midtoad’s mess.ages
excellence in creative mediocrity

Afternoon rays on Port Phillip Bay at Frankston, Victoria, Australia, during a ride around the bay.

While working in Melbourne, Australia, recently, I decided to ride ‘around the bay in a day’. I was inspired by the event of that name, which runs every year in October, organized by Bike Victoria. Thousands of cyclists attempt to ride the 210 km around Port Phillip Bay, from Melbourne 70 km SW to Geelong, then 40 km E to Queenscliff, across the 12 km of water on a ferry, then 90 km N back to Melbourne.

Since I was there in winter, the days were short, with sun-up at 8:00 and sun-down at 17:00. So I scaled the trip to something more achievable by taking a train from Melbourne to Geelong ($14, one hour). Heading east out of Geelong on the highway to Portarlington, I skirted the salt works of Corio Bay. Then I jogged south and headed east on the 40 km Bellarine Rail Trail, 40 km to Queenscliff. Lucky I had a spare tube, tools and a pump with me, because I got a flat way out in the middle of nowhere!

The delay due to repairing my bike meant I missed the noon ferry, so I stopped for a welcome lunch in a bakery café, then caught the 13:00 sailing.

After a 40-minute ferry ride (ferries cost $10 and leave every hour), I landed in Sorrento and continued up the east side of the bay, 90 km to Melbourne. There were many stretches with beach pathways, but I had to stick to the coastal road due to the short day. Generally there were good paved shoulders along the way, or even defined cycle lanes, except on the hilly stretch along the Mornington Peninsula.

Close to Sorrento, I came across the site of the Collins settlement, first place in the area to be settled by Europeans, in 1803. And further up the coast, I stopped briefly at the McCrea homestead, dating back to 1845, when the family had in their possession some 20,000 hectares! The Mornington Peninsula had potentially good views, but the narrow, winding road and speeding drivers made this a stressful section to ride. Strangely, there were precious few lookouts; the best views were reserved for owners of expensive mansions perched on the hillsides above the road.

Further north, riding on the 4-lane Nepean Highway was less than scenic, but could be avoided either by riding on the residential street on the east side of the railway paralleling the highway, or by riding on coastal streets and paths from Frankston northwards.

After sunset, a light drizzle started, and I limped into the St. Kilda neighbourhood for dinner at 18:30. Total trip: 130 km in 7 hours of riding on a rented bike!

Plenty more pictures of the ride here.