Maribyrnong River Trail

Maribyrnong River Trail
View of city skyline and the Maribyrnong River Trail in Footscray
Length	25km Brimbank Park to Footscray Road
Location	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Cycling details
Trail difficulty	Mostly easy
Hazards	Some steep descents
Surface	Gravel and bitumen path
Hills	Mostly Flat, hills around Steele Creek, Essendon West
Water	Brimbank Park, Canning Reserve, Riverside Park, Pipemakers Park
Connecting transport
Train(s)	Ginifer via Western Ring Road Trail, Newmarket via the Newmarket saleyards redevelopment, Footscray

The Maribyrnong River Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Maribyrnong River through the north western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The path, often on both sides of the river, follows the meandering of the Maribyrnong River through a valley cut in the basaltic plateau in Keilor East at Brimbank Park, then across a floodplain to its entry into the Yarra River at Docklands.

Combined with the Taylors Creek Trail this trail makes for an easy ride linking together the Footscray Road off-road path, Docklands and the Melbourne City Centre.

Starting at the north end of Brimbank Park, the gravel trail winds its way through the trees along the valley on the east side of the Maribyrnong River and the western end of the park. It passes under the towering EJ Whitten Bridge. Near the bridge base a steep path loops up to the same level as the bridge platform, where it connects to the Western Ring Road Trail.

The path then proceeds through fantastic riverside parkland alongside suburbs such as North Sunshine and Maidstone before reaching Canning Reserve in Avondale Heights.

At Canning Reserve Tea Gardens at Avondale Heights the trail becomes concrete and remains concrete for the next 6 km to Footscray. On the weekends the smell of barbecues fills the air, with picnickers dotted along the length of the river, children enjoying playgrounds or water games. The path splits into a concrete path that follows a minor creek valley up into Avondale Heights to Monte Carlo Drive Reserve. The main trail, a gravel path, continues along the river.