Sydney-Melbourne

Bassobike2
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Sydney-Melbourne

Postby Bassobike2 » Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:51 am

Hi all, Flying in from cold Europe on 02 dec to Sydney with my trekking bike, I plan a 14 days bike tour with end destination Melbourne, on a 120 km / day basis. My first roadbook-idea is : Sydney, Wollongong, Goulburn, Canberra, Kosciusczko, Albury,Membourne. As I have not yet planned a fixed daily itinerary, I would appreciate all suggestions , and which places cannot be left out. Thanks, Rik

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Warin
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby Warin » Mon Nov 06, 2017 8:45 am

I would leave out;
Goulburn, little to attract you there.
Kosciusczko, dead end - you would have to ride back the way you came. Don't think bicycles are allowed on any of the walking tracks out of Kosciusczko?

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biker jk
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby biker jk » Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:20 am

Here's the Audax Sydney-Melbourne 1200 route which may be of interest.

https://ridewithgps.com/events/42793-20 ... ourne-1200

madmacca
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby madmacca » Wed Nov 08, 2017 9:22 am

Warin wrote:I would leave out;
Goulburn, little to attract you there.
Kosciusczko, dead end - you would have to ride back the way you came. Don't think bicycles are allowed on any of the walking tracks out of Kosciusczko?
The through route would be via Thredbo. A quick chairlift ride and a short walk to Kosciusko (or a longer walk) from there. Or the OP could ride to the top of the chairlift (very popular with MTBers) - but you are right, I think the immediate approaches to Kosciuszko are on foot or skis only.

robbo mcs
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby robbo mcs » Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:38 pm

madmacca wrote:
Warin wrote:I would leave out;
Goulburn, little to attract you there.
Kosciusczko, dead end - you would have to ride back the way you came. Don't think bicycles are allowed on any of the walking tracks out of Kosciusczko?
The through route would be via Thredbo. A quick chairlift ride and a short walk to Kosciusko (or a longer walk) from there. Or the OP could ride to the top of the chairlift (very popular with MTBers) - but you are right, I think the immediate approaches to Kosciuszko are on foot or skis only.
You can ride a bike to rawsons pass which is very close to kosciuszko, only a 20min walk from there. Bikes are not apermitted from there onwards, but they have racks to lock it up while you walk the last bit.

From the perisher side you can ride to charlottes pass which is normal road. From there to rawsons pass is a rubble walking track, MTB type trail, reasonably steep uphill. You can also get to rawsons pass from the thredbo side, up a lift to the top of thredbo then walking track which meets the other walking track at rawsons pass

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find_bruce
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby find_bruce » Wed Nov 08, 2017 9:11 pm

Robbo mcs, while you are correct, I think you & madmacca have missed Warin's point - once you get to kozzi, you have to backtrack to Jindabyne & go down the coastal roads or head back north to Khancoban to take the inland roads, making a big loop.

ie he doesn't think bikes are allowed on trails like the Mt Pinnebar Track, Tom Groggin track, Cascade trail etc which would take you through to Omeo

madmacca
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby madmacca » Thu Nov 09, 2017 2:02 pm

find_bruce wrote:Robbo mcs, while you are correct, I think you & madmacca have missed Warin's point - once you get to kozzi, you have to backtrack to Jindabyne & go down the coastal roads or head back north to Khancoban to take the inland roads, making a big loop.

ie he doesn't think bikes are allowed on trails like the Mt Pinnebar Track, Tom Groggin track, Cascade trail etc which would take you through to Omeo
Bikes are allowed on the Cascade Trail, but not on the Cowombat Track on the south side of the Victorian border that you would need to connect through to Omeo.

While the Alpine Way does head north towards Khancoban after descending from Dead Horse Gap, I wouldn't have called this backtracking, and certainly not a loop. The OP mentioned Canberra and Albury, so I am assuming he would be approaching the Snowies from Cooma.

But you've got me thinking - if you can ride to Rawson's Pass (rather than just Charlotte's pass), it is then only a few km along the steel mesh path to the Thredbo top station. I'm not sure if cycling is allowed on that path, but you would probably technically comply if you walked your bike along there (how tedious).

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Warin
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby Warin » Thu Nov 09, 2017 3:26 pm

I raised Mt Kosciusko as a problem because the OP may not realise that it is a dead end as far as bicycling goes. A trip of 14 days Syd to Melb, 120 km/day may not allow enough time for the suggested tracks around Kosciusko.

biker jk link is fairly helpfull.
Section 1 I would change to go Wollongong, Kiama and climb back to the course at Roberston.
Section 2 I would avoid the highway out of Canberra and use the dirt road of Boboyan Rd to Adaminaby.

There are lots of possibilities ... the OP should give hints on what they want/think so far.

-----------------------
Kosciusko from Charlotte Pass end is ~ 7.6km to Rawsons Pass .. only the first bit of this is suitable for a road bike.
Walking Rawsons Pass to Kosciusko ~1.6 km
Walking Kosciusko to Thredbo chair lift ~6.3 km I found the steel mesh walkway can be slippery. And there are some steps that can be hard to see while looking at the scenery ! :oops:

------------------
I find Mt Kosciusko not a particularly good tourist attraction .. apart from ticking some box it is not that scenic. Much better to see the War Memorial in Canberra.

madmacca
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby madmacca » Thu Nov 09, 2017 10:45 pm

Warin wrote:Walking Kosciusko to Thredbo chair lift ~6.3 km I found the steel mesh walkway can be slippery. And there are some steps that can be hard to see while looking at the scenery ! :oops:

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I find Mt Kosciusko not a particularly good tourist attraction .. apart from ticking some box it is not that scenic. Much better to see the War Memorial in Canberra.
There's gotta be a story there about the mesh. :)

The better bits of the Main Range are actually 2-3 hours north of Kosi, or the Rams Heads to the south (and west of the walkway).

Uncle Just
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby Uncle Just » Sat Nov 11, 2017 1:19 pm

I plan a 14 days bike tour with end destination Melbourne, on a 120 km / day basis. My first roadbook-idea is : Sydney, Wollongong, Goulburn, Canberra, Kosciusczko, Albury,Membourne. As I have not yet planned a fixed daily itinerary, I would appreciate all suggestions , and which places cannot be left out.
If you can ride 120kms a day and are very fit, like some dirt roads and climbing mountains this is my suggestion. I've based it on your daily km basis but some days are quite hard with lots of climbing.

Day 1 take the ferry from Cronulla to Bundeena and head through the National park to Wollongong. You'll go over the scenic Sea bridge not long after descending Stanwell Tops giving great views and then take the coastal path into the gong.
Day 2 either means getting up the escarpment via Macquarie Pass or take the probably steeper Jamberoo Mountain Road to Robertson and onto Bundanoon via Fitzroy Falls and Exeter. The latter route has far less traffic.
Day 3 follow the Highland Way to Marulan (you'll be on the busy Hume for just a few kms) then quiet roads south to Tarago and onto Bungendore.
Day 4 an easy ride into Canberra. Maybe a rest day to look around?
Day 5 head south on the Bobyan /Shannons Flat road to Cooma. A hard day but avoids the boring and potentially dangerous Monaro hwy.
Day 6 head to Thredbo via Jindabyne. You can take a break here and visit Kosciusko if the legs are tired from all the climbing and to visit the peak.
Day 8 follow the Alpine way to Corryong with a steep downhill to the confluence of Snowy Creek and the Murray River. More climbing over Scammells Spur and a fast run into Khancoban passing the Murray Hydro Power Station lookout. Personally I would avoid Albury as it is taking you away from several better tour routes into Melbourne.
So Day 9 follow the B400 and C533 via Allans Flat to Yackandandah, a lovely town.
Day 10 head for historic Beechworth then Myrtleford via Stanley and the fast descent down to the C527. Take the Lake Buffalo road to Whitfield with views to Mt Buffalo.
Day 11 a steep climb initially up to Whitlands and follow the road to Mansfield with great views over the King Valley to Mts Cobbler and Buller and onto Jamieson.
Day 12 if you are still feeling strong head south to remote Woods Point (the pub is good for a stay) but is a hard day and onto Warburton on day 13 via Cambarville and the Reefton Spur with an easy final day's ride via the trail trail to Lilydale then taking the train or use the bike paths into Melbourne.
Alternatively ride to Eildon from Jamieson then to Marysville. Day 13 head for the lovely Acheron Way and drop down from Cement Creek into Warburton and follow the rail trail to Lilydale. This gives you another day off for sightseeing or recuperating.


Good luck.

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WarrenH
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Re: Sydney-Melbourne

Postby WarrenH » Sun Nov 12, 2017 5:53 pm

Are you coming to see SE Oz by cycle touring or are you coming here to just ride 120 klicks a day?

If you are coming here to ride 120 klicks a day ... why not stay at home and ride around your block 12,000 times and save your bucks?

What will an International cyclist see of SE Oz, by riding 120 klicks a day? ... diddly squat?

Warren.

PS, Think about engaging with SE Australia. Catch a train to 'The Rock' railway station and then slowly meander to Melbourne. Climb 'The Rock Hill', too, while you're there.

PPS, I go to Albury several times a year to visit my family, and there is always a cyclist on the Hume. It is embarrassing to see them working so hard. None of them are Aussies. Go bush (on the back-tracks) young Grasshopper.

PPSS, if you really want a route at 120 klicks a day, ...take the train to Mittagong, go through the historic convict tunnel to the Wombeyan caves, and then go bush, Taralga over Mount Rae to Crookwell. Then head South. Go bush roads, don't go on the highway roads.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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