Thanks for the review of this rail trail Paul. My wife and I are keen city commuter cyclists but are mountain biking novices who have never been to Melrose. Based on your article, we decided this was the perfect way to introduce ourselves to the mountain biking capital of Australia and rode the trail over Easter weekend. Everything you said was 100% accurate. We hired a couple of 29” hardtails from “Over the edge Sports” in the main street of Melrose and got fantastic service from Dave & Rich. The fact that they serve coffee & cake and offer lounge chairs mean that people hang-out and talk, giving the place a nice vibe. When we got back from the ride we enjoyed a cold beer at the great spot they’ve got out the front of the shop. The trail itself was an excellent introduction to mountain biking - not too difficult but enough challenges to make it interesting. We saw plenty of kangaroos up close but only encountered one other person using the track, a local from Willmington out on a casual afternoon ride. Although the track itself was well marked and easy to follow, the fact that it starts and finishes out of the main streets of both towns makes access and egress a little difficult. A bit more wayfinding signage would help there. Another heads-up for novices is that you need to expect punctures. We got one and had to do repairs, and locals tell us that this is the norm due to the quantity of thorns on the track. Don’t go out unless you are carrying a good puncture repair kit and know how to use it in the field. We got so inspired that we decided to go back to the bike shop again the next day for the same hire bikes so we could step up and do the REAL mountain bike trails on Mt Remarkable. After all, you couldn’t leave charming Melrose without experiencing the stuff that it’s famous for!

Pleased to hear you enjoyed the trail. Good tip re puncture repair kit. An alternative is to run tubeless tyres with goo but you still need a backup plan. I will be riding up there again in a couple of weeks, a magic place.