This year I had the opportunity to ride the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail in two seasons – in August at the end of winter and in November at the end of spring. The Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail is part of the Southern Flinders Rail Trail.
Winter on the Rail Trail
In August, we started from the Wilmington end of the rail trail. What I love about riding the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail in this direction is the views of Mount Remarkable.
Why is Mount Remarkable remarkable? Perhaps this is best explained by Edward Eyre, the European explorer who named it in 1840. “From the lofty way it towered above the surrounding hills, I named it Mount Remarkable.”
The Horrocks Highway crosses the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail at the midpoint, dividing it into two roughly equal sections. The Wilmington side of the rail trail is characterised by softly packed pink gravel, while the surface on the Melrose side is harder-packed grey gravel.
Wilmington to the Horrocks Highway (13 km)
The Melrose Wilmington Rail trail heads out from near Wilmington at Peppermint Box Road.
It wasn’t long before we came to Stony Creek. Only the buttresses remain from the railway bridge, so you need to cross the creek bed itself.
In one week, Rhonda and I would be leaving for our Bike and Barge cycling trip in Germany. Not wanting any last minute injuries, I cautiously walked my bike over the rocks. Kathie and Rhonda followed.
As we continued on, we passed a canola field.
There are many short bridges on the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail.
When we came to the Spring Creek crossing, a group of e-Bike riders came through.
As they were also staying at our accommodation in Melrose, Under the Mount, we already knew them. We yelled out greetings as they passed.
Once we left Spring Creek, the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail was heading straight towards the peak of Mount Remarkable.
Then the track turned a little more to the east and Mount Remarkable fell out of sight.
Horrocks Highway to Melrose (10 km)
We crossed the Horrocks Highway and found a comfortable log to sit on while we ate our lunch.
Once we got moving again, we saw wattle in bloom alongside the track.
A little further on, we came to the turn-off into Willowie Forest.
There are three mountain bike trails in the Willowie Forest. The next day we tried and enjoyed the Possum Loop (rated easy). But for now, we continued on towards Melrose. Soon we were right under Mount Remarkable.
The Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail came to an end two kilometres out from Melrose.
From there, the Showground Trail takes you across the Melrose Showgrounds and into Melrose.
Melrose is a charming town nestled just under where Mount Remarkable juts out of the surrounding plains.
Spring on the Rail Trail
In spring, Rhonda, Di, Derek and I were camping at Stony Creek Bush Camp near Wilmington. Everything had dried out a lot in the last three months.
This time we rode the Mawson Trail to get to Melrose. After a delicious lunch break at Over the Edge,
we began our return to Wilmington on the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail.
As you can see from the photos, the colour scheme of the whole countryside had changed from green to yellow.
We saw emus in a harvested field in the Melrose section of the trail.
After we crossed the Horrocks Highway, a head wind sprang up. Mount Remarkable began to fade away as we rode on towards Wilmington.
The wheat fields had either just been harvested or were ready for harvest.
Although the weather was cool, there were flies everywhere. We were all wearing fly nets.
Rest stop at Spring Creek
We were starting to get very warm. When we arrived at Spring Creek, we stopped in the shade for a while to have a snack and take a break from the head wind.
Continuing on, we detoured a few metres from the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail to investigate this chimney.
We thought it was interesting the way the top half of the chimney stood diagonally on its base.
When we resumed our ride, it was not long until we reached Stony Creek. This time, with Di leading the way, and following Rhonda, I managed to cross the rocky creek bed without getting off my bike! A small victory for an Uncool rider.
When you arrive in Wilmington, Rusti Kate’s Feed Lot has excellent vegetarian pasties.
Summary of the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail
The complete ride from Melrose to Wilmington is 23 kilometres, of which 20 km is the actual rail trail.
Map of our ride from Melrose to Wilmington on the Melrose Wilmington Rail Trail
As this elevation chart shows, there is a slight decline in the first ten kilometres of the ride, followed by a slight climb to Wilmington.
Here is a 30-second video of Rhonda and Di on the trail in November.
Other completed sections of the Southern Flinders Rail Trail are the Laura Stone Hut Rail Trail and the Rocky River Rail Trail.
Another great ride from Melrose is the Melrose Silo Loop Trail.
I don’t know how it is in Australia, but here in Germany I have mixed feelings about these rail trails. On the one hand, they’re great for us cyclists, but for society as a whole it would often make more sense to install new tracks and resume rail service, so as to provide an alternative to the use of private cars.
Hi Don. This country line has been closed for over three decades and was predominantly used for the transport of farm produce. Unfortunately with the distances we have to cover in Australia, it seems unlikely that these country lines will ever be viable in the foreseeable future. In that context, I think it is good to at least use the corridor for recreational transport.
Hi girls. Great vlog and report. As one of the ebike riders who went past great to read your post. We were making a video at the time which is on YouTube if you wanted to watch it. Hope to catch you on the trail in the future.
Wow! Thanks for letting us know. Loved your video 😎