The ride was very pleasant as it was mostly concrete and quite wide; which was benefical as the path was quite busy until Drysdale. No major hills and steady gradients.

I detoured to Point Lonsdale at the Bellarine Highway (crossed the Highway at the lights) and followed a path down to the beach and through the town and then to the lighthouse before looping back and rejoining the Highway and continuing on the Bellarine Rail Trail. This added about 10km to my trip – but it was well worth it. The beach is beautiful and the shopping strip/cafes are right next to the path. While the roads did not all have a dedicated bike lane, the roads were quiet and quite wide and motorists gave space.

I stopped at Queenscliff for a coffee (before the marina) and sat in Princess Park before heading back to South Geelong.

The gravel parts of the ride were very fun and easily doable on 700c x 35mm tires. I suggest filling up water at every opportunity as taps were a bit sparse. The trail has lots of cubbies, picnic areas and seats to have a rest.

The scenery was mostly consistent, the trail was in great condition and suitable for all bikes (although – tires above 30mm would be ideal for the gravel parts) and abilities.

Given its proximity to Melbourne and ease of access – this is a great trail and worth (re)-visiting.

From Portarlington, I had the option of straight down to Queenscliff (22km on a straight road) or 33km around the coast. I chose the coast but ignored the fine gravel path beside the road that runs most of the route as the road was fairly quiet on a Friday and time was against me. I wouldn't use the ferry if you are taking the kids due to the amount of on-road travel and distance involved but it's not too much of an issue for experienced cyclists.

Queenscliff was lunch time with a curried scallop pie at the pie shop – highly recommended and this is the end of any edible food on the trail until Geelong, so top up the engine there.

Once you leave Queenscliff, the wetlands are a delight to behold and then you head into farmland and native vegetation on a predominantly flat trail. The shops in Drysdale are 2km away from the rail trail and most cafes will be closing up by the time you get there.

The last stage heads into Geelong. With some sort of Big Build going on, the last one or two km are currently on road and are a bit of a cluster after a big day.

Overall, the first section out of Queenscliff is the highlight and I am giving an extra star because of the effort to maintain the corridor. The Ballarat-Skipton and many other trails offer much more, however with fewer chances of having an epic pie.

PS The Geelong end is more urban but with lots of plantings.