right<\/em> reasons?<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe trail runs just about through the beer garden of a great little pub in Launching Place, and there’s a bakery full of all your sandwich and baked goods requirements nearby as well. There are even more choices in Yarra Junction, including the delightful Red Relish cafe beside the trail, and even little Millgrove has a decent fish and chip shop if you’re passing by after lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can You Do It As a Day Walk?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n While the full 40km length is probably a bit far for most sane people to want to walk in a day, you can easily<\/em> do it over two days. That’s how I’ve tackled it in the past, walking the 24km or so from Warburton to Seville on one day, and 16km from Seville to Lilydale on another. As I mentioned, a car shuttle or the 683 bus make this very straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you’re biking, of course, it’s an easier proposition: even at a leisurely pace with a stop for lunch along the way, it shouldn’t take more than four or five hours to get from one end to the other. If you’re really pushing it, you could do it in half that time if the trail isn’t busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can break it up in different ways, though: I’ve split the guide below into five different sections, all of which are accessible by public transport at both ends and can be walked in a couple of hours, give or take. That way, you can decide how much distance you’re up for, and take a bus one way if you need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, you know, just turn around wherever you feel like it and head back to where you started. There’s lot of options! I’ve written it assuming you’re starting in Lilydale, but you can walk it in either direction, and I’ve generally gone the other way. It really doesn’t make much difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personally, my favourite sections are the ones between Mount Evelyn and Yarra Junction, rather than those closer to either end. They’re all worth walking or cycling, but there’s more countryside and nature in those middle parts, and they often have a few less people on them as well.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Section 1: Lilydale to Mount Evelyn (7km)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The trail starts beside Lilydale station, initially heading north in an awkward loop around the grounds of Mount Lilydale Mercy College that sit over top of the original rail route. This is also where you’ll find the steepest section of track, as it leaves and rejoins the flat rail corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once that’s navigated, the path heads south over what’s known as the Red Bridge, a pedestrian and cycle bridge that crosses the busy Maroondah Highway, and out of town. There’s a funky-looking metal tunnel that goes under the busy Hereford Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI’ll take walking through this tunnel over crossing a busy road any day of the week!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis section is the only one with any real gradient to speak of, although it’s still pretty gentle. After the Red Bridge, the trail continues south and east past an owl reserve and on towards Mount Evelyn, climbing about 150m over the six kilometres to the village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Never fear, there are plenty of cafes around to help deal with the thirst that such a climb might create. Either Passchendaele or the Trail Cafe are the obvious stops, though, as they’re right beside the trail. There’s some parking at the Trail Cafe, and public toilets nearby as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of its proximity to Lilydale, this is often the busiest section of track with dog walkers, families, and everyone else. It’s still a nice-enough walk, just don’t expect to have it to yourself, especially at weekends or during holiday periods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re taking the 679 bus to\/from Lilydale, the closest bus stop is probably the one on Wray Crescent, just down from Passchendaele cafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Section 2: Mount Evelyn to Seville (7.5km)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Things definitely start to feel less built up and more like you’re in nature once you get through Mount Evelyn and start descending again. There’s some lovely woodland as the path meanders through a nature reserve much of the way to Wandin: the old station sign is still there, as it is in most of the towns and villages along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe station has some parking available, but not much else in the way of facilities other than a water fountain: you’ll need to head up to the shopping strip on the main road a few hundred metres away if you want something more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also stops for the 683 bus at both the station and beside the shops, if 11km of walking or cycling feels like enough for the day. Assuming it doesn’t, the path leaves the forest behind once you get out of Wandin, with the countryside opening up into some lovely views across farms and wineries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That also means there’s not as much shelter from the weather for a while, whether that’s sun, rain, or wind, so bear that in mind!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The forest starts back up again as you get closer to Seville: the path loops away from the highway and around to the north of the town, which means that you can be as much as 20 minutes away from the small cluster of shops and cafes on the main road (and the bus stops alongside).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, Carriage Cafe exists to fill the void: it’s almost right on the trail, with a good selection of food and drink, and as I mentioned earlier, there’s parking a few hundred metres down a side track where I’ve left my car for most of the day in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Section 3: Seville to Woori Yallock (6km)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n One of my favourite sections of the trail is the relatively short stretch between Seville and Woori Yallock. That’s probably because I’ve always found it to be pretty quiet when I’ve walked it, especially the further away from Seville I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou’ll never guess where we are<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe old Seville station shown in the photo above is a few hundred metres past Carriage Cafe, just after crossing Victoria Road. There’s a water fountain there, and parking alongside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trail is entirely dirt and gravel along this section, largely through at least some kind of wooded corridor if not completely forested. It’s a lovely spot to walk or cycle, with plenty of birdsong and few other people to contend with. There are a few gentle curves and it does narrow in a few sections, though, so perhaps take things a little slower than usual if you’re zipping along on a mountain bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep an eye out for the long wooden bridge that’s a feature of this section, soon after the treeline breaks up and you’re back out into open countryside again. It crosses a wide area of swampy grassland shortly before Woori Yallock, and roughly marks the halfway point of the trail if you’re cycling the whole thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nOnce you get to the old station itself, there’s a fairly large car park, along with a series of information boards with photos and historical detail about the local area and the railway. There’s a water fountain alongside, toilets are a five minute walk away near the main road, and there’s a small supermarket and a few restaurants there as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re catching the 683 bus to or from here, that’s also where you’ll find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Section 4: Woori Yallock to Yarra Junction (8.5km)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The open farmland continues on past Woori Yallock, with great views out towards Mount Toolebewong. This is where you’ll want to slap on plenty of sunscreen, especially in summer: there’s little shade on many parts of this section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Especially after a bit of rain, there’s plenty of water around here: the Yarra River is quite close to the trail at some points, and it shows, with plenty of creeks and billabongs, and more lush countryside than you get on many other parts of the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou’d never guess there’d been a bit of rain around<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBefore long you’ll find yourself in wonderfully-named Launching Place. I always thought it was called that because it was where people launched small boats into side channels of the Yarra before heading out into the main river, but apparently it comes from the area’s logging history: trees were felled and “launched” from here to float downriver to sawmills in Melbourne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regardless of where it got its name from, it’s a good spot to launch yourself into a cold drink: the Launching Place Home Hotel is directly beside the trail, just after it crosses the busy highway at the traffic lights. The 683 bus stop is just past the pub, so it’s a good place to wait! There’s quite a large carpark behind the General Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From here, it’s only another couple of kilometres to Yarra Junction. It’s a reasonable-sized town, and because the trail runs close to the main road at this point, it’s easy to break off for food, drink, or anything else you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be sure to check out old station here: it’s the original one from Lilydale, that’s now been turned into a museum. You won’t be able to go inside unless you’re passing by on a Sunday afternoon or public holiday, but you can still peer through the fence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s lots of parking nearby, plus toilets right beside the trail. The 683 bus stops in several spots along the highway here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Section 5: Yarra Junction to Warburton (9km)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Onto the final stretch now, and it’s a good one, especially the first half as far as Millgrove. That’s also where the unsealed track ends: the last few kilometres into Warburton are all on asphalt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before that, though, there are some great old wooden bridges to cross, bushland to admire, and sweeping views when the tree-lined sections of trail give way to open farmland. You don’t have to wait long for the good bits, either: I took the bridge photo below barely outside Yarra Junction, but you wouldn’t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of many pretty wooden bridges on this trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMillgrove is pretty small, but there are still public toilets available beside the trail, and a bus stop if you can’t make it the last five kilometres or so into Warburton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps unsurprisingly, like the section closest to Lilydale, this last bit of the trail can get pretty busy. I last walked it on a weekday just after New Year, and the stream of bikes and runners was pretty constant for the few kilometres closest to Warburton in particular, where the track can also be quite narrow in parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, it’s still an enjoyable walk, if a bit more manicured than some of the bushland and wooded sections you’ve ridden or walked through earlier in the day. Once you get back into Waburton itself, drop down off the trail back to the main road for all of the food, drink, and transport options your tired legs could hope for!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So there you go, my guide to walking or cycling the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail. Let me know if you found it useful, or if there’s anything else you’d like to know about it: always happy to help if I can!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nAll images copyright Everything Victoria<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thinking about walking or biking the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail? Great choice! Here’s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,18],"tags":[61,62],"class_list":["post-4252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiking","category-yarra-valley-dandenongs","tag-lilydale","tag-warburton","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"\n
Hiking and Biking the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail (2024 Guide)<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n