Find your next ride.

The Djerring Rail Trail is a fantastic urban cycling route through Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, following the Cranbourne–Pakenham railway corridor and making clever use of the open space created beneath sections of elevated rail. The broader railside route covers around 26km, with the main Caulfield to Dandenong section stretching 19.2km and another 6.9km section between Hallam and Narre Warren. Expect mostly wide, sealed shared paths linking parks, playgrounds, shopping precincts and railway stations, with easy connections to other Melbourne cycling routes including the Rosstown Rail Trail, Outer Circle Trail, EastLink Trail and Dandenong Creek Trail. It’s ideal for commuters, families or anyone looking for a relaxed, mostly traffic-free ride through Melbourne’s suburbs. RTS Tip: With railway stations dotted along the route, Djerring is perfect for a ride-one-way, train-back adventure or for choosing a shorter section that suits your day. The trail around Oakleigh can be a little less intuitive where the railway returns to ground level, so keep your map handy. A new protected cycleway through central Oakleigh also provides a useful connection towards the Scotchmans Creek Trail network.

The Perth – Armadale Principal Shared Path (PSP) is a major 38 km urban cycling route through Perth’s south-eastern suburbs, running from central Perth to Armadale largely alongside the Armadale railway corridor. Around 31 km, or 80%, of the route is high-quality sealed shared path, with the remaining sections using low-traffic suburban streets where gaps in the dedicated path remain. The smooth asphalt surface and relatively gentle terrain make it suitable for road bikes, gravel bikes, hybrids, e-bikes, commuters and recreational cyclists. Starting near Yagan Square in the Perth CBD, the route heads east via the Roe Street cycleway before passing McIver and Claisebrook stations, crossing the Graham Farmer Freeway and continuing past the historic East Perth Power Station. Riders then cross the Swan River on Windan Bridge, providing easy access to the Burswood Peninsula and connections towards Optus Stadium, Belmont Park and the wider Swan River cycling network. From Burswood, the route follows the railway corridor south-east through suburbs including Victoria Park, Carlisle, Welshpool, Cannington, Beckenham, Kenwick, Maddington, Gosnells and Kelmscott before reaching Armadale. Much of the journey is separated from motor traffic, making the PSP an important commuter route as well as a useful long-distance recreational ride. Railway stations positioned regularly along the corridor also make it easy to shorten the ride or combine cycling with public transport. The path forms part of Western Australia’s wider Principal Shared Path network, which is designed to provide direct, high-quality walking and cycling routes alongside major railway and freeway corridors. Work has progressively filled missing sections of the Armadale corridor, although a remaining gap around Rutland Avenue between Bishopsgate Street and Great Eastern Highway is still being completed. For riders wanting to go further, Armadale provides connections into Perth’s wider southern cycling network, while the Perth end opens onto the extensive Swan and Canning River shared-path system. The corridor is particularly useful for riders looking for a longer, mostly traffic-separated ride without leaving metropolitan Perth. RTS Tip: The full Perth to Armadale ride is around 38 km one way, so one of the easiest ways to experience it is to ride in one direction and use public transport for part of the return journey when services permit bikes. Be aware that the PSP is not yet completely continuous, so expect several quiet-street connections and pay attention to directional signage through the gaps. It’s also a busy commuter and shared-use route, so keep left, signal before passing and watch for walkers and other riders, particularly around stations and inner-city sections.

The Rosstown Rail Trail follows the historic route of the former Rosstown Railway through Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, linking Elsternwick with the Oakleigh/Hughesdale area. The heritage route is around 8.5km long, while Glen Eira City Council identifies approximately 7.4km as the improved cycling trail between Elsternwick and Hughesdale. Rather than being one continuous off-road path, the route uses a combination of linear parks, shared paths and quiet local streets. The terrain is generally flat and suitable for riders of most abilities, making it a relaxed way to explore this part of Melbourne while following the footprint of a railway that never really fulfilled its intended purpose. The trail passes through suburbs including Elsternwick, Caulfield South, Carnegie and Murrumbeena, with sections travelling through attractive green corridors such as Marara Road Reserve. Recent improvements have included additional signage, bicycle markings, raised crossings and traffic-calming measures to make the route easier and safer to follow. The history behind the trail is particularly interesting. The private Rosstown Railway was the ambitious project of entrepreneur William Murray Ross, who planned to use it to transport sugar beet to his mill and refined sugar towards the Port of Melbourne. The project struggled with funding and construction delays, the mill never went into production, and the railway eventually fell into disrepair without becoming a successful operating line. RTS Tip: Rosstown is more of an urban heritage ride and cycling connector than a traditional continuous rail trail. There are on-road sections and intersections along the way, so keep an eye on the route signage. With Elsternwick Station near one end and the Djerring Trail and wider Melbourne cycling network accessible around the eastern end, it’s also easy to incorporate Rosstown into a much longer urban ride.

The Westside Bikeway Rail Trail is a 9km sealed shared trail through Adelaide’s inner western and south-western suburbs, following much of the former railway corridor between Mile End and Morphettville. The flat, easy-going route passes through landscaped linear reserves, residential areas and pockets of shade, with remnants of the old railway still visible along the way, including the former Plympton railway station platform. The trail connects with the Sturt River Linear Park Trail and Mike Turtur Bikeway, allowing riders to continue through to Glenelg and the coast. Its sealed surface and gentle gradients make it well suited to recreational riders, families, commuters and anyone looking for an easy urban ride close to Adelaide. RTS Tip: Extend your ride onto the Mike Turtur Bikeway for an easy run through to Glenelg and the beach. There are several major road crossings along the Westside Bikeway, so take care through intersections and use the designated pedestrian and cycling crossings.