5 Day Bike Ride Wangaratta to Wodonga
Commenced 4th May 2015

Trip Summary
Day 1. Bus Melbourne to Wangaratta. Ride to Myrtleford via rail trail. 56km. Saddle time 3hrs.
Day 2. Ride to Bright via Buffalo Valley, Goldie Spur Track and Buckland Valley. 74km. Saddle time 6.5hrs.
Day 3. Ride to Mt Beauty via Tawonga Gap. 35km. Saddle time 3hrs.
Day 4. Ride to Tallangatta via side roads with little traffic. 70km. Saddle time 4hrs.
Day 5. Ride to Wodonga via rail trail (40km. Saddle time 2.5hrs) & train back to Melbourne.
A cycling distance of 275km. A pleasant and enjoyable ride.

All bus and train travel was free for 3 of us by using our Seniors travel vouchers.

Participants
Rick (the writer)
Noel
Kevin
Mike

Click here for thumbnails of photos. Click a thumbnail to view a photo and then “prev” or “next” at top LH and RH of screen to view other photos.

Highlights
Tackling and completing the Goldie Spur Track which is a rough access track following up and around the back of Mount Buffalo. We climbed up from 350m to 1,200m then across a ridge for a few km and then a very steep downhill into the Buckland Valley. So steep in parts that we had to walk and push the bikes up the track. Rain had made the downhill run very slippery in places. Made worse because the wind was very strong, sometimes in our face whilst riding uphill, we all carried full panniers, 2 of us had touring bikes, we all had smooth tyres, it rained off and on, it was freezing cold and very windy at the top. Total distance that day was 74km. Saddle time 6.5hrs. 8.5 out of 10 for difficulty.
This link shows the Goldie Spur Track profile.

Tee Shirts for Sale
$20 each. All proceeds to the Goldie Spur Track maintenance fund (it needs it).




Best Meal
The one Mike cooked for us in Mt Beauty. All other meals were good.

Technology Issues

  • Noel tried to track our progress each day using Strava but never got a full day recording.

  • I took an iPad with an off-line mapping application. It proved very useful a few times to check our position on the Goldie Spur Track.

Weather
Overcast most days and cold. Some drizzle and rain patches but not enough to be an issue. Except for the Goldie Spur Track, there were no significant head or tail winds.

Mishaps and Unexpected

  • When we got to Southern Cross station at 6.30 Monday morning, we discovered that the train to Wangaratta had been replaced by a bus. Well, that is the end of our trip we thought. Have heard many stories of bikes not accepted on buses. Lady at the ticket office suggested we go to the bus bay and ask if they could take our bikes and they said they could. We had to remove all panniers and then the bikes fitted nicely standing up in the luggage area under the bus. Got in to Wangaratta 30mins after the train would have arrived.

  • Noel fell off his bike after getting hit by a blast of wind riding up the Goldie Spur Track. May not have helped by me yelling out STOP when I got hit by the same wind blast which completely stopped me riding.

Afflictions

  • Noel had a minor cold which Kevin caught and experienced the symptoms after the ride.

  • Kevin recently had a wrist operation which caused him some problems particularly riding the downhill section of the Goldie Spur Track.

Lost and Found

  • Noel lost a glove.

  • Noel thought he had lost his lunch on the Goldie Spur Track but eventually found it buried in one of the panniers.

Where We Stayed and Food
Prearranged accommodation at Myrtleford and house in Mt Beauty. Stopped at various places on the road or bike trails for tea or coffee & cake which we prepared ourselves. Took our own breakfasts.

  • Day 1. Late lunch at cafe in Myrtleford. Stayed at Aderns holiday park in Myrtleford. Small one room cabin with no toilet or shower so we used the amenities block nearby. Dinner at the Buffalo hotel. Meals OK.

  • Day 2. Got lunch before leaving Myrtleford. Stayed at Big4 holiday park in Bright. Very large cabin with 3 bedrooms. Expensive. Dinner in Bright hotel. Food OK but cras environment. Noisy, busy, pokies and racing TV's everywhere.

  • Day 3. Late lunch at Mt Beauty. Stayed at house in Mt Beauty. Dinner cooked by Mike using ingredients he purchased in Mt Beauty. Got raisin bread & butter for extra breakfast next day.

  • Day 4. Late lunch in Tallangatta. Stayed at Tallangatta Motel. Mike & Kevin had one unit. Myself & Noel had a unit. I did ring up the day before and booked 2 units. Nobody in attendance when we arrived. Used the phone provided to call the proprietor. She told me the keys were in the doors and she will pick up the payment later. Very trusting in Tallangatta.

  • Day 5. At Wodonga by 12.00. Had earlier booked a later train so rebooked for 12.55 train to Melbourne. Lunch on train which was not very exciting. Not much to choose from because had not been restocked.

Nicest Town
Bright of course.

Best Bike Trail
From Wangaratta to Bright. Sealed all the way.

Coldest Places
Top of Goldie Spur Track (I was shivering) and Tawonga Gap.

Worst Bike Trail
From Tallangatta to Wodonga. Mostly sealed from Tallangatta to Sandy Creek but had loose stones on top which were annoying. After Sandy Creek it became very rough and we rode on the road for a while. Later on became sandy gravel and sealed and we rode back on it. Near the centre of Wodonga it follows a lot of service lanes.

Interesting and Unusual Things

  • The Buffalo, Buckland and Kiewa valleys were all very scenic.

  • It is hard to put into words the natural beauty of the Australian High Country. I stopped a few times whilst riding up the Goldie Spur Track to admire the view. Rolling mountains as far as you could see with that characteristic steely blue haze that epitomises the High Country, I felt privileged because not many people get to see that view. It is just spectacular.

  • The Big4 holiday park in Bright had a bike cleaning bay which we used. The bikes were very muddy after the Goldie Spur Track ride.

  • New bike trail bridge over Sandy Creek was very impressive.

  • Tallangatta clean and open town.

  • People want to talk to you in towns and ask where you come from and are going. Talked with an old lady in Mt Beauty who told us she had lived there for 90 years.

  • They moved Wodonga station out of town about 4 years ago. Modern new building.

Bike Problems

  • Mike had a flat overnight at Bright.

  • Kevin had problems changing rear gears one day. Discovered he had wrapped the Velcro strap holding his pump over the gear cable so tight it would not move.

What we did not do
Our original plan was to ride from Mt Beauty to Mitta Mitta which would have meant a climb up to 1,200m via an unmade road. After tackling the Goldie Spur Track we decided that was enough unmade road hill climbs.
Found out later that a few people I know have driven cars on that road across to Mitta Mitta.

Thanks to

  • Kevin for supplying sweets and organising the house at Mt Beauty.

  • Kevin's friend for making the cake we ate at tea breaks.

  • Mike for making dinner at Mt Beauty.

  • Everyone for their great company.