From the vineyards of McLaren Vale to the picturesque Onkaparinga River Track and the stunning scenery of the coastal path to Moana Beach, this bike ride has everything!
McLaren Vale to the Onkaparinga River – 12 Kms
Starting from our camp at the McLaren Vale Lakeside Caravan Park, we headed north-west along the Coast to Vines Rail Trail.
After twelve kilometres, we arrived at the bridge across the Onkaparinga River.
However, instead of crossing the bridge, we took a dirt track on the western side of the river. It was quite an effort to get all of our bikes through the stile which marked the entrance to the Onkaparinga River Trail.
Onkaparinga River Trail – 7 Kms
For the first few kilometres, the gravel track ran close to the river and was mostly flat.
A sudden change in elevation took us by surprise and forced most of us to push our bikes for a short while.
Once over the hill, we could see the new railway viaduct across the floodplains.
We continued along the Onkaparinga River trail for two more kilometres until we came to another stile, which signalled we were about to leave the national park.
Turning right, we rolled down Commercial Road and over the bridge to Becks Bakehouse, our coffee break in Port Noarlunga. There were some interestingly-shaped bicycle racks in the park opposite.
Port Noarlunga to Moana Beach – 6 Km
Refreshed after our coffee break and with the day getting warmer, it was time to head south along the coastal trail.
As we approached the the river mouth, we had to climb steadily to the cliffs which overlook the estuary.
After taking a few photos, we enjoyed an easy ride along the cliff top for the next four kilometres.
When we arrived at Moana Beach, dragonboat and rowing races were underway.
After watching for a while, we rolled down to the main part of the beach. There was a carnival atmosphere, with lots of coloured pavillions.
Moana Beach to McLaren Vale – 11 Km
Although it was pleasant to watch the festivities, the day was getting very warm and it was time to push on.
From Moana Beach we climbed steadily on a suburban bike path to re-join the Coast to Vines Rail Trail. The weather was above 30 degrees now, but the smooth bitumen of the bike path made an easy ride back to our start point.
Some us jumped in the pool to cool down when we got back to McLaren Vale.
Thank you to Desmond Brown for leading this wonderful ride.
While you are in McLaren Vale, don’t forget to ride the short and easy Shiraz Trail.
To read about other group rides we have done recently, see the Riesling Trail in the Clare Valley or the Belair Lynton Bike Path.
Here is the gpx of our Onkaparinga River and Moana Beach ride:
Top photo by Desmond Brown
