August 30 - River Trails
Tonight was a planned longer run, I guess as distinct from a long run, as I was looking at about 12kms.With the weather being absolutely superb for Melbourne at this time of year, 21 degrees at 5pm, I decided that the trails by the Yarra were the place to run.
I set off down Heidelberg Road and south along Chandler Highway to Yarra Boulevard, where I descended the flights of stairs to the lower of the dirt tracks. From here it is very undulating, with a bit of rock and shale about, so you need to be a bit mindful not to roll an ankle. It was very pleasant with a few cyclists and dog walkers along the way. I continued past the new Flying Fox sanctuary, where there were hundreds of them in the trees and through Bellbird Park. Quite a few noisy rosellas keeping me company here.
When I reached the little group of houses on the south side of the Yarra, I ascended a number of dirt steps to road level, and then followed River Retreat Road back down to river level. This was a part of the trail I hadn't run before, and I'll definitely be doing it again. There were 3 or 4 sections where I had to slow to a walk to get across rocky outcrops or steep drops, and as I came into the flatter section approaching Studley Park Boathouse, there were a couple of dozen Black Cockatoos egging me on!
Then it was up the steep track to Yarra Boulevard, and Studley Park Drive, before heading down to a trail that runs along the Yarra again on the opposite side of the river to Collingwood Children's Farm. Again this is a very secluded track, away from traffic and I only saw one other runner along this section. This levelled out to a large playground and footbridge that crosses the Yarra at Gipps Street in Collingwood.
Finally it was along Gipps, Langridge, Hoddle and Victoria Street to home.
I didn't time my run, but it was approximately 70 minutes for the 12kms, which was pretty good considering the terrain and the hills.
posted by Chris @ 9:01 am
Comments: 1
