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Trail - The Great Victorian Rail Trail Location - Tallarook to Mansfield, Victoria, Australia Distance - 134 km one way Terrain - Compacted sand and fine gravel. Difficulty - Easy to moderate with a few long, steady climbs. Highlights - Reaching the top of any of the long climbs. Suitable for - Mountain bikes, touring bikes, walkers and horse riders. Websites and maps - The Great Victorian Rail Trail, Ride High Country and RailTrails Australia. The Great Victorian Rail Trail We have just passed a small group of cyclists in their late 50's or early 60's. They are riding bicycles which can only be described as archaic. One of the bikes is an antique - something you might find at the back of the shed where it is has been quietly rusting away for the past half century or so. The group has only two bottles of water between six people The guy riding the antique is wearing long pants, not the lycra ones you see cyclists wear in cold weather, but a pair of chinos more suited to a night out at the pub than a long cycle in Australia. A couple of the other riders are also dressed in street wear - long pants, shirts and jumpers. They are laughing and joking as they navigate, slowly and unsteadily, the long decline from Eglington Cutting toward Cathkin. The antique guy wearing the chinos claims to have no brakes. David somewhere along the long steady decline from the Eglington Cutting toward Cathkin. It might look flat in this photo but trust me it isn't. They stop and ask us how far it is to Yarck. They began their cycle at Alexandra with the intention of doing a return ride to Yarck. It is already mid-afternoon and although there must be five hours of daylight left I wonder whether they can make it. It is only about 12 kms to Yarck (I mistakenly think it is a lot further) but this means they have almost 30 kms to cycle altogether - and they have made a rookie mistake. They have started from the wrong end of the trail, setting themselves the task of doing the hardest part of the cycle, the climb from Cathkin back up to Eglington Cutting, at the end of their ride. (Refer here to Rule 5 of my Six Essential Rules of Holiday Cycling). By the time they reach the beginning of the climb they will be tired and worn out. I express my concerns as diplomatically as I can but they laugh them off. The 'antique' guy says he'll make Yarck and back or die trying. If we pass someone later sprawled out beside the trail, utterly exhausted, he says it will be him. We wave goodbye, with David and I in admiration of their sense of adventure, if not their good sense. I wonder whether they will make it! If you have ever wondered why I don't post a lot of photos of myself, the answer is because most of the time I look exhausted. This photo was taken at the beginning of the ride so I don't look worn out for once. Before the completion of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, the Great Victorian Rail Trail was once Australia's longest rail trail, running from Tallarook (96 kms north of Melbourne) to Mansfield, with a side trail to Alexandra about half way along. The whole trail is 134 km. Altogether we spend three days cycling the trail, broken up into manageable sections. As usual we miss out almost as much as we actually cycle. Refer here to my post on The Otago Rail Trail and A Universal Truth. We have plans to return later this year or next so keep an eye out for Part 2 of this post. Tallarook to Kerrisdale - 40 km return This is the prettiest section of the trail. For much of the time the path runs next to the Goulburn River through countryside classified by the National Trust for its scenery. This section of the rail trail is almost completely flat. We start at the Kerrisdale end but it makes no difference to the ride which end you begin at. Looking across at the Goulburn River. Parts of Australia are so green from the unusally heavy rainfall in the last year I barely recognize them. There are very few facilities along this part of the trail. Tallarook is something of a cafe desert, although we cycle past one small cafe near the railway station. If you are desperate you might get a pie or something in the town itself. Although The Trawool Valley Resort 16 kms from Tallarook has a website which says it serves lunch, I suggest you read the TripAdvisor reviews before planning to either stay or eat there. David, studying the map at Tallarook - I'm pretty sure he is adding up the distances back to where we parked the car. Cathkin to Alexandra - 26km return This is the part of the trail where we meet the group riding the antique bikes. It might be shorter than the section from Tallarook to Kerrisdale but it is more demanding. The first few kilometres out of Cathkin are flat and easy, after which the trail begins to climb. This is one of those never-ending climbs - about 8 kms in all. It isn't difficult but it is unrelenting. Every bend brings with it the promise of the top of the hill and every bend save the last one, disappoints. At the high point is a wooden picnic table where we catch our breath and admire the views before the welcome downhill run into Alexandra. The view from the top. Although the return cycle from Alexandra begins with an uphill section of a few kilometres, once we conquer the climb it is freewheeling all the way to Cathkin. There is definitely a right direction and a wrong direction in which to tackle this ride, especially if you start out late, aren't well prepared and intend to cycle to Yarck or beyond. If you are hiring bikes then you will probably have to begin at Alexandra - Cathkin is a name on a map and not much else. Just make sure you leave yourself plenty of time and energy to tackle that long uphill on the way home. Alexandra has lots of cafes, making it a great turn around point. We have a picnic lunch with us so I can't give you a recommendation but one or two of them look lovely. Yea to the Cheviot Tunnel - 17 kms return I confess I have a soft spot for tunnels and bridges. They are always interesting. I once lost David in a long, dark rail trail tunnel in New Zealand - click here for the story of how it happened. The Cheviot Tunnel is 201 metres (660 feet) long. Built in 1889 it was the longest rail tunnel in Victoria. I don't want to leave the Great Victorian Rail Trail without cycling through the tunnel so on our last morning we park the car at Yea and cycle to the tunnel and back. Yea is one of the larger towns in the area with plenty of accommodation and other services. The trail goes straight through town, making it a useful overnight stop for anyone cycling the whole trail. Coming up to the Cheviot Tunnel The Cheviot Tunnel Bridges are fun too. This one is just outside Yea. David adding up distances on the map again - this time in Yea. If you would like to follow our travels, check back each week or enter your email address in the 'Never miss a post: Follow by email' box in the right hand sidebar just below my profile picture.

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The Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail runs for 83 kms from Wangaratta to Bright, in Victoria. Add in a couple of side trips and you can cycle for 106 kms - all on off-road sealed paths. This has to be Australia's premier rail trail. David and I first cycled part of it with our then young sons in 2003. Since then we have returned again and again. If you want an easy, scenic introduction to long distance cycling or just some pleasant half day rides, the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail is perfect. One day soon I will write a guide to the trail, but for now we're too busy pedalling. All you get today is photos. ( I finally wrote the guide click here to read it.) We timed our visit to coincide with the Bright Flower Festival, probably the prettiest time of year to cycle the trail. We aren't tackling the whole trail, just dipping our toes in the best bits. A heads up here - all the really lovely countryside is between Everton and Bright. Bright to Porepunkah One of the prettiest sections of the trail is right in Bright The trail runs beside lots of quirky little gardens and farms. Mum and Dad taking the kids for a walk. I have no idea whether this guy is a llama or an alpaca, but he was cute. We didn't eat here but it did look inviting. Eurobin to Myrtleford The old Eurobin Station is an easy place to park the car and do a short scenic section of the trail. From here it doesn't matter which way you go. Both directions are interesting. This place had some fascinating old things - a real trip down memory lane, ruined only a little by the fact that I got a puncture nearby. This was taken between Eurobin and Porepunkah on an earlier trip. It is a great display, don't you think. Harrietville Harrietville isn't strictly on the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail, but I really wanted to put these photos of waratahs in. The waratah is the Floral Emblem of New South Wales. The first photo is easily recognizable but the flowers in the second photo are also waratahs. I am yet to meet a kangaroo who isn't as curious about me as I am about him. Click on the following links for my reviews on Victorian bike trails: - Falls Creek - Historic Huts and Aqueducts The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail The East Gippsland Rail Trail The Bennetts Trail - Bright to Wandiligong

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Location - North-east Victoria. From Bright to Wangaratta and Milawa Side Trails - Everton Station to Beechworth (16km one way) and Bright to Wandiligong (11 kms one way) Ride - The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail Distance - More than 100 km (one way) Terrain - Sealed and separate from the road for the whole way Difficulty - Easy Highlights - Cycling past the gardens in and around Bright. Website and map - Click here My tip - Visit in Spring, during the Bright Spring Festival and combine your cycling with visits to some of the beautiful open gardens. Murray to Mountains Rail Trail The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail in north-east Victoria is Australia's premier rail trail. Very much at the vanguard of cycle tourism, the trail has been overwhelmingly successful in attracting visitors to the area and encouraging the growth of a variety of local businesses which cater to the needs of rail trail users. David and I first cycled the trail with our young boys almost twenty years ago. We had free bikes provided by a motel and, frankly, they were awful so we didn't get far, but despite faulty gears and dragging brakes we had a wonderful family holiday. In the intervening years, we have returned again and again, watching new sections of the trail open, old sections improve and local businesses succeed and grow. Evidence of the success of the trail for local businesses. The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail is probably the best supported trail in Australia. It has trail-side accommodation, cafes, restaurants, wineries and bike shops as well as shuttle and bag moving services. If you are thinking of giving rail trail cycling or hiking a go this is a great place to start. Don't be put off by the distance, the trail can easily be tackled in sections. David and I rarely cycle more than 50 kms in a day. We base ourselves in one of the local towns, usually Bright, load the bikes on the car and start from a different point each day. If you want to see the trail at its scenic best, go in spring when the flowers are in bloom, and if you haven't got the whole 100kms in you, concentrate on the Bright end. The trail between Bright and Everton is lovely. Wandiligong to Bright - 5.5 km one way This is a magical ride. It was added to the trail a few years ago to connect the then beginning of the trail at Bright with Wandiligong, an old gold mining town. I have described this part of the trail in a separate blog post so I won't repeat myself here, but if you are based at Bright it makes for a great little excursion. Click here for my blog post on this section. Old world charm at Wandiligong Bright to Myrtleford - 30 km one way Easy, sealed and flat, this makes a lovely return ride. One way the ride takes about two hours. With lots of quaint little cafes in Myrtleford, we like to set out in the morning, have lunch at Myrtleford and then cycle back in the afternoon. Don't worry if the distance seems a bit daunting, Porepunkah just 6 km from Bright has the Rail Trail Cafe right beside the path where you can take a mid-cycle break, and there is no shortage of nearby wineries for a spot of wine-tasting or gourmet lunch. The old station at Eurobin about mid-way between Bright and Myrtleford has water, toilets and shade and oozes outback charm. An old gold stamping battery beside the trail at Myrtleford. Myrtleford to Everton - 26 km one way This part of the trail runs through farmland and native bushland. It is still scenic but less pretty and quaint than the Myrtleford to Bright and Bright to Wandiligong sections. It is a bit of a climb up to the site of the old station at Gapsted but nothing too difficult provided you don't hit it at the end of the day when you're tired. Does anyone recognize this? I think I took it in Everton. Everton to Wangaratta - 26 km one way This is our least favourite part of the trail. It has none of the charm of the other sections but knowing you cycled the entire trail is its own reward. Wangaratta is a significant regional town with all the accommodation, restaurants and bicycle shops you might want. The trail as it passes the old station at Eurobin between Bright and Myrtleford. Everton Station to Beechworth - 16 km From the old Everton Station site a side-trail climbs steadily up to Beechworth. This is the only part of the trail which has a significant gradient. Do you yourself a favour and start at the Everton end, that way it will be all downhill on the way home. Beechworth is Ned Kelly country. If you are interested in the early colonial history of Victoria there are more than enough period pubs, shops and museums to keep you amused for a day or so. The old Telegraph Office at Beechworth. We sent our son a telegraph from here - pity about the modern office chair. Wangaratta to Milawa - 18 km one way We haven't cycled this section of the trail. However the reviews I have read say it is flat and easy and a great ride if you like gourmet foods and wine. I want a bike like this - and don't tell me it isn't practical because I don't care! What do you think of my 'pretty in pink' dream bike? Click on the following links for my reviews on other Victorian bike trails: - Falls Creek - Historic Huts and Aqueducts The East Gippsland Rail Trail The Bennetts Trail - Bright to Wandiligong

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