Cycling freindly Regional towns.

[martinjs]

Another idea I have, to post towns or regional city's that are cycling friendly.

Wagga Wagga, lots of cycling events and have good cycling infrastructure with more in the development stages.

Mildura, we have a time share there that we have been going to for over 20 years. Plenty of cycling paths, good weather, good shops and plenty of cyclists.

Bendigo, it's were I was born and grew up, cycling has all was been pretty good there good cycling paths, weathers not bad, it has hills and plenty of cyclists. Also notice last time I was back there visiting family the cafe cycling crowd. (not sure if that's good or bad. )
http://www.cyclingbendigo.com.au/


My home town of Leeton has a few shared paths and a small group of cyclist and on the whole cars treat us pretty well.

Martin

[martinjs]

Forgot to mention, Mildura and Leeton have lots of winery in easy riding distance of town and Bendigo has some as well but they are spread out more.

Martin

[sogood]

Looking for nice smooth and wide country roads, with very low general traffic.

[martinjs]

Albury/Wodonga has lot's of bike paths, good amount of cyclist and a few hills in as well also some winery's.

Mildura is probably the best combination of good wide roads, good weather (apparently better weather and less rain all year around than the Gold Coast) Traffic although it has plenty of through traffic from Sturt Highway and the Calder is still very quiet compared to the Cities.

Love Mildura, almost a second home.

Martin

[avalon]

The Adelaide Hills have a lot of good cycling roads and it is possible to avoid the busy main roads with the help of a good map. Lots of cyclists around at the weekend.

[Mustang]

Sunshine Coast has lots of wide verges & smooth roads. Just rains a lot

[martinjs]

Sunshine Coast has lots of wide verges & smooth roads. Just rains a lot

Didn't think it was very regional, I thought Sunshine coast, Brisbane and the Gold coast were pretty much joining up, or will be soon.

Don't live there so I'm just asking the question.

Please feel free to educate me.

Martin

[Cardy George]

Mildura is probably the best combination of good wide roads, good weather (apparently better weather and less rain all year around than the Gold Coast) Traffic although it has plenty of through traffic from Sturt Highway and the Calder is still very quiet compared to the Cities.

+1 The highways Martin mentioned have huge (1m+) shoulders on them, so even if you do ride them there is heaps of room. Go off the beaten track and it gets better, less traffic, and when a car does appear from behind, 9 times out of 10 they are well and truly on the other side of the road as they go past. In Mildura itself things are slowly improving with plenty of bike lanes and we've just recently scored bike lockers.

Let me know when you're in town Martin and we'll go for a cruise

[ruscook]

Wangaratta has the Murray Rail Trail. Goes to Bright and/or Beechworth.

Clare in SA has the Riesling and Rattler trails. Great easy family riding - within Wineries

Broken Hill is fine but look for the b-doubles. They'll give you plenty of room if nothing is coming the other way. They physically can't if there's oncoming traffic.

Martin, what's Griffith like? I went through there 3 weeks back on the way to the Clare but didn't get chance to ride it at all.

[martinjs]

Mildura is probably the best combination of good wide roads, good weather (apparently better weather and less rain all year around than the Gold Coast) Traffic although it has plenty of through traffic from Sturt Highway and the Calder is still very quiet compared to the Cities.

+1 The highways Martin mentioned have huge (1m+) shoulders on them, so even if you do ride them there is heaps of room. Go off the beaten track and it gets better, less traffic, and when a car does appear from behind, 9 times out of 10 they are well and truly on the other side of the road as they go past. In Mildura itself things are slowly improving with plenty of bike lanes and we've just recently scored bike lockers.

Let me know when you're in town Martin and we'll go for a cruise

Not a problem, it's usually the first week of the new year, but I'll try and remember to remind you when it gets closer to time.

Martin

[penseleit]

Yass/Gunning/Boorowa/Cowra region is really nice cycling are if you don't mind longer rides.

Lots of very quiet back roads to explore, although many are gravel at least in part.

It is really a sort of undiscovered cycling wonderland, at least in my opinion.

[LHT]

All the towns along the Murray are good, shame about the B400 connecting them though.

Port Lincoln is quite good.
Goolwa to Victor Harbour SA is just excellent!!!

All the towns around the SW and cape areas of WA are fairly cycle friendly so far.

[drubie]

A shout out for New England in NSW.

OK, It's as cold as Australia gets in winter in Armidale, but there are lots of enthusiastic clubs in the region, plenty of hills to climb, lots of variety of rides (ride by yourself, race roadies or MTB's, touring, the Audax thing is pretty big in Inverell, triathlons etc.). There is a healthy culture of travelling around to different towns for organised inter-club events or charity rides.

Most of the towns have cycle ways of varying quality, the roads are generally quiet and free of prime movers (with the exception of the New England Highway, which is a goat track of end to end semi trailers on bad days).

Drivers are generally tolerant if a little slow - malice levels are tiny compared to Sydney (I've been here about 6 years after 11 in Sydney). Most places are small enough that cycling to work is faster than driving if you live in town. Compared to Sydney, it's veritable cyclists paradise.

[DrJay]

I work in Orange about 4 days a week at the moment, moving up here next January.

I've got a Schwinn I got from KMart here, and the riding is lovely. It's as cold as Armidale I'd wager, and there are some great hills. I should be going for a ride in the morning if I can get the tyre back on the bike, should be about 6 or 7 degrees, which I like, although I'm going to have to find by beanie soon.

NIce ride is up Pinnacle, tops out about 1120 metres with a lovely rolling descent, but the last 2km of 10% grade I find pretty hard on this bike. Well, probably on any bike really.

[Bloodywind101]

The South West of Victoria is good, there is a rail trail from Camperdown via Cobden to Timboon, Warrnambool has several riding trails.

[stinhambo]

Cairns is not cycle friendly which is shocking considering our climate for 9 months of the year and the beautiful places that one can get to and the time it takes to get out into the country.

I wish the MPs and council would visit some of these places to see what could be done. The tablelands could be a cycling mecca if they made it safer.

Oh well grumble grumble.

[grasshopper]

Bright - hills, flats, lovely drivers, ice cream, brewery.

[stinhambo]

Bright - hills, flats, lovely drivers, ice cream, brewery.

Where's that?

[clackers]

It's at the base of the Victorian High Country ... excellent place to visit during the summer.

It's also the start of a generous asphalt bike path going all the way to Beechworth and Wangaratta.

And on its gorgeous golf course you're teeing off with mountains in the background.

[Pickles]

I am currently in Albany for the silly season. We have been coming down for a few years and have primarily been sticking to the shared paths on the mtb with the kids and the father-in-law around Middleton beach and Emu Point. I brought the road bike for the first time and have been riding a fair bit around town. There are dedicated bike lanes on the roads and the traffic is pretty co-operative. You just need to keep an eye out for Britz camper vans.

There are a couple of decent bike shops to stock up on tubes and other consumables. They also have a decent range of bikes with a strong focus on DH mtb due to the Mt Clarence DH track http://www.wamba.org.au/gps/Albany.gpx

There are plenty of coffee shops as well for those addicted to the bean.

If you don't want to bring your bike and happy to ride something heavier then you can hire a bike with Albany Bike hire at Middleton beach http://www.albanygateway.com.au/details ... -hire.html

There is a cycling brochure for the town which is a pretty good resource to see some of the sites in town. http://www.albany.wa.gov.au/download/67 ... albany.pdf

The only drawback can be the weather but you just have to be prepared for it.

[WarrenH]

Wagga Wagga, lots of cycling events and have good cycling infrastructure with more in the development stages.

I visited the Wagga Wagga region last weekend to check out some of the TSRs and lagoons on the northern floodplains of the Murrumbidgee River as potential places to visit and camp when cycle touring this coming Autumn. Over the last two years I've cycled a fair bit along the Murrumbidgee River visiting the Travelling Stock Routes and Reserves, from the Frost Plains of the Northern Alps, across the Yass Plains and the SW Slopes and now into the Eastern Riverena. The TSRs north of Wagga were some of the most beautiful that I have visited especially at Eunony Lagoon/Broman Lagoon.





Using the unformed roads and the traditional campsites on the TSRs is a most underutilized resource for touring cyclists. I have The Long Paddock, the atlas and directory of the TSRs in NSW ... which is a big help to finding these not often visited places.

I liked the flat roads on the floodplains which was something I haven't experienced for many years ... and I liked it. I saw many roadies enjoying the back roads north of Wagga Wagga. More riders on a weekend than I would see in Canberra.

Warren.

[clackers]

My wife and I were in Warrnambool last month, and it's also quite good for casual cycling - lanes in the town itself, and you can ride a great sweep of the foreshore on a two-way path.

[toppity]

Warragul in west Gippsland has a great bike culture. I've written about before on BNA. Daily group rides catering for all different levels. Heaps of participation. They have a very good outdoor velodrome. Two very good LBS's and great roads to ride on. Every style of riding is catered for from flat to ultrasteep road riding, MTB trails and Track. Great culture and great people.

[zephy]

cool topic, travelling around I notice RV Friendly town signs I think part of and instigated by the Caravan and MotorHome Club of Australia? where they provide things like low cost (or free) overnight facilities for visitors to park up, dump points and the like encouraging people to visit and stop.... anyhow often thought it'd be good to have Cycling Friendly town signs about with things like dedicated bike lanes, maps or signs around town for visiting cyclists to follow, perhaps a camp spot or two, bike racks etc..... what would be your idea of a Cycling Friendly town? what facilities would they have?

for me a little extra width of road linking towns would be a good idea.....

[martinjs]

Wagga Wagga, lots of cycling events and have good cycling infrastructure with more in the development stages.

I visited the Wagga Wagga region last weekend to check out some of the TSRs and lagoons on the northern floodplains of the Murrumbidgee River as potential places to visit and camp when cycle touring this coming Autumn. Over the last two years I've cycled a fair bit along the Murrumbidgee River visiting the Travelling Stock Routes and Reserves, from the Frost Plains of the Northern Alps, across the Yass Plains and the SW Slopes and now into the Eastern Riverena. The TSRs north of Wagga were some of the most beautiful that I have visited especially at Eunony Lagoon/Broman Lagoon.






Using the unformed roads and the traditional campsites on the TSRs is a most underutilized resource for touring cyclists. I have The Long Paddock, the atlas and directory of the TSRs in NSW ... which is a big help to finding these not often visited places.

I liked the flat roads on the floodplains which was something I haven't experienced for many years ... and I liked it. I saw many roadies enjoying the back roads north of Wagga Wagga. More riders on a weekend than I would see in Canberra.

Warren.

Great photo's

Martin