Five Reserves, one Wetland and a Wharf Ride
Dale Manson takes you on a 20-kilometre loop bike ride to a number of Murray Bridge’s reserves adjacent to the River Murray.
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Local and visiting road cyclists will appreciate this twenty kilometre loop ride that visits five of Murray Bridge’s best riverside reserves, the Wharf area and one inland wetland reserve.
The route is mostly bitumen road, but with short distances of hard-packed rubble surfaces that are relatively gentle on road bike tyres.
However anyone nervous about taking their road bike tyres off-bitumen may be better using commuter tyres or undertaking the loop on a gravel bike or mountain bike.
Commencing at Thiele Reserve on the Eastside of Murray Bridge, the ride crosses the River Murray to visit the Wharf Precinct, Sturt Reserve, Long Island Reserve, Tumbella Reserve, Casuarina Wetlands via Pathways Reserve and Swanport Reserve before looping back to the commencement point at Thiele Reserve.
Like most of the reserves visited, Thiele Reserve offers cyclists travelling via vehicle to this starting point easy car parking, clean public conveniences and wonderful views.
From Thiele Reserve riders head due south along the bitumen surfaced Siesta Drive, crossing the River Murray on the road bridge at the point where Siesta Drive meets Lookout Drive and the Old Princes Highway.
However prior to this point, riders need to be careful not to make the mistake of veering right from Siesta Drive onto Long Flat Road, heading under the two bridges.
At the western end of the road bridge, cyclists dismount onto the footpath and wheel their bikes across the road to the downhill pathway adjacent to the historic Roundhouse Museum precinct.
Adventurous cyclists can cautiously ride their bikes down this zig zag pathway to the pathway that parallels the river edge, heading south again under the road and rail bridges.
In bygone days, this pathway was also the route of the railway line servicing the goods loading area of the main Murray Bridge Wharf Precinct.
At some points along the riding pathway, the old railway line can be observed beneath the surface.
In recent years, the Wharf Precinct has received considerable attention from local government authorities to transform it into a shady people-friendly grassed performance and event venue.
However one of the distracting aspects of the Wharf Precinct is the very basic Murray Bridge River, Road and Steam Museum area that features a rather dilapidated historic railway locomotive prominently sited just inside the front fence.
Slightly further along abutting a raise performance area are a number of partly restored enclosed railway goods carriages.
The Wharf Precinct is full of character and offers opportunity for a brief pause early in the ride.
Entering the Sturt Reserve area riding along the shared cycling and pedestrian path, the Sturt Reserve Trailhead and memorial pillars to the Murray Cods 1924 Paris Olympic Rowing Team become quite apparent.
It is worth pausing again at this point to read the information contained on both of these.
This area also houses the Murray Bridge Rowing Club, Community Club, the highly regarded 1924 Riverfront Restaurant and a set of public conveniences located behind the buildings.
Riding further along the shared pathway is an experience rich in culture, with various sculptures dotted along the route.
At the southern end of the riverside Murray Cods Drive at Sturt Reserve, cyclists veer right onto Jaensch Road for only a few metres before crossing the road and entering the rubble-surfaced shared trail leading direct to Long Island Reserve.
There are a few exits to Long Island Reserve at the end of this rubble trail, but they all lead to the same place.
This reserve is spacious, with children’s playground, BBQ facilities, boat ramp and public conveniences.
Heading further south, cyclists take the road leading past the shacks on Wildens Way to Tumbella Reserve.
As there are no facilities at this reserve, the best advice is to continue riding up to the end of Tumbella Drive, then weaving along Williams Grove, left onto Roper Road and turning right into Parkview Drive through the Pathways Estate at the roundabout.
On the left hand side of Parkview Drive, riders come to Pathways Reserve leading to Casuarina Wetland.
Long Island, Thumbella and Pathways reserves are nice spots for family outings or a place to rest. Photos: Dale Manson.
The side-trip to Casuarina Wetland through this Reserve is worth the effort, but riders will need to return to Parkview Drive again in order to resume the cycling venture.
At the end of Parkview Drive is a T-junction with Ridge Road where riders need to turn left.
This part of the ride is where the adventure really begins as cyclists ride along Ridge Road in the direction of the SE Freeway without deviation, passing the rear gateway of Unity College.
It may appear to be the back-of-beyond as the road surface turns to rubble, however road tyres can certainly handle this without issue.
This cycling route passes behind Unity College on a dirt surface that is quite manageable on road bike tyres. Photo: Dale Manson.
At the end of Ridge Road is a dead-end that requires riders to dismount and carry the bike around the corner onto a dirt track running around the outside boundary of Unity College.
The end of this dirt track meets up with the bitumen-surfaced intersection of Swanport Road and the exit to the SE Freeway.
However under no circumstances should cyclists take the exit turnoff leading onto the SE Freeway.
Instead, cyclists turn to the south and ride under the SE Freeway bridge on Jervois Road which is actually a continuation of Swanport Road, but with a name change as it goes under the bridge.
Less than a kilometre along Jervois Road on the left hand side opposite the Swanport Hotel is located the delightfully landscaped and camouflaged wastewater pumping station on the corner of Swanport Village Road.
Swanport Village Road leads directly to the final stop and turn-around point on the journey, Swanport Reserve on the banks of the River Murray and sited adjacent to the Murray Bridge Sailing Club.
Cyclists can take advantage of the public conveniences and wonderfully calm ambience here, prior to hitting the road again on the journey back to the starting point at Thiele Reserve.
The nine kilometre ride back to Thiele Reserve is quite straightforward on excellent bitumen surfaced roads.
After exiting Swanport Village Road at the wastewater pump station, cyclists head due north along Jervois and Swanport roads, ending up at the main Bridge Street intersection and back over the road bridge to the Eastside of the River Murray.
More rides of the month
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