Melbourne! Ghost of Harold Holt! City + River Splendour!! 36km/2Days Medium

Epic Melbourne! Ghost of Harold Holt! City and River Splendour!! 36km/2Days Medium

Its time to go to Melbourne!! Fly in Friday 19 June and convince your boss to have Monday 22 June off, also!!

Day One - Mornington Peninsula, Ghost of Harold Holt/ Portsea and Sorrento!

We commence 5:50AM at Flinders Street Train Station, Melbourne CBD, for our train/bus trip to Portsea, Mornington Peninsula. We head into the Point Nepean National Park where, 7km in, we have early lunch + bathroom break at Fort Nepean. The views into Port Phillip Bay are amazing. NO SHOPS HERE; MEMBERS MUST BRING LUNCH.

After lunch we hike out to the tip of Mornington Peninsula before turning back to find Cheviot Beach, where PM Harry Holt vanished 17 December 1967, never to be seen again. There is something very fishy about this: I'll explain on the day!

Suspicions aroused, we hit Butlers Track and amazing views into the Bass Strait all the way to Portsea Surf Beach, a bathroom break and a snack for the hungry ones! Farnsworth Track and local roads lead to Sorrento which we inspect before re-joining the same public transport links back to Flinders Street Station, CBD, by no later than 7:30PM.

Total Day 1 is 19km.

Day Two - Brighton Beach, Trendy St Kilda, Botanic Gardens, Yarra River and Federation Square!

We commence 9:37am Flinders Street Station and train to Brighton Beach where we strike out along Port Phillip Bay waterfront for the CBD. About 9km in we stop for lunch in the ever-so-trendy and interesting Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, an exciting destination!

After lunch we head into the famous Albert Park, skirting the grand lake, and then muscle across to the Botanic Gardens, its lake and do some "island hopping"! Out of these amazing gardens we find the Yarra River, which we cross, stroll past the famous sporting precinct (MCG and all that!) and work around to Federation Square which is right next to Flinders Street station. The Transport Hotel is handy for a quick beer to finish the day off.

I will suggest a restaurant, in the CBD, for a group dinner on Sunday night for Members who are staying over to Monday. We finish too late on Saturday for this option.

Total Day 2 is 17km.

Meeting Place and Transport: Both days start at Flinders Street Station. Saturday, train departs Platform 6 at 6:07am. Saturday fares are about $30 in total. Sunday, train departs Platform 10 at 9:37am and the fare is about $5. Members must buy a Myki Card, available from all 7 Eleven stores in Melbourne and many other shops. Meet at Flinders Street Station entrance, under the clock tower on St Kilda Road, by NO LATER THAN 5:50 am on Saturday and 9:15am on Sunday.

What to bring: Trail runners or trainers; 1.5 – 2 litres of water, refill available; hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch for Saturday; light rain jacket as always. NO SHOPS FOR LUNCH STOP ON SATURDAY, PLENTY OF FOOD SHOPS ON SUNDAY!

Suggested Donation: $80

Pub: Saturday is too late a finish. I suggest Transport Hotel, Federation Square, on Sunday

By RSVPing to this event you (and your guests) agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of SOMG which you can view here:

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If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I look forward to seeing you on this epic weekend. I will post my mobile number closer to the day.

Ted