__NOTOC__ The Scotchmans Creek Trail is a shared use path for

cyclists Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of Bicycle, cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", ...

and

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

s, which follows Scotchmans Creek through the eastern suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It runs from

East Malvern railway station East Malvern railway station is a commuter railway station in Malvern East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station opened on 3 February 1929 as Eastmalvern as part of the one stop extension of the Burnley line.Jells Park Jells Park is a public park in Wheelers Hill, a southeastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The park opened on 30 April 1976 and is named after Joseph Jell, a cattle grazier who worked in the area in the mid-late 1800s. The park attra ...

although several sections consist of normal residential streets. The trail provides good access to

Chadstone Shopping Centre Chadstone Shopping Centre (colloquially known as Chaddy) is a super regional shopping centre located in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Malvern East. Chadstone Shopping Centre is the biggest shopping centre in Australia and one of the bi ...

and Holmesglen Institute of

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

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, some sources 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 The Monash Freeway is a major urban freeway in Victoria, Australia, linking Melbourne's CBD to its south-eastern suburbs and beyond to the Gippsland region. It carries up to 180,000 vehicles per day and is one of Australia's busiest freeways ...

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 The Oakleigh Recreation Centre is an aquatic and leisure facility in Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia. The centre has a stadium with four multipurpose courts, a health club, a crossfit box, massage services, a cafe and a state-of-the-art outdoor ...

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, 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 Jells Park is a public park in Wheelers Hill, a southeastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The park opened on 30 April 1976 and is named after Joseph Jell, a cattle grazier who worked in the area in the mid-late 1800s. The park attra ...

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

(see map of the route to take). Scotchmans Creek Trail map Stevage

Connections

*The Scotchmans Creek Trail connects at the west end to the

Gardiners Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Gardiners Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Gardiners Creek through the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Bicycle Victoria is campaigning for a connection between Wint ...

and the

Outer Circle Trail __NOTOC__ The Outer Circle Trail, also known as the Anniversary Trail, Anniversary Outer Circle Trail, or even the Outer Circle Anniversary Trail, is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which partly follows the Alamein Line throu ...

and connects East Malvern Station to Centre Rd Trail. *The Waverley Rail Trail can be reached via Argyll St (1 km). At Waverley Rd pass under the highway using the path that leads to Golfers Drive. Heading towards the public golf course, the path resumes on the right. Descending down the path then leads to Argyll St. Travel east to the far end of Argyll St. At Holmesglen railway station use the pedestrian bridge to cross Warrigal Road arriving at the Waverley Rail Trail. *At the east end at

it links to the

Dandenong Creek Trail __NOTOC__ The Dandenong Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Dandenong Creek through the outer eastern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Route The trail can be divided int ...

. The Blind Creek Trail also terminates near the north end of

. *A short road section (Blackburn Rd, Falconer St & Fiander Ave) leads to Syndal station. On the north side of the station, in Shirley Ave, is the southern end of the Syndal Heatherdale Pipe Reserve Trail. Note the footbridge over the

was reopened on 20 August 2009.http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/minister-for-roads-ports/east-malvern-bridge-upgrade-improving-transport-links.html West end at . East end at .

References

*''Bike rides around Melbourne'' 3rd edition, 2009, Julia Blunden, Open Spaces Publishing, * ''Bike Paths Victoria'' sixth edition, 2004. Edited and published by Sabey & Associates Pty Ltd. pp130.

External links

Bicycle Victoria description of how to navigate the Glen Waverley ''missing link''Monash Council map

Friends of Scotchmans Creek and Valley Reserve

* {{Bicycle Trails in Melbourne Bike paths in Melbourne