Day Five - Narbethong to Warburton

After yesterday’s eventful day, I treated myself to a lie in and late start. The sun was peaking through the clouds and the route had all the making’s of a perfect day.

Warburton was where I picked up the Rail Trail – a 40km repurposed rail line running from Warburton all the way to Lilydale. Giddy with the joy of no severe incline, I got my things together and stopped promptly 20m from the start for a coffee in the sunshine. The rest of the day followed suit.

The recipe for a perfect day:

1. A purpose-built, undulating off road trail through the countryside. With the hard day’s hill behind me, the thought of a flat(ish) ride felt satisfying. The rail trail was a fabulous addition to the Yarra Valley. Weaving through the forest, alongside roads and elevated on banks, the trail had lots of variation. The sun cast a delightful glow on the changing colour of the trees and friendly cyclists waved as I greeted them. Every so often I would pass an old railway platform, an embankment of raised dirt, complete with large wooden sign indicating the name of the old village. The rail line was originally used to transport raspberries before switch to timber. There were thoughtful benches, toilets and water fountains to use which felt very comforting after several days of isolated travel. It was peaceful and beautiful moving from forest to open grassland. It reminded me of the rolling hills in the UK on a warm summer’s day.
   

2. Surprise llamas, goats and chickens. Moving back towards suburbia and away from the hills of the national park came different points of interest. Rather than trees and birds, I got to see llamas chewing slowly in their field, a pack of alpacas preened with poodle-like hair cuts, goats fighting each other and some very very fluffy chickens. As I came upon each of these highlights, my heart lifted. Each unexpected, I made time to stop and hang out with all of them.
   

3. Enjoyable lunch in the sun with no tight timelines. I was going at a very casual pace, stopping often to pet the goats and the animals along the way. A shorter ride gave me more time to appreciate the beautiful trail and less time thinking about my burning thighs/lungs/heart. The sun was out and I chose to stop on a quiet section of trail overlooking several fields. I listened to Kookaburras and basked in the sunshine. A slow and mindful lunch. It was serene. 

I arrived in Lilydale and cycled around the lake before snuggling up in my airB&B with a large sized lasagna (probably for 2 people but what the heck). It was the perfect day to follow the very intense day prior! It reminded me that you can go for an enjoyable cycle without the competition or goal to climb a big hill. I was grateful that the Warburton to Lilydale rail trail was well maintained and interesting – not just a long straight gravel track!

43.8km | 335m | 3h