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Victorian
Tours and Rides:
Bushranger Bikes offers fantastic cycling and
amazing adventures in the Victorian High Country and world
renowned Wine Regions and Gold fields each year in Autumn
and Spring. In both seasons the colours are pure
magic, the weather is crisp and clear, the historic towns
absolutely beautiful, the people friendly, the cycling inspirational
and the wine, food and produce fantastic, fresh, yummy and a
real bonus!
Plus there is every chance we
will get to play in the snow on the top of Mount Buffalo,
where the scenery is literally breathtaking, as is the ride
down!
Our tours are a little bit
indulgent with great food and fantastic accommodation, nice
and relaxed cycling with some opportunities to stretch or
challenge yourself - if you want to - and a load of fun.
Click on the links below to
find out more about our back country cycling adventures in
Victoria.
Autumn
Spring
Click here
for Rail Trail media.
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Spring -
Mountains to the Mighty
Murray - the lure of Ned Kelly, Wine & Gold - Adventures and Cycling in the
Victorian High Country!
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Next tour -
14 to 22
October
2010
- Fantastic
cycling and wine!
Spring Tour Overview:
E-mail
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au
Our Mountains to the Murray, Ned Kelly, Wine and Gold back
country cycling adventure is rated
Grade 2
- easy to intermediate, with great cycling, fantastic
scenery, and loads of fun and produce sampling.
Spring is an
Explosion of Colour and perfume - Bright - North Eastern
Victoria.
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Summary:
The
Murray to Mountains (M2M)
is Victoria's best rail trail, and
arguably the best in Australia.
Bushranger Bikes runs a 8 night/9
day Spring tour to this fantastic region of
Australia taking in the delights of
the North Eastern Victoria high
country, including 2 nights stay in
both beautiful alpine Bright and fantastic
historic Beechworth, a night in
gourmet Milawa and a night in
epicurean Rutherglen - vine & wine
central.
This
region is the land of
vineyards, tobacco, hops, berries
and bakeries and an
abundance of local produce is
waiting to be sampled.
Plus we
then travel to vibrant, colourful
and historic Bendigo to ride the
O'Keefe rail trail plus some local
tracks and trails around the city -
perfect. This is a Gold town
and the spring wild flowers and city
gardens still reflect the wealth of
this booming regional centre.
Accommodation will
be in high quality boutique
establishments with an emphasis on
something different or historic, and
the food is fantastic - a
trade mark of Bushranger Bikes
tours.
Spring colour - cruising the Murray
to Mountains Rail Trail - North Eastern
Victoria.
Some Details:
This
tour runs from Bright in the North
Eastern Victorian high country to
the mighty Murray River - Ned Kelly
country - following the rail, wine
and food trail down the Alpine Way
to Milawa and Wangaratta. Then we
pick up some quiet back country
roads that will lead us through to
the vineyards of Rutherglen and a
new section of the rail trail that
runs to Wahgunyah on the Murray
River and the NSW boarder.
This section of the tour, including
additional rides in Bright and
Beechworth, is approximately 200kms
of fantastic and relaxing adventure
cycling at its best!
Then
its a transfer through to the
historic city of Bendigo where gold
and wine continue to shape the
culture and landscape. Bendigo
is a city of colour with amazing
flower displays and also a vibrant
student and education centre with
good shopping and historic
architecture. We spend two
nights in Bendigo and ride the
O'Keefe Rail Trail and some of the
local tracks and trails around and
through town - fantastic. In
spring there is a floral colour
explosion so get your camera ready.
The Murray to Mountains rail trail
is fully bitumen surfaced and the gradients are
kind, which makes for fantastic
cycling. The
leisure days in both Beechworth and
Bright offer and opportunity to explore
(and shop) in
and around these beautiful historic
towns. Both towns offer some
fantastic scenery, historic
buildings and fantastic shopping and
food - all easily accessible on foot
or by
bike. In Beechworth a
highlight is riding the Beechworth
Gorge road and visiting local
vineyards, whilst Bright offers
trails beside the Ovens River, great
shopping, and a side trip up Mount
Buffalo with an awesome gravity
assisted 26km ride down.
The
O'Keefe Rail Trail and Bendigo
tracks will provide another 30kms+
of great cycling through eucalypt
forest and wild flowers on well
graded gravel trails. The
birds and kangaroos will be your
constant companions and you may even
see the occasional fox.
At
this time of the year the new spring
growth and flower displays, crisp
clear days and nights and the
possibility of just a little snow on
Mt Buffalo and the surrounding
mountains (Bogong, Hotham and
Feathertop) provide awesome scenery
and magic memories.
All
our tours to this region include
visits
to great local vineyards and a
chance to check out local produce
including olives, cheeses and
mustards - food heaven!
Our
tours to North Eastern Victoria and
Bendigo are simply magic!
The magic of the vines -
Gapsted, Alpine Way, North
Eastern Victoria
E-mail
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au
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Autumn -
Murray to Mountains Rail Trail - Cycling in
Ned Kelly's Footsteps - the
Victorian High Country!
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Next tour
-
20 to 27 May
2011(dates to be confirmed to coincide with the annual
Beechworth Harvest Festival)
- The Awesome Autumn Tour!
Autumn Tour Overview:
E-mail
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au
This Bushranger Bikes back country adventure cycling tour in
the Victorian High Country (Murray to Mountains Rail
Trail) and the
Yarra River Trail (Melbourne) is run in Autumn each year. These
tour are rated a nice and easy
Grade 2
- easy to intermediate.
Autumn & Spring are an
Explosion of Colour - Beechworth - North Eastern
Victoria.
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Summary:
This is Ned Kelly country and you
can't explore it with anyone better
than Bushranger Bikes. One of
our regular guides is even a
relative of a Kelly Gang member!
The
Murray to Mountains (M2M)
is Victoria's best rail trail, and
arguably the best in Australia.
Bushranger Bikes runs a 7 night/8
day Autumn tour to this fantastic region of
Australia taking in the delights of
the North Eastern Victoria high
country.
Starting in Wangaratta/Rutherglen and
heading up the Alpine Valley on
the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail
we include 2 nights stay in
both fantastic
historic Beechworth and beautiful
Bright, allowing plenty of time to
explore. This is the land of
vineyards, berries, tobacco, hops
and bakeries and an
abundance of local produce is
waiting to be sampled. We also
include a day on the fantastic
Main
Yarra River trail which offers a
great contrast to the M2M trail and
an opportunity to ride right into vibrant
Federation Square and Melbourne city.
Accommodation will
be in unique, good quality, boutique
establishments with an emphasis on
something different or historic, and
the food is fantastic - a
trade mark of Bushranger Bikes
tours.
Beautiful Bright - North Eastern
Victoria.
Some Details:
The Murray to Mountains rail trail
and Main Yarra Trail are
mostly fully bitumen surfaced (there
are some well graded gravel sections
on the Yarra Trail) and the gradients are
kind, which makes for fantastic
cycling. On the rail trail we
will cover a distance of just over
100KMs in two days of cycling plus a
leisure day in both Beechworth and
Bright to explore in
and around these beautiful historic
towns can add another 50kms cycling. Both towns offer some
fantastic scenery, historic
buildings and fantastic shopping and
food - all easily accessible on foot and on the
bike. In Beechworth a
highlight is riding the Beechworth
Gorge road and visiting local
vineyards, whilst Bright offers
trails beside the Ovens River, great
shopping, and a side trip up Mount
Buffalo with an awesome gravity
assisted 26km ride down.
Main Yarra Trail - The
final ride on this tour is a great
adventure on
the bike ways following the Yarra
River (42kms) into vibrant and cosmopolitan Melbourne city
and Federation Square and is a real
contrast to the countryside and
scenery of the Victorian high country.
Our May tours take
advantage of the
brilliant changing colours and
and crisp days and nights of Autumn
in this beautiful region
of Australia and if timing permits, an
opportunity to visit local festivals
like the
Beechworth Harvest Festival.
All
our tours to this region include visits
to award winning local vineyards
like Brown
Brothers Winery at Milawa and
Gapsted Wines in the Alpine Valley, and a
chance to check out local produce
including delicious berries, olives, cheeses and
mustards - food heaven!
Our
tours to North Eastern Victoria and
the Yarra are simply magic!
Beechworth Gorge - Beechworth, North
Eastern Victoria
E-mail
info@bushrangerbikes.com.au
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News Articles about the trail:
- Click Here
The Sunday Telegraph
writer,
Veronica Matheson
wrote a feature article on the Murray to Mountains trail -
Trailblazing in Kelly
country,
December 11, 2005
Check out what she had to
say - click here!
Simon Troman sampled the delights of the Murray
to the Mountains Rail Trail on a trip he titled 'a
tasting tour'. Simon commented that 'this was a
marvellous trip with views, atmosphere, wine and food'.
Check out his article in the Jan - Feb edition of
Australian Cyclist magazine.
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Trailblazing in Kelly Country
By Veronica Matheson,
The Sunday Telegraph
December 11, 2005
CRUISING
along the much-lauded waterways of France is a popular
tourist pastime. Holidaymakers spend their nights in a canal
boat, then hop on a bike by day to explore the countryside.
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Paths of glory ...
cyclists enjoy stunning views off the beaten track |
Markets,
vineyards, and tempting food are essential to the daytime
pedalling experience.
But,
while north-eastern Victoria has no canals, the region has
plenty to offer with sparkling, clean rivers, historic towns
including places where bushranger Ned Kelly once roamed, a
stunning mountain backdrop and a magical rail trail for
tourists.
Defunct
railway lines have become safe bike paths where cyclists
have no problems weaving in and out of traffic to explore
breathtaking scenery in the alpine foothills to Mount
Buffalo and Mount Feathertop.
It is an
out-of-town experience where holidaymakers become fit
without knowing it, while feasting on the freshest produce
the area can provide, trying local wines and bedding down in
an eclectic range of accommodation.
The route
is along 98km of trails connecting Wangaratta with
Beechworth, Myrtleford and Bright.
The
Beechworth and Ovens Valley railway lines were the first
branch lines built in country Victoria. The first train to
Beechworth was in 1876 and the last in 1977; and the first
train to Bright headed out in 1890; and the last in 1983.
At the
same time, the Ovens Valley railway line was used for
passenger services until 1952 and continued goods services
until the 1980s.
Some of
the old train stations have been converted into shelters
with toilet stops and drinking water for the rail trail
bikers.
Cycling
along the well-surfaced, and meandering rail trails doesn't
have to be a race, more a fun experience, or a get-together
of friends who travel at a relaxed pace.
The rail
trail has attracted more than 40,000 users in the past 12
months, with 99 per cent taking to the trail on bicycles,
either touring and staying in different places each night or
taking day trips along the trail from a central location.
While in
north-eastern Victoria, there are many more ways to extend
the holiday. For starters, it is possible to catch a bus to
the top of Mount Buffalo and ride back down by bike, or take
a break for a river swim, or a mountain walk or do a spot of
fishing for the next meal.
Many
consider the ride from Beechworth to Everton one of the most
seductive rides in Victoria. A highlight of the 15km rail
trail ride is that it is all downhill and passes through
native bushland.
It takes
about 35 minutes, but can be much longer if stopping off to
check out the flora (the scent of soaring gums adds to the
experience) and fauna (cockatoos, kingfishers and rabbits
are plentiful, as are noisy magpies).
A further
excuse to dawdle is a much-needed stop at Pennyweight
Winery's inviting cellar door to sample the organic wines.
Pennyweight's back gate is right on the Rail Trail, 5km out
of Beechworth; details at
www.pennyweight.com.au
Also
handy to the rail trail is Gapsted Wines, which provides an
opportunity to sample great antipasti platters as well as
checking out the cellar door. Jazz on Sundays; see
http://www.gapstedwines.com.au/
A good
diversion is to head to Milawa for cheese, mustards,
berries, olives, and the wine treats at Brown Brothers.
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