those whips or scrubs.
Suitable for all skill levels and ages, this is a great outlet to take the family, set up for the day, and let the kids explore all that’s on offer. With over 3 km of trails over the park, there is plenty to do for the more experienced rider, who doesn’t love hitting a flowy line of tabletop jumps?
Situated a mere 4 km from Geelong’s main drag, this location is accessible by car or train if you’re looking for a day trip during the school holidays. There are limited facilities here but plenty of parking, there are options aplenty across Geelong once you’ve worked up an appetite from pushing hard on the pump track or skills park.