Bike ride to Coburg Lake Reserve

Last Sunday we had a beautiful, warm sunny day here in Melbourne so we decided to go for a family bike ride. We actually bought Ella her own balance bike on Saturday which is the coolest, cutest thing ever:

Both Andy and I had to stop ourselves from buying our own Lekker bikes while we were at the shops, they are sooooo nice. This is what happens when you are a parent, isn’t it? Your kid gets cooler stuff than you. But it’s still a bit too big for her, she can’t quite touch flat footed on both sides. Still, she is obsessed with it and we have to hold her steady while she rides it around our garage. For this bike ride though, we put her in on the back of Andy’s bike in the baby seat. I was momentarily afraid she would refuse the baby seat now that she has her own bike, but thankfully she was happy to get in it and ride behind Andy.

We rode our bikes north along the Merri Creek, about 5.5km to Coburg Lake Reserve. We’ve never rode our bikes this far north before, and I’m not sure why not! The path is paved the whole way, so it’s completely safe and easy to ride on. The view is beautiful, with the path crisscrossing over the creek many times, going over some huge and sometimes wobbly bridges.

Coburg Lake Reserve was much bigger than I was expecting. There are plenty of walking tracks and hills, along with an outdoor gym if you are looking to get some exercise. The grassy areas beside the lake are perfect for a picnic and Ella enjoyed watching the ducks and swans. There are also a few pretty epic playgrounds, where we spent most of our time. As it was such a lovely day, the area was pretty busy. Someone was having a delicious smelling BBQ which we were pretty jealous of.

This will definitely be a place we will frequent more as the weather gets better. The only downside is that you can’t swim in the lake. But it’s the perfect distance for a bike ride from our house, and you could easily spend a few hours exploring the grounds and playgrounds. Next time we will be sure to bring a picnic lunch!