Supercharge your Sunday ride with this curated cycling route through Melbourne

The Merri Creek Trail has long lured riders with its 21-kilometre stretch tracing a rehabilitated waterway through Melbourne’s north. Offering an urban sanctuary in the heart of the city’s northern suburbs, this breezy ride is well worth carving out time for.

For a shorter outing, start at Coburg Lake Reserve and pedal along the well-maintained path through scenic parklands and community gardens. Cruise through Brunswick East and continue down towards Fitzroy North. Hot tip: the route is just as enjoyable in reverse.

The trail is cruisy and clearly signposted, but for extra confidence you can connect Bosch's eBike Flow app with your Strava or Komoot account to follow a pre-planned route and keep your ride on track. 

This leafy stretch delivers more than just greenery — you’ll find some of the northside’s favourite eateries along the way. Pull over at Madera in Brunswick East, where signs along the trail point you toward coffee. Tucked behind a roller door in a converted garage just off Merri Creek, it’s an easy roll-up stop for riders.

Continue on to Fitzroy North and reward yourself at Neighbourhood Wine, a local institution perfect for a celebratory tipple or a hearty Sunday roast.

Rest assured, if you do want to park the bike and take a table, you have a number of safety features on hand. Through the Bosch eBike Flow App, you can lock your bike via the eBike Lock feature, which treats your phone as a digital key. For added security, Battery Lock disables motor support if the eBike is moved, while a two-stage alarm activates when your locked eBike detects movement.

With your phone connected to the Flow app, you can secure it using the eBike’s SmartphoneGrip and transform it into a ride dashboard. Personalise the display to show only the stats you care about (from speed to distance) so you can spend less time glancing down and more time soaking up the creek views, bird calls and local wildlife.

While you’re immersed in nature, make time for a wander through CERES Community Environment Park. This Brunswick haven is home to a nursery, bookstore, grocer and market, along with a year-round calendar of events spanning flower festivals, harvest hoedowns and spiritual ecology workshops.

Whether it’s your starting point or your final stop, Coburg Lake Reserve is the perfect place to roll out a picnic blanket and take a beat. This rolling reserve is an oasis of calm and made for lazy afternoons.

Rest assured that you can leave your bike up safely using your smartphone as the passkey to lock it up. Bikes with a Bosch system also have an in-built theft alarm, so while you relax, you can have peace of mind. While you're kicking back, dive into your ride stats on the Flow app, which tracks everything from speed and distance to elevation. You can even sync your data with Apple Health to keep all your wellness insights in one place.

Make sure to stop and smell the roses for a second when you get to Dights Falls. Locals like to wheel their bikes to the lower viewing platforms for some supreme views in a quiet spot.