Scotchmans Creek Trail
Adjacent to Regent Street, Mount Waverley
LengthApprox 16.5 km
LocationMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
DifficultyMostly easy
HazardsMissing sections of trail require navigating back streets. Freeway underpass may flood after heavy rain. No proper crossing on some major roads.
SurfaceShared use (concrete and asphalt) and residential streets
HillsMostly flat except for a hill at the Wheelers Hill end
WaterOccasional water fountains
Train(s)Glen Waverley line (East Malvern)
Tram(s)Route 3 terminates close to East Malvern station
BusNumerous routes including 903,[1] 623,[2] 703,[3] 624,[4] 733,[5] 737,[6] 742,[7] 753,[8] 767,[9] 850,[10] and 885.[11]

The Scotchmans Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Scotchmans Creek through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[12][13][14]

It runs from East Malvern railway station through to Jells Park although several sections consist of normal residential streets. The trail provides good access to Chadstone Shopping Centre and Holmesglen Institute of TAFE for the local community. The trail passes through Valley Reserve in Mount Waverley, which is one of the last remaining stands of indigenous vegetation in the local area.

Although Scotchmans Creek Trail is widely recognized as ending in the west at East Malvern Railway Station,[15][16] some sources[17] have the trail's west end at Warrigal Rd.

The signage on the trail at this point is confusing as two separate routes are signed. One route is via Scotchmans Creek and the other route is via the Pinewood Shopping Centre. Strangely, both routes are signed as the Scotchmans Creek Trail and no indication is given, as to which is the one to use, and why.

Following the Path

The trail begins in the west at East Malvern Railway Station where it runs alongside the Monash Freeway until it meets Warrigal Road. An overpass takes it to Scotchmans Creek where it continues along the Scotchmans Creek Linear Reserve until it reaches Park Rd. It passes to the north of the Oakleigh Recreation Centre and onwards to Huntingdale Rd where pedestrian lights allow safe crossing. It runs past the Huntingdale Wetlands and crosses Stanley Ave (and crosses to the north bank of Scotchmans Creek), before going through a tunnel under the Monash Freeway and then under Stephensons Rd. After crossing Forster Rd, the path continues to Waverley Rd near Anthony Drive. Previously identified as a "missing link", this section was opened in October 2013,[18] and may be prone to flooding. The alternate route is via Rhonda St and Anthony Drive (see map of the route to take). At Anthony Drive, the trail crosses Waverley road at the east end of traffic island, and continues north-eastward. There is a sign-posted turn off leading to Valley Reserve. The shared pedestrian-bicycle path crosses Blackburn Rd via a footbridge. and finally ends at Waverley Rd near the Homesglen Institute of TAFE, with most of the remaining journey to Jells Park being on residential streets.

After crossing Waverley Rd, the trail turns down Ivanhoe St and follows the path eastwards to Winmalee Drive. It turns down Koonalda Ave and crosses over Springvale Rd at the pedestrian lights (see map of the route). A road section at Whites Lane leads to a tennis club. The trail leaves the road for the path at this point, this turn-off being noted for being very easy for users to miss. The path continues to Belvedere Ave, Mackintosh Rd and Lum Rd.

There are two options for cyclists after Lum Rd: to go down either Strickland Dr and Clarke Ct, or to go down Tom Begg Ct. The trail is steep here as it descends into the Dandenong Valley. A short laneway at the end of each court leads to Sunnybrook Drive. The final section of the path continues to Jells Park (see map of the route to take).

Map of the trail

Connections

Note the footbridge over the Monash Freeway was reopened on 20 August 2009.[19]

In 2022, Monash City Council announced the planned construction of a protected bicycle link between the trail and the Djerring Trail. The connection would start where the trail crosses Atkinson Street, and end where the Djerring Trail and Oxford Street meet.[20]

West end at 37°52′22″S 145°04′08″E / 37.872810°S 145.068955°E / -37.872810; 145.068955. East end at 37°54′06″S 145°12′05″E / 37.901598°S 145.201331°E / -37.901598; 145.201331.

References

  1. "903 Altona - Mordialloc (SMARTBUS Service)". Public Transport Victoria.
  2. "623 Glen Waverley - St Kilda via Mount Waverley & Chadstone & Carnegie". Public Transport Victoria.
  3. "703 Middle Brighton - Blackburn via Bentleigh & Clayton & Monash University". Public Transport Victoria.
  4. "624 Kew - Oakleigh via Caulfield & Carnegie & Darling and Chadstone (From 4-11-2018)". Public Transport Victoria.
  5. "733 Oakleigh - Box Hill via Clayton & Monash University & Mt Waverley". Public Transport Victoria.
  6. "737 Croydon - Monash University via Boronia & Knox City Shopping Centre & Glen Waverley". Public Transport Victoria.
  7. "742 Eastland - Chadstone via Vermont South & Glen Waverley & Oakleigh". Public Transport Victoria.
  8. "753 Glen Waverley - Bayswater via Wheelers Hill & Knoxfield & Boronia". Public Transport Victoria.
  9. "767 Southland - Box Hill via Chadstone & Jordanville & Deakin University". Public Transport Victoria.
  10. "850 Dandenong - Glen Waverley via Mulgrave & Brandon Park". Public Transport Victoria.
  11. "885 Glen Waverley - Springvale via Wanda Street". Public Transport Victoria.
  12. VicRoads - Bicycle Facilities Map Archived 19 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Melbourne and Geelong's shared paths in Google Maps
  14. Melbourne and Geelong's shared paths in Google Earth
  15. City of Stonnington Bicycle Strategy, Oct 2005
  16. Bicycle Victoria - description of Scotchmans Creek Trail
  17. Victoria’s Bike Paths Guide
  18. "Bike Paths - City of Monash". www.monash.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 18 August 2007.
  19. http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/minister-for-roads-ports/east-malvern-bridge-upgrade-improving-transport-links.html
  20. "Scotchmans Creek Trail to Djerring Trail cycling connection". Shape Monash. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  • Bike rides around Melbourne 3rd edition, 2009, Julia Blunden, Open Spaces Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9752333-4-4
  • Bike Paths Victoria sixth edition, 2004. Edited and published by Sabey & Associates Pty Ltd. pp130. ISBN 0-9579591-1-7
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