Murray Brothers Review: Edge into Luge

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

The Edge is the original mountain biking trail in the Craigieburn area. Like its name suggests it has moments of exposure and isn’t for the faint of heart.

Not for the faint hearted

It’s not as technically challenging as the Cheeseman Down Hill mountain biking track, but it makes up for it in scree slopes and views. It was originally a hiking trail that people could use to access the Craigieburn private huts located in the forest near the ski field. Please ride with respect as there can be families on the trail or staying in the huts just near the top of the trail.

Finding the Edge Mountain Biking Trail

To access the Edge pedal up to the Craigieburn Ski Road from the locked gate at the bottom. It’s quite a grunt in places but choose an easy gear to spin away and tick off the elevation. It’s worth noting that the Porters Shuttles now have access to the Craigieburn Road so if you fancy giving the legs a little rest jump onboard that option.

Once you arrive at the ski field carpark continue up to the base of the first rope tow ski lift. At the base of that lift you’ll find the start of the trail crossing an icy fresh stream and sidling along a scree slope before disappearing into the forest.

The Edge Biking Terrain

The trail building community have been busy and have widened or improved the trail in a lot of places. Be careful crossing the gullies and streams as they’re often steep and rocky. There are a few little pinch climbs, but the trail is mostly downhill and allows you to get up to fast flowy speed in places.

After 3.6km of proper mountain adventure you will find yourself at the junction of the Lyndon Saddle trail and the Edge. You can either continue for a few minutes down the trail finishing back to the Craigieburn Road, or, our favorite option is to pedal up to Lyndon Saddle and drop down the Luge trail.

The Luge is an absolute classic. It’s not too steep but has plenty of technical roots to keep you on your game. It's arguably the best trail in the area. If ‘rough flow’ were a thing then this would be it's pinnacle. It winds through beech forest before depositing you across a creek and onto the Broken River ski road with a guaranteed smile. From here it’s a short roll back down the gravel road to Mistletoe Flat or you can climb up the road to Access Dicksons and Dracophyllum Flat trails.