O'Keefe Rail Trail on a winter day

I recently had the opportunity to ride the O'Keefe Rail Trail a 49km trail that follows the old rail line between Heathcote and Bendigo via Axedale.

See link for full details https://www.bendigotourism.com/images/Cycling/OKeefe%20Rail%20Trail.pdf

I had once owned some land at Heathcote but haven't been back there for about 20 years. Coincidentally I've been wanting to visit Bendigo for several years but have not had opportunity or a good enough reason to travel out there until now.

Some time last year I read about the opening of the O'Keefe Rail Trail on a Cycling blog. The pictures looked interesting and the distance seemed quite manageable. About 50km.

On Wednesday morning I put my bike in the back of my parents car and we all went for a drive to Heathcote, via Seymour. The country was absolutely beautiful, the sky was blue and the fields were a brilliant green. They'd had enough rain to really freshen up the place. Rain and heavy winds were forecast for later in the day but the the morning was magnificent.

 

We arrived in Heathcote fairly late in the morning and I headed off on the trail at 11am. My traveling companions drove on to Bendigo to do a bit of sight seeing, ride the tram and see some local attractions.

Here the track begins... Right in the centre of town. 

I hadn't really thought through the ride, the only reason for starting in Heathcote was so the rest of the family could drive through to Bendigo where there is more to occupy them while they wait for me to ride the trail. 

I didn't count on the fact that in winter the sun doesn't rise high above the horizon, which means that if you're heading in a northerly direction, the sun will always be in your eyes! 

I also hadn't considered the wind direction. It just happened that on the day I was riding most of the state of Victoria was expecting winds of up to 100kph!

At 11am the wind hadn't yet reached it's peak but the temperature was only around 9.C. The combination of cold wind and Sun in my eyes meant that I missed a lot of the view. My nose was dripping.

A very large roo, he aint moving for nobody.

All these negatives aside, the track was smooth and easy to follow, the sky was clear and, beside the odd kangaroo, I had the path all to my self for most of the journey.

There are a few sections, where the path combines with local roads, I needed to refer to google maps to be sure I was still on the right path, but most of the trail was very easy to follow.

Cattle Grid

Between Heathcote and Axedale there are a lot of cattle grids. I rode a flat barred road bike basically because it was the easiest thing to fit into the back of a car. The grids weren't a hindrance but I was worried the continual impact would damage my rims or flatten my tyres. 
Aside from cattle grids the track is smooth and can easily be ridden on most bikes, but if I were to do it again I'd choose a more robust bike with wider tyres.

Replica mile stones mark the length of the trail, distance from Melbourne in miles (not KM)

There was plenty of bird life along the way, of note were three separate White-winged Chough clans and a flock of about 30 Red-rumped Parrots.

 

Acacia baileyana - Cootamundra wattle. (Swaying in the breeze)

A wooded section

Although a lot of the land along the highway is cleared the rail trail passes through areas of state forest which contain reasonable stands of eucalypt and wattles.

Ubiquitous dead trees at lake view rest place

The map shows an interesting section where the trail passes over Lake Eppalock. Unfortunately this section of the lake was quite dry, only a depression in the ground and some distant puddles suggested the existence of a lake.

After crossing 'Lake' Eppalock the path makes its way to Knowsley State Forest, a reasonable stand of eaucalypts and yellow flowering acacia bushes I am not familiar with. It's good to see stands of woodland remaining in these areas, they don't seem to have a lot of species diversity but they must provide a haven for wildlife. Wood harvesting seems to be another function of the area. 

Before arriving in Axedale the path winds past the remains of an old building, I am not entirely sure of the story but the map indicates this as the site of the Quarry Hotel. There's an old stone wall and remains of orchard close to the river.
Looking down from the bridge over the Campaspe River I was surprised to see the water was so clear.
   

Campaspe River looking toward McIvor Highway bridge

Continuing from Axedale there was much greater presence of residential semi rural development. Much of the land was still wooded with native vegetation and a reasonable reserve had been left along the rail line which doubled as bicycle path and wildlife corridor. Nesting boxes had been installed on many of the larger trees. It was pleasant cycling through this section but I wondered how much land is sacrificed for so many people to live on their one or two achre blocks.

Bicycle repair station

Tyre pressure gauge for high pressure foot pump

Along this more heavily populated section of the trail there were more amenities. Although I didn't see a public toilet at any stage along the path they did have a water dispenser and an awesome do it yourself bicycle repair depot.

By the time I arrived on the outskirts of Bendigo the wind had picked up and the trail became less defined. A small hill greets the rider just before finally arriving in the town centre.

Bendigo Hothouse

All up I found this a very pleasant ride, two and a half hours of easy peddling stopping occasionally to take photos and smell the flowers. A fantastic way to arrive in the town of Bendigo.

What next?

As one who prefers to travel independently I am planning to catch the train to Castlemaine, cycling to Bendigo via Knowsley and Axedale then return to Melbourne on train from Bendigo.

   

Possible rout next time