Maribyrnong River Trail ride
A little local adventure, not quite to plan, but with lots of good bits.
The original plan was to ride my bike along the Maribyrnong River Trail in the upstream direction from Footscray Park to Brimbank Park and explore the trails there. I took my first wrong turn just after crossing the river at the pedestrian-suspension bridge at Essendon.
That took me off the trail into Afton Street Conservation Reserve, a minor error but onto more gravel than I was comfortable with. My pushy is a road bike and I feel shaky on gravel or sand of depth or excessive camber.
It was fine though, and I was soon back on the right path. There is a spot on the trail up high at Lily Reserve that gives an excellent view of the abandoned, contaminated Defence base at the bend in the river at Maribyrnong. Here I decided on this ride I would commit to stopping and taking pictures along the way.
There are several old brick and asbestos buildings in groups, protected by grassy embankments, all surrounded by a big fence. Some big pipes running through the site too. I'm going to go back to Lily Reserve with a zoom lens for sure.
The section of the trail after Lily Reserve was again a bit confusing, so I was off and on my bike checking the map. The trail alternates between concrete and a good crunchy gravel. Some switchbacks downhill left me hoping I wouldn't have too much climbing to do on the way back (I didn't).
Further around the river I again inadvertently left the trail and reached Tea Gardens Reserve, a shady area with picnic tables near a creek crossing (this is where I took the photo for this post). Thirsty weather and sadly no water fountain, but I wouldn't have to wait long until the next one.
In the river at Tea Gardens, close to the shore, was a line of rotted fence posts, or maybe they were once part of a small wharf. This—lines of old posts—is a motif I have used repeatedly in my watercolour paintings, something that has come out of my idle brushstrokes.
I was so delighted, I hopped off my bike again and photographed the posts from different angles. I have signed up for a watercolour class starting in a couple of weeks and I need an idea to work on. I think I just found it.
At this point I realised I would run out of time if I tried to press on to Brimbank Park. I continued a bit further though, past a rotunda where some people were hanging out and fishing, until I reached Solomon's Ford which is a rocky crossing between Avondale Heights and Sunshine North.
The whole way it felt as though I was exploring new places, but in reality I had not travelled far from home at all. If I was to ride home from Solomon's Ford, on the roads instead of around the river, it would take me maybe a quarter of the time. It's a meandering river and being amongst the quiet of the water and the river red gums felt a lot like being somewhere else.
Anyway, I really did need to turn back. I stopped noticing the gravel so much, even the ungraded sections weren't too bad. I just rode. It didn't take long and I discovered the right ways where I had wrong-turned before.
I noticed a couple more things, like a mystery square: four star pickets in a square, surrounded by a square of wire fencing. Later, a fence that had been hand-assembled from fallen branches, complete with seed pods, in a neat and regular pattern. Other odd bits and pieces. I'm definitely coming back.
