First overnight ride - Suggestions

[Missem]

Hi,

Newly equipped with a touring bike and playing around with ideas about longer rides

Looking for suggestions of a 2 day tour to do in Vic with somewhere to camp (either bush or caravan park). Preferably mostly off-road or on quiet roads.

I was thinking the Goulburn river rail trail with overnight in Alexandra/Eildon?

Wondering how people do the logistics? is there a tour that is either a nice circuit or is between Vline stations? or do people just convince someone to come along and drive?

[Mike Ayling]

Lilydale along rail trail to Warburton (caravan park at Warby) or another 20km up to Upper Yarra Reservoir. Toilets, hot shower and if you are lucky the micro wave in the shelter hall will be working for about $7 per night.

Mike

[Freddy Frankenfurter]

Some of my favorites in Victoria involving vline are:

- vline to woodend, ride out via the wombat state Forrest then south to the Brisbane ranges, camp there overnight, and then ride through to Geelong or somewhere along that line to Melbourne

- vline to Colac, ride south through Forrest and then up through the rain Forrest up to beach Forrest, camp at one of the waterfall campgrounds or the red wood trees, then come back the next day via the railtrail. Also good in reverse.

- vline to camperdown, ride down to port Campbell, either stay there or across to Princetown, then back up to camperdown via alternate route the next day.

- vline to kyenton, ride through daylesford, Hepburn springs, camp somewhere, then over to Ballarat the next day

And i found the goulburn rail trail a little dull. If you want a magical ride, try circumnavigating lake eildon. I parked in eildon and went anti clockwise, through Jameson, up to Mansfield, turned south at Bonnie doon, and back across to eildon. Views were spectacular.

Anyways I've just listed some of my favorites. There are plenty of others in the state.

Bikely.com is a good search tool.

Happy to give more info or advise if you like.

Cheers

[WarrenH]

Missem, G'day.

Do you know the Western end of the Gippsland Lakes, on the Ninety Mile Beach side and the Lake Wellington shore, the McMillan Strait and Lake Victoria? Red Bluff, Lake Reeve, the town of Loch Sport and Sperm Whale Head? Red Bluff is a spectacular place to camp and so is the Loch Sport Marina (one or two tents only), next to the Loch Sport Holel so you can take in the Hotel's famous dinner-dance. You can circumnavigate Reeve Lake over two causeways.

The V/Line is Gippsland, alight at Sale. If you are a strong rider who likes distance take on Sperm Whale Head. If you have a fat-bike give the beach a real caning.

The road in, is tarmac, but there are plenty of bush tracks. All of the Gippsland Lakes are magic places to explore.

Don't forget your insect repellent and don't be put off by Google Maps showing nothing much (even in Terrain View). Google Earth shows a few more tracks ... but Vicmap's topos are the way to go.

Lake Victoria. Pelican Point is the lee shore.




Although this is Rigby Island, Reeve Channel, Barrier Landing and Bass Strait near Lakes Entrance, it is the archetypal Gippsland Lakes landscape.




Warren.

[Missem]

Thanks!

Some great ideas there.

I should mention, I do have a car too if there's options for starting/finishing at same spot.

I am familiar with gippsland, used to live down that way. I guess I hadnt really thought of touring down there (that was pre bike).

Emily

[il padrone]

If you don't mind a few hills (think scenery after all) then you could try this route out.

A 65kms round trip, Seymour to Avenel, then up to the delightful Strathbogies to Ruffy. Camping is quite good at the recreation area just out of town and you will have the marvelous Ruffy Produce Store for afternoon tea on arrival, or breakfast in the morning.




Return through the hills and valleys of Tarcombe and back down along Hughes Creek, one of the hidden gems of cycle touring roads. You can very easily tie this in with the V-line services to Seymour.






Or you cold do it in the reverse direction, with a shorter distance on the first day (but some respectable climbing into Ruffy), which is I think the way we did the ride.