Werribee Line. (Part 1). South Kensington to Williamstown.

SOUTH KENSINGTON. 17/5/2017. Run 52. 15.3 km.

As the runs in the morning get longer I need to leave earier to get to work. So today had to catch the 5:37 am from Elsternwick. And it worked. Despite an inefficient train swap at Flinders St station, I was at South Kensington by 6:15 am but th eexit from such a small station wasn’t obvious. Turns out the exit was just near the “No Exit” sign. Crossed back over the train line via an old footbridge in Arden St and then past the football ground. From there I headed into the city via Spencer St. Fairly easy run home on familiar territory and on a nice morning the Elwood canal is a good way to finish.

SEDDON. 8/4/2017. Run 37. 15.9 km.

Fortunate to get another ride to the station with my wife as she was doing Run Melbourne the next day and therefore not training. Chose this station as got a birthday card last week and it had a cartoon picture of Seddon station and I wanted to compare it to real life. Turns out - wasn’t bad. Warm day and it was 24 degrees by the time I got home and running on roads and concrete path makes it feel hotter. Spent a bit of time running past the docks area, a lot of trucks and containers parked here so not that picturesque. Stopped for a cool drink in Middle Park and then back through Acland St and eventually onto the canals. Heat got to me in the middle stages but not bad overall.

YARRAVILLE. 14/3/2018. Run 129. 16.3 km.

Made sure I didn’t miss the bus this morning but unfortunately the bus missed me. I was standing next to the bus stop when bus 600 went past which blocked my view of bus 606 directly behind it. By the time the 606 bus saw me it had already decided to keep going. Caught the next bus but got to work late. In contrast, excellent efficiency after work getting the tram then train in quick succession. Had me leaving Yarraville at 5:50 pm. Little bit confusing early as I tried to cut through some back streets but soon got onto Footscray Rd and not too complex after that. Alphabetically Yarraville is the last of the stations for what it is worth. Good thing about after work runs is that it gets cooler as you go - nice.

SPOTSWOOD. 28/3/2018. Run 133. 17 km.

Harder run tonight than it should have been. But at least I achieved the quadrella of public transport. Bus to work, tram into city, train out to Spotswood and ferry across the river on way home. Left work on time but late train at Southern Cross resulted in me getting on an express train that didn’t actually stop until it got to Newport. Faster solution was to just get off and run back to Spotswood as next train back to city 10 mins away. Got to Spotswood and took selfie and then headed to the punt to cross the river. Caught the 6:10 pm which arrived on other side at 6:14 pm. Saves 4 km and 20 mins and it is in the official rules of the challenge. Frustration continued as I got a bit lost on my first time through the Westgate Park and then again as I though I was on Todd St but turns out I was on Web Dock Drive. Another backtrack the cost time and distance. Once I really was on Todd Rd it was simpler and with a few drink fountains along the beach the rest of the run was OK.

NEWPORT. 7/10/2017. Run 91. 21.1 km.

This was the second time I left Elwood with the plan to go to Sunshine but then changed my mind. Got the 8:03 am into Southern Cross but then couldn’t be bothered waiting the 18 minutes for the Sunshine train so jumped on the next train leaving which was going to Newport. Nice day for a run and beautiful view of the city skyline from under the Westgate Bridge. Had to take the long way home today as ferry wasn’t an option and that meant into the city via Footscray. Ran down Habour Esplanade and past Telstra Dome then out of the city and onto Canterbury Rd. Standard trip home from there. Home by 11 am so still plenty of the day ahead.

NORTH WILLIAMSTOWN. 30/4/2018. Run 140. 17.2 km.

Another mid week run out west and another completion of the public transport quadrella. Bus to work is turning out to be a good option. Then easy tram to Southern Cross and only a 5 min delay on the train to North Willy. But that 5 mins was critical and it meant I wasn’t going to get the 6:10 pm punt across the river. Instead I had time to take a quick detour for a rest room break and even then had short wait for the punt. But th efurther delay meant it was a bit dark going through the park under Westgate and it was certainly a bit eerie. Made sure I kept up a good pace to get out of there in a hurry. No mistake finding Todd Rd this time and pleasant run back down the well lit foreshore to Elwood.

WILLIAMSTOWN BEACH. 3/3/2018. Run 126. 22.3 km.

A throw back to the early days of the challenge. Caught the train with Lizey into the city where she got off at Melbourne Central and I went all the way to Southern Cross. Changed onto Newport Train and then onto Williamstown beach. Another day without the ferry so took the long way through Footscray to get into the city. Warm day so followed the shade but at one stage the reflection of the sun off some of the buildings caused double shadows. Hard to know which was the real shade. Worked my way back through Middle Park and into Elwood as the temperature neared 30. Glad I wasn’t out there any longer.

WILLIAMSTOWN. 15/7/2017. Run 73. 22.3 km.

Another triple train ride but with the more trains involved the more chances of a delay. Got through Southern Cross OK but the train to Newport was late. Finally got there but appeared to miss my connection. Checked with Metro staff and they pointed out next train was 18 mins away. Damn. But just as I was deciding next best option a train appeared from nowhere, and it was heading to Williamstown - WTF. I got on and sure enough, it did go there. Nice morning for the run. Tried to call in to visit another friend but no luck. Ran under the Westgate bridge and stopped to read the plaque dedicated to the 35 killed when the bridge collapsed in 1970. Sort of remember the story. Back through Footscray and into the city. Easy run back to Elwood from here as I have done it many times. Enjoy running on the cooler days and this was pretty good for the middle of July.