With no particular destination in mind, I made my way to the beaches area from Albert Park and headed east early on a 10 degrees chilly Melbourne morning. It is an excellent bike path, with lovely scenery across sparkling bays and marinas.

You have several waterside cafes to choose from along the bike path. I love the old-world charm of the historic St. Kilda Wharf which stretches one kilometre out over the bay.

The marinas are huge and this one at the Sandringham Yacht Club has a long walkway seawall which is worth exploring. The world-famous Brighton Boatsheds are quite a spectacle, but take a small local path instead of the driveway down to the beach to avoid busloads of tourists jostling for selfies.

I turned around at Half Moon Bay, not far from the Royal Melbourne Golf Course, and retraced my route until I got to the interesting industrial docksides of Port Melbourne. After riding around the West Gate Park under the magnificent beams of the West Gate Bridge I headed into Melbourne city. The Steel Webb Footbridge is just one of many architectural features of this vibrant place.

Everywhere you look in Melbourne there is a feast for the eyes. Parks, rivers, bridges, gardens, monuments: too much for one day on a bike.

From the moment you enter the city, you find splashes of colour that assert Melbourne’s identity. From a cyclist point of view, it feels far more friendly than Sydney and the cycling infrastructure is world-class. I’ll be back.