The wonderful thing about rail trails is we get to see parts of Australia which are inaccessible by car. The peaceful and almost hidden locations are often seemingly undiscovered, and at times you will rarely pass another trail user. This is true for the Camperdown to Timboon Rail Trail which is located in the Great Ocean Road hinterland region in Southwest Victoria.

The Camperdown to Timboon Rail Trail takes bike riders and hikers from Camperdown to Naroghid then approximately 30 kilometres along the rail trail through dairy farms to Timboon which is renowned for its farm gate produce and locally made gourmet fare. The rail trail also joins up with the newly constructed 20 kilometre 12 Apostles Trail which is a bicycle, walking and running path from the Great Ocean Road hinterland town of Timboon to the coast at Port Campbell.

The Camperdown to Timboon Rail Trail is a treelined compacted earth track, taking hikers through the middle of dairy farms, past relics of the old railway trestle bridges and over the historic Timboon Trestle bridge. A peaceful walk through a combination of flat grazing country and rolling hills, the trail has varying difficulties depending on which section of the trail you choose to walk. During wet weather some sections of the trail can be muddy or slippery at times. Nobby bike tyres or hiking boots are recommended in Winter, Spring and after rain.

Camperdown to Naroghid
Due to parts of the old railway line being used as farmland, the section of trail between Camperdown to Naroghid requires riders to ride along country roads without a footpath however the remainder of the trail from Naroghid to Timboon is a scenic off-road ride. To avoid the roads, it is recommended you start your ride from Naroghid or another section of the trail rather than Camperdown.

Naroghid to Cobden
There is a rail trail car park on Cross Forest Road at Naroghid where the off-road section of the Camperdown to Timboon Rail Trail starts. This is a good place to start your ride. From here the trail is mostly flat, travelling in between dairy farms with an easy, almost unnoticeable descent into Cobden. Once you arrive at Cobden, the trail goes through the middle of the Cobden Golf Course, past the relics of an old rail bridge. The Cobden Golf Club is available for riders to stop in for a toilet break, drink and a bistro or bar meal. Alternatively, ride or walk 1km into Curdie Street, Cobden’s main street for a variety of options from a sandwich to a sit down or take away hot meal.

When you are ready to continue on, there is a short detour from the rail trail at the end of the golf course to rejoin the trail. Walk along McKenzie Street towards the CFA building, along Neylon Street to Grayland Street, then rejoin the trail on Grayland Street behind Hewitt & Whitty.

Cobden to Glenfyne
This 11km part of the trail is fairly flat and runs alongside farms, often running adjacent to or weaving across the Cobden-Warrnambool Road. There are a few major road crossings along this section of the trail, so watch for vehicles travelling at speed and please cross with care. On either side of the Cobden-Warrnambool Road at Glenfyne there are large shelters and the Glenfyne Public Hall has under cover picnic area, BBQ facilities and parking available.

Looking for things to do in Cobden? Here are our top things to do covering a variety of family friendly, art, history, nature and outdoors. 

If you're keen to enjoy the magnificent 12 Apostles Food Artisans Gourmet Trail - why drive yourself around the spectacular loop when you can indulge yourself and be chauffeured by the team from Ride with Us.
 
Book a tour for five passengers between now and the end of November and we'll let you fill the remaining three seats in our shuttle bus for no extra cost. As an added bonus, we'll also throw in a gourmet produce gift for everyone.
 
Imagine eight friends or family members enjoying six hours of amazing local beer, wine, cheese, chocolate, fudge, strawberries, ice cream, gelato, whisky and more without having to worry about finding your way or driving.
 
Among its extensive suite of transport services, Ride with Us also offers Crater to Coast Bicycle Hire to help people enjoy the picturesque Timboon rail trail. If you come for a ride between now and the end of November you’ll only pay half-day rates for a whole day of bike hire – no matter how many bikes you need!
 
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0438407777
Facebook: ridewithusau
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Seven lucky locals became the first group to experience the region’s new 12 Apostles Gourmet Trail Shuttle Tour this week.

Ride With Us officially christened its new dedicated shuttle service, which takes small groups from stop to stop along the iconic foodies loop to enjoy the local produce.

Owner Sandra Timmins said the day was a great success and she was excited to be playing a role in the region’s burgeoning food tourism offering.

“The producers along the food loop are the real heroes when it comes to food tourism in our area - we’re just helping more and more people enjoy the experience,” she said.

“We ran an online competition and the seven ladies who won a seat on the very first tour on Thursday had a great time and gave us a lot of confidence that our new service will prove popular.

“Food tourism is becoming increasingly important to the Twelve Apostles region, especially in the non-peak season. We’re rapt to be helping our wonderful artisan producers with our new shuttle tour service.”

Ms Timmins said that while thousands of people drove themselves around the food loop each year, there were many people who couldn’t drive, or preferred not to drive.

“Obviously there are a lot of visitors to our region that don’t have vehicles, but often those who do drive are not confident navigating the route or would like to have a few drinks along the way and really let their hair down,” she said.

“Our shuttle tour will cater for these people, but it’s also ideal for a range of small groups such as workmates and even party groups like a hen’s party for example.

“It’s only about 100km, but we’ve scheduled our shuttle tour to take six hours so that people can really take their time, talk to the producers and enjoy everything there is on offer.”

Ms Timmins said the tours started and finished at the Timboon Distillery and the vehicle could seat eight passengers.

“For our first tour, we headed to Dairylicious to enjoy some fudge and a beautiful morning tea before heading to Apostle Whey Cheese for their tasting experiences,” she said.

“From there we headed to Gorge Chocolates, then down the coast to see some of the sights before a few drinks at the Sow and Piglets Brewery in Port Campbell, then the Timboon Cheesery before heading back to the distillery.

“There’s no set stops though, we are happy to work with people to make sure they visit the artisans they’d most like to get to in the available time.”

​To make a booking, please call 0428 407 777 or email [email protected]