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On Your Bike!
On Your Bike!
May 2025 in Events & Local Area
Great bike rides in and around Donnybrook and Melbourne’s North.
Sunny days and cooler temperatures make for perfect cycling weather.
And when it comes to bike rides, Peppercorn Hill residents are spoilt for choice, with nearly 25kms of bike and walking trails around the estate. Added to this, Melbourne’s north is also home to some truly magnificent riding tracks and trails, including mountain bike trails and shared pathways.
Spread throughout the area, these offer you anything from a leisurely pedal to a challenging circuit, every one of them offering up picture-perfect vistas.
Here are several of our favourites catering to every level of skill and experience for you to choose from.
Bike Paths, Roads.
If you’re feeling energetic, take the 30 kilometre Darebin Creek Trail starting from Epping and following the creek to Kew where it meets the Yarra River, taking in scenic views of the creek and surrounding areas along the way. Or check out the Yarra River (Main Yarra Trail) Trail. Running nearly 40 kilometres, it offers a longer ride with stunning scenery, and ample opportunities to explore along both sides of the river.
Cloer to home, the 6.8 kilometre out-and-back South Morang Rail Trail offers a quieter, more natural ride with some unpaved segments. Running alongside the train-line between South Morang and Epping Stations the route connects South Morang - Mernda Trail and Hendersons Creek Trail.
North east of Peppercorn Hill, the Kinglake Short Circuit is another popular cycling route. Setting out from Whittlesea, take the road to Arthurs Creek, and on to St Andrews for some lunch, before attacking the hill climb to Kinglake and some spectacular views. From here it’s downhill all the way back to Whittlesea.
Mountain biking.
Serious mountain bikers looking for a challenging bike trail, should head to Shepherds Track in the Bowden Spur Mountain Bike Area at Kinglake National Park. Not for the faint-hearted, Shepherds Track will challenge and delight the most seasoned mountain bike riders. With dirt jumps, rock gardens, flowing earth berms and off-camber riding, there's excitement at every twist and turn.
The trail navigates some very challenging terrain, steep gradients and frequent obstacles, earning it the extremely difficult rating of Double Black Diamond. It’s best tackled by experienced mountain bike riders and is suitable for Downhill/Enduro bikes only. Trail bikes are not permitted.
For a more moderately challenging route, the 31.5 kilometre out-and-back Mushroom Farm Trail is great for hiking, mountain biking, and running, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Running between Whittlesea and South Morang, the trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. As at least 50% of the trail is on gravel, Mountain Bikes or Gravel bikes are the best options. However, a road bike that can fit some wider tyres, like 28C or 32C, and could run lower tyre pressure could easily do this.
Other options include Quarry Hills with a variety of natural trails, the Edgars Creek Trail which connects Thomastown to Wollert and a great network of mountain biking trails at Humevale.
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