january-2010

THE HUMBLE VINTAGE
Matthew Hurst
Watch out for wildlife as you
ride in the midst of nature
INSET: Take a break at the old
Suma Park station near
the vineyards
Whether he’s in New York, Berlin or Buenos
Aires, Matthew Hurst likes to get about town
on a bicycle. “I’ve rented bikes every time I’ve
gone travelling, often for a week or 10 days
at a time.” On his return to Melbourne, he
realised options were limited for visitors who
wanted to do the same. “Most rental bikes are
uniformly ugly and I thought you should be
able to rent a nice bike.”
Th e result was Th e Humble Vintage, a
bike rental service off ering lovingly restored
vintage bikes, at reasonable weekly and daily
rates. Hurst sources his bikes everywhere,
from eBay to suppliers in regional Victoria and
friends and family. Right now he has 17 bikes
in classic vintage styles including fi ve sleek
vintage racers and three cruisers, also known
as gentlemen’s bikes. Th ere are ladies’ bikes in
an assortment of colours such as yellow, baby
blue and pink, with or without baskets.
“Everyone loves the bikes and people are
always asking if they can buy them.” Th e
28-year-old bicycle enthusiast also publishes
quarterly visitors’ guides, including maps and
recommended bike rides with café and bar
suggestions enroute. With so much choice,
Hurst rides a diff erent bike every day. “I’m not
a hardcore cyclist. I never do any mountain
biking, it’s all about having fun.”
One of his favourite rides is the Main Yarra
Trail to the Heide Museum of Modern Art.
“It’s a relaxing peaceful ride and at the end
of it there’s one of my favourite galleries in
Melbourne.” During summer he recommends
the Bay Trail to Half Moon Bay. “It’s my
favourite suburban beach and the yacht
club down there sells cheap drinks. I like to
stop off and have a couple of beers as the sun
goes down.”
Bikes from Th e Humble Vintage can be picked up
from locations in Melbourne including St Kilda,
Carlton and the CBD.
enjoy your surroundings. For nature lovers,
there’s plenty of wildlife, especially around
McLeod’s Waterholes, a green oasis in the
heart of Drysdale. Here, you’ll fi nd more than
50 different species of native birds and many
varieties of duck, including the rare blue-billed
duck and speckled duck.
The old train line closed in the 1970s but
the Bellarine Railway operates a tourist line
between Drysdale and Queenscliff, featuring
heritage stream trains from all over Australia.
For the saddle-weary, there’s an option to take
the picturesque train ride to Queenscliff and
cycle back to Drysdale. At Drysdale station
there’s a kiosk with shaded picnic tables. The
trail is generally well signposted but getting
out of Drysdale is a little confusing. To get
your bearings, it’s worth picking up a trail
map from one of the City of Greater Geelong
offi ces or visit the Rail Trails Australia website
(www.railtrails.org.au).
From Drysdale it’s a slow descent through
rolling green hills for the last 16km to
Queenscliff. It’s an idyllic ride and you could
almost imagine you’re in rural France as you
pass wineries, an olive grove and a fl ower
farm. The undisputed highlight of this trail for
us was the sweeping views of Swan Bay in the
late afternoon as we reached Point Lonsdale.
IT’S AN IDYLLIC RIDE FROM DRYSDALE TO
QUEENSCLIFF AND YOU COULD ALMOST
IMAGINE YOU’RE IN RURAL FRANCE AS YOU
PASS WINERIES AND AN OLIVE GROVE
ADRENALINE
BELLARINE PENINSULA
JANUARY 2010 43