The Wardy Trail

 Graham and Tess

Findlay doing his 'grumpy Winston Churchill' as Graham called it. 

 The Seville Carriage Cafe

The dismantled rail trail. 

The bike was definitely a worthy investment.

Saturday, March 5^th.

Graham and Tess had invited me yesterday to go cycling with them along the Lilydale to Warbuton Trail. This is a 40 km railway trail through the Yarra Valley. The valley is home to much of Melbourne's vineyards. The Yarra River runs out of the Yarra Range of mountains and right through the heart of Melbourne. So I happily accepted and this morning I texted them a note saying I was on my way. I had checked on Google maps and found the small town and street where they wanted to meet. When I got all packed up and into my CVR I typed the town into the GPS but it would not recognize the town, so I typed Lilydale(the nearest larger town and head of the trail) figuring I'd sort it out when I got there. You guessed it, I got stuck in a bit of traffic, missed an exit and had to double back, and couldn't find them or the town of Mt Evelyn. They phoned me (oh the wonders of cellphones) and I pulled over. Tess tried to give me directions but I was hopelessly lost and couldn't get my GPS to help me. So I told them to start without me, as I could hear their two kids getting antsy, and said I'd catch up. Then I drove back to Lilydale and stumbled across the secondary highway that she named, the C401 that went to Mount Elevln. I took that, found the parking lot and the trail and mounted up. I caught up to them quickly as they were just ambling along.

We rode together for about eight kilometres until we found the Carriage Cafe which is an old train car decked out as a cafe. We had a drink and I had a fruzli, which was fruit and musseli, really nice. Then we set out again. Most of the trail is well away from traffic and the roads. The pace was very relaxed and we enjoyed the beautiful weather and the scenery as we were pedaling along. There were other cyclists and hikers on the trail but not too many.

About thirty kilometres in we found a small park and playground where Tess opted to hang out with the two boys so they could have some fun and Graham and I continued to the end of the trail at Warburton. When we got there we discovered a pub and stopped for a pint of Fat Yak. Then we cycled back to pick up the family and continue back. The last six kilometres was a slow steady grade uphill, that was easy to cycling down, but a little tougher to get back up. When Graham and Tess arrived they discovered (by phone) that their friend they were to pick up at the airport (miles away) had already arrived! So they packed up and left quickly. I decided to continue on to Lilydale (another 6 kilometres) and return.

Then I packed the very dusty bike into the car and decided to drive to Warburton to see the town. I punched it into the GPS and set off. It took me to the town which is a very small pretty village and then out the other side and up a long winding road into the Yarra Range National Park. It stopped right where the road turned to gravel with a warning that it was not suitable for some vehicles. But right there was a small shed of toilets! I think my GPS has a mind of its own and is even more adventurous than me. The sun had gone down and it was getting dark, but the toilet was appreciated and when I left it I discovered why it was there in the middle of nowhere. I found a short trail on a metal path that took you straight off the road into the canopy of the rainforest, about 20 metres above the forest floor. It was beautiful and quiet with just the sounds of nature. Off the path there were stairs that took you down to a two kilometre trail through the rainforest. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that as it would be totally dark by the time I returned, if I could find my way out! I'll have to come back here sometime.

So reluctantly, I got back in the car, punched the 'home' button and followed the GPS back to Chelsea. Drove 217 km and rode 80. I arrived home at 9:30. Relaxed for a bit and headed to bed. Great day.