Intrepid walkers walk it, cyclists and horse riders ride it. Steam train buffs opt for total immersion on board, while kids prefer Thomas the Tank Engine, and revellers, the rollicking Blues Train.
We’re talking about the increasingly popular 16.5 kilometre Bellarine Rail Trail on the Bellarine Peninsula.
If you’re cycling, start at Drysdale it’s downhill all the way with a couple of diversions that take you alongside Lakers Siding, Swan Bay and wetlands at Murray Road.
The rail trail meanders along a rural landscape filled with fields of commercially grown flowers and hay bales or canola, depending upon the season. Cattle and sheep lazily graze, there’s the odd bit of graffiti on train detritus and, if you’re timing’s right, you’ll see the steam train!
It’s an excellent combination of rural, railside and seaside with rewards at either end!
For more information on the Heritage Steam Train, Blues Train or Thomas the Tank Engine which starts at Queencliff and goes to Drysdale, take a look here.
And, if you’re after a longer ride the trail goes from Queenscliff to Drysdale and onto Leopold and South Geelong – a total of 32 kilometres.
