Inside Melbourne's stalled bike path mystery

Today I’m continuing last week’s secret rail trail ride. After parting ways with Peter at the end of the Hawthorn to Box Hill Trail corridor, I continued into the city via the Main Yarra Trail and Capital City Trail, cutting through Southbank into Docklands. From there, I used the Footscray Road Bridge to jump onto the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail, and loop around to start the Upfield Trail. This is where things got fun! I caught a rare "green wave" along the Upfield Train line, using the passing Melbourne Metro Trains and lowered boom gates to perfectly time my run and zoom through the road crossings in record time! But the real mystery is at the northern end. The Upfield Shared Use Path extension, connecting Box Forest Road to the M80 SUP, is completely stalled. Around 2,500 riders a day use this path, but north of Gowrie Station, it stops dead, forcing cyclists and commuters onto the death trap of Sydney Road or through a 4km industrial detour. It was promised for August, delayed to September 2026, and now the updates have gone radio silent while they push the level crossing removals out to 2033 to fund an $80 million duplication study!? Finding the construction fences open, I decided to inspect further. The path is SO close to completion, but the best part is riding the old gravel path next to the train line. Local sources tell me this gravel section is a relic, in fact, a 1990s film about the Upfield line shows riders using this exact dirt track, meaning cyclists have commuted here for decades. The path's construction work did resume after a stormwater drain collapse, and while light poles are finally in place, a tiny gap remains. To make things weirder, my source informed me that, a local mob of kangaroos (including an albino one!) has been squeezed into this exact corner due to the northern expansion, and I can’t help but to feel sorry for them. There is definitely more to this story than meets the eye! If anyone knows more about the latest hold-up, please share your wisdom below in the comments. Members Only 📺:    • Inside Melbourne's stalled bike path myste...   Route:   / strava   Wheels: LightFast.cc | Code ► WOMBAT20 https://www.lightfast.cc/products/lig... Bike:    • Cannondale Gravel Bike - SuperSix Evo SE   Strava:   / strava   Instagram:   / 11thwombat   Business Enquiries: eleventhwombat@gmail.com #gravelcycling #gravelbike #gravelride #bike #cycling #roadcycling #melbournegravel #bikelife #melbournecycling #11thwombat