They say the best way to explore a city is on foot, but you can experience a whole lot more of the sights and sounds with a bike seat beneath your bum. You don’t need to be a lycra-loving, hardcore cyclist to appreciate the joys of riding around Australia, as our country offers beautiful trails for both road racers and casual rider alike. So, grab your helmet and gear up, because the most popular scenic biking routes around Australia have just been revealed.
Crossing the finish line in first place is Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade, which can be found along Victoria’s majestic Great Ocean Road. Keeping your eyes on the track can be a challenge amidst the myriad of scenic distractions, with the 5km trail extending from the Breakwater Rock Pier along the coastline to the famous whale nursery at Logans Beach.
Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade attained a scenic trail score of 77, which was calculated based on key factors, including trail ratings and reviews, total number of Instagram hashtags and amount of photos uploaded on Alltrails. This was the top score out of 200 biking trails across Australia that Evolve Skateboards analysed for the study, filtering out tracks that have a higher level of difficulty, are longer than 50km or unpaved.
The leisurely 3km Mokare Heritage Trail in Western Australia ranked as the second-best biking route for a scenic ride, offering calming vistas of the Denmark River, ample shading under the paperbarks, and glimpses of Denmark's rail and settlement heritage, including a memorable ride over the heritage Railway Bridge.
WA’s Shelley Rossmoyne Foreshore Park claimed the bronze medal, with its 13.2km trail ideal for cyclists looking for a peaceful ride along the Canning River foreshore. Rounding out the top five was the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands Trail in Victoria, along with the Moreton Bay Cycleway: Wynnum to Manly in Queensland and the Outer Harbour Greenway in South Australia in joint fifth place.
Here is the full list of the most scenic biking trails in Australia:
1. Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade, VIC
2. Mokare Trail, WA
3. Shelley Rossmoyne Foreshore Park, WA
4. Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands Trail, VIC
5= Moreton Bay Cycleway: Wynnum to Manly, QLD
5= Outer Harbour Greenway, SA
7. Mon Repos Turtle Trail, QLD
8= Jones Creek Trail, VIC
8= Gosford to Woy Woy via Brisbane Water Cycleway, NSW
10. Coastal Pathway: Coolum Connection, QLD