| Location | Bridge Road Brewers Brunswick 137-141 Nicholson St Brunswick East 3507 |
| Route | 20km circular route Brunswick, Preston, Reservoir. |
| Coffee Stop | Traditional Melbourne Cafe option Gellibrand Cafe 16 Gellibrand Crescent, Reservoir or Middle East Cafe option Oreganos Middle Eats Cafe 25 Mcfadzen Avenue, Reservoir |
| Make a day of it | Nearby recommendations Brompton Junction 815 Nicholson Street, North Carlton Monforte Viennoiserie 585a Canning Street, North Carlton (Rated by my as the best croissant in Melbourne on 2024 pastry tour) |
| Mary’s Rating | ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐ |
| GPX/Strava | https://www.strava.com/routes/3397512130679843512 |
| Date ridden | 2 September 2025 If you have ridden these route and have any updates that need to be made, then leave a comment on this post. |
The second Melbourne Beer Loop for 2025 was inspired by the need for Helen and my bikes to be serviced. Mary and I dropped the bikes of to Brompton Junction in the morning. Our plan involved starting at a nearby brewery that was open for Tuesday lunch. Fortunately for us, Bridge Road Brewers fitted all the criteria – including having an all day kitchen.
We started at Bridge Road Brewers at little later at 11:36am. This was because our old bikes had a few things to work through with Brompton Junction before we could go. You’ll see that I have swapped my Lagoon Blue bike for a Hot Pink loaner from Brompton Junction. I was too eager to ride. As a result, I forgot the obligatory “in front of the brewery line up” photograph. So instead I’ve include an Australian landscape inspired roller door.
During one of my previous visits, I did a ride that involved a small part of the St Georges Bike Path. This bike path operates in the middle of a tram corridor that itself is in the middle of a major road. It is good piece of communing bike infrastructure with integrated bike traffic lights. So I wanted to see where it ended up. It was Ruthven Station that felt like the logical end. Although, if you follow the Cheddar Road path may be the logical end is Bunnings Thomastown. But I don’t think we need to be that philosophical.
I love a good local business that knows and serves the local community well. There is no doubt in my mind that Oreganos Middle Eats Cafe fits the bill. As the sign says, they bake daily for freshness and softness. I had a meat and cheese manoush as my entree with a piccolo. Great food and good coffee. If you are looking for a Melbourne Cafe Experience then the other option, Gellibrand Cafe, may fit the bill.
The route back was less a fast commuter run and more a typical Adelaide Bromptoneering Social Ride through delightful byways, park paths and the occasional back lane. Absolutely delightful. I’ve included a circuit around the Brunswick Velodrome in the route for fun. This might be a good opportunity to train from the Brompton World Championship. If that’s the case then don’t forget to bring your jacket.
Before you start the ride or after you finish – only 5 or so minutes away from the brewery is Brompton Junction and Monforte Viennoiserie. Check out this post for the reasons why Monforte is so good and find a Brompton route around Melbourne’s inner north patisseries.
The route taken is shown below.
