A pleasant walk through suburbia, the Hawthorn-Kew Rail Trail has a couple of nice playgrounds for the kids, with treats not far away in Glenferrie Rd.
- A great area for picnics and birthday gatherings
- You can see some of Melbourne’s earliest stately homes in Hawthorn
- The busy shopping strip along Glenferrie Rd has everything
- The former home of the Hawthorn Football Club is just metres from the trail
Nearby Attractions
- Grace Park playground
- Glenferrie St shopping and cafes, via Hawthorn Grove
- Main Yarra Trail, via Denham St and Yarra Bank Reserve
- Melbourne Tram Museum, Wallen Rd
Last updated: 29 September 2024
This short trail follows the route of a branch line from Hawthorn to Kew. The area where the two lines met is now a beautiful park
For public transport options go to ‘GET AROUND’ below and click on ‘SHOW MORE’ if necessary
Section Guides
- From Power St, the trail runs through Grace Park along a tree-lined path. At Hilda Cres it becomes a wide, concrete shared path that takes you past tennis courts and Glenferrie Oval, former home of the Hawthorn Football Club, as you head north. At Chrystobel Cres the path becomes narrow and the surface deteriorates markedly through L.E. Bray Park, suggesting the asphalt may pre-date the closure of the line in 1957.
- Play equipment and trees now fill the rest of the railway corridor. The trail culminates in a service lane near Hawthorn Grove, with the railway easement across the road fenced off in a long-dormant housing development site. Former VicRoads office towers on Denmark St now occupy the site of the Kew station but are earmarked for demolition.
The rail trail entry off Power St, Hawthorn, with Belgrave/Lilydale lines to the right [2023]
Admiring the gum trees along the trail outside Glenferrie Oval, Hilda Cres, Hawthorn [2023]
Riding up through L.E. Bray Park towards Hawthorn Grove, where the path is rather narrow
The classic Victorian station at Kew, with Xavier College in background. John Thompson Collection
The station site was the base for VicRoads, now earmarked for redevelopment [2023]
Public Transport
Metro operates three train services (Lilydale, Alamein and Belgrave) that stop frequently at Hawthorn Station, near the start of this trail. If you are walking, you can use the #609 PTV bus from the VicRoads stop in Denmark St to get you back to the same station. As always, bicycle carrying restrictions apply.
Refer to the PTV web page for map and timetables, or the navigation app of your choice.
Do you know of a bike hire or transportation service on this rail trail that should appear here? If so, let us know at admin@railtrails.org.au.
Information and Links
The trail is managed by Boroondara Council. To report any issues or problems please contact the council.
Contact Rail Trails Australia
To contact us about this rail trail, email vic@railtrails.org.au
Background Information
Traditional owners
We acknowledge the Woiworung people, the traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which the rail trail is built.
Rail line history
This short trail follows a branch line from Hawthorn to Kew that opened in 1887 and closed in 1957.
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2 reviews of “Hawthorn to Kew Rail Trail”
The difference between the first half of this trail (wide and smooth) and the northern part (narrow and bumpy) is amazing. It would be great if they could extend it through the California Hotel site when that is finally redeveloped.
I walked this trail this morning with my mother (Saturday 14th March 2015) – it is too short to ride it. The trail passes through a lovely part of Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs, with a mixture of old grand houses and modern apartments on the sides of the parklands/trail. The trail is in good condition, especially through Grace Park – and the LE Bray Reserve is a great park. We took a detour and walked through Glenferrie oval – good to see the old football ground is in a reasonable state. The trail is in a great location, nearby to cafe and restaurant strips along Glenferrie Rd, Burwood Rd and Powers St. Lucky for the locals that live nearby.