It’s an uncharacteristically stormy day here in Melbourne, and what do we do when the conditions aren’t optimal for riding bikes? We plan rides! Tomorrow, friends, the sun will shine and we will have routes at the ready! We’ve already hit you with the blog post on what to bring on your first overnighter, now we bring you the very best routes that Victoria has to offer. Some here are classic already-established routes (special shoutout to Melbourne Gravel Grinders and Adventure Cycling Victoria!), others are just strung together by poking around with a healthy sense of stoke and curiosity.
The usual caveats apply: Check local conditions in advance and always have Vic Emergency downloaded with an alert on for the area you’re visiting. This is especially important as we head into bushfire season, but also sometimes V/Line services are down, and flooding or storm damage can take a while to clear. You know, just use these routes as inspiration, but do your due diligence. Be sensible out there!
Anyway, without further ado, I present to you a comprehensive list of our staff’s favourite overnighters.
Kia M: French Island
To hell with saving the best for last. I’m coming in hot with a heavy hitter! French Island has a lot going for it:
- It’s accessible by public transport
- The campsite is FREE (but you have to book!), and only 5km from the ferry, so you can dump your stuff and ride unloaded
- Once you’re on the island, you don’t really need a route, you can just pootle around.
- Abundant wildlife, with almost guaranteed koala sightings
Highlights of French Island start before you even get there, with the Westernport ferry from Stony Point to Tankerton. From there it’s a pleasant sandy gravel ride to Fairhaven, from where you can drop your things. Depending on the tide, you can swim just in front of the campsite. If the tide is out and you’re looking at mud flats, take the opportunity to go for a ride and see the island. Hot tip for Koala spotting is Red Bill track, and the Pinnacles (via some sandy, heathy double track) is a must-see. I’ve also really enjoyed the ruins at Blue Gums (with stunning views over Westernport Bay), which, at the right tide (low) will drop you at the beach for a scenic hike-a-bike meeting the road again at the port of the Barge from Corinella. It’s a choose your own adventure out there, but you’re sure to see lots of wildlife!
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49489563
Simon: High Country Loop
Is it an overnighter? Anything’s an overnighter if you’re determined! We did this route over two nights and really rate it.
Catch the V-Line out to Wangaratta, and make your way onto the Murray to Mountain Rail Trail. This trail is paved and boring, but not for long. Once you hit the fork, a gentle descent will take you towards Everton. There’s a small general store at Whorouly and it’s a good idea to resupply here, as there is no drinking water until the ~78 km mark.
You’ll continue south and start to make your way through the Bungamero Plantation. There’s consistent but manageable fireroad climbing here. This section can be quite disorientating – even with a Wahoo head unit, we made a wrong turn and thought we looped back on ourselves. My advice is to backtrack immediately if you find you are going off course, as the auto re-routing on a head unit and Google maps are unreliable.
Your efforts through the plantation will lead to an amazing descent down hard-packed hero gravel to Nug Nug Reserve, which is a campsite with drinking water and cold showers. It’s a first-come-first-serve, honesty box payment system. This is where I would recommend stopping if you do it over two nights.
Once you’ve either resupplied or rested up at Nug Nug Reserve, the route continues south on quiet tarmac roads. There’s an amazing photo spot overlooking Lake Buffalo – you won’t miss it! Several kilometres later, you will turn right onto Rose River rd. The start is bumpy, slightly corrugated and exposed, but it soon turns compacted and smooth, with nice patches of shade. It’s a long but pleasant stretch. We ended up heading down one of many numerous little ramps towards the riverbed to dip our heads and helmet into the water. Refreshing.
There’s another short, manageable climb along the way before a descent into Cheshunt. The descent is on hard packed gravel, and it turns into a smooth tarmac road between two vineyards before you get to town. There’s another general store here and the Oven Café, which was up for sale when we last went through.
You’ll then head north towards Edi. There’s the option to stop at Gentle Annie Caravan and Camping Reserve, and this might be where you stop if you decide to do it over one night. Note that their website only allows a 2 night minimum booking, but if they’re like many other caravan parks, may be open to a single night’s stay if you call to ask. Otherwise, there are free camping spots at Edi. These are first-come-first-serve. There’s a drop toilet but no running water. The campsites stretch out alongside King River for a kilometre or so – plenty of nice spots! We cooked with river water and lived to tell the tale, before heading north and home the next day.
This route is not too technical. I would recommend 700c x 42 mm and above for comfort. I’ve done it on 700c x 33 mm slicks unloaded and 650b x 2.1″ XC tyres loaded.
Some more advice – if you suffer from hayfever, remember to pack what you need. We did the route in spring and it happened to be a day when the grass pollen count was extreme. Being able to wash the pollen off in the river was like a rebirth. Also highly recommend mosquito head nets!
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47062669
Finn: Surf Coasting – Riding the Surf Coast Track from Torquay to Winchelsea.
Ever driven along the Great Ocean Road and thought “damn, I wish I could ride this on a bike! Also, if only it was well-graded gravel single-track with stunning Southern Vic native flora on all sides”? Well, here is a route you need to ride.
The Surf Coast Walking Track as a name is somewhat misleading; signage indicates that bicycles are permitted for the entire path between 13th Beach (Torquay) and Fairhaven. As cyclists, however, always be aware that walkers are the predominant traffic on this path, and we should ride accordingly. Be warned: there are one or two sets of stairs to carry your bike up (these can be avoided with short stints on the road).
Camp in the area around Aireys Inlet or Fairhaven, where there are a number of picnic grounds and a caravan park, then meander through the gravel roads of the Otway foothills to finish at Winchelsea station, where the vLine takes you back to Melbourne.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49490078
Mike: “Wombat Gold”
Starting at Macedon train station, taking in single track though Wombat State Park and the best continuous mountain bike sections of the Goldfields track.
Ending in Castlemaine means easy trains home and a somewhere to eat and drink at the finish.
You can camp in an old Volcano at Mount Franklin, skip it and push on to Vaughan Springs campsite to make the 2nd day short or book accommodation in Daylesford or Hepburn springs if you want to travel light. There are plenty of options.
Best on a mountain bike or something that can take 2 inch tyres plus.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49503699
Will: Brisbane Ranges
This one is taken directly from a shop overnighter we ran back in 2023, to great acclaim! It’s an easy overnighter, with the station to station format allowing for a route which is mostly downhill! Here’s how it went:
We booked Fridays Campground (km39) on Saturday night, it has drop toilets and tank water onsite. There are a few other campsites nearby if you choose to go elsewhere. A short ride from Fridays is the historic town of Steiglitz if you arrive to camp early and want to do a short ride unloaded.
Day two passes through Anakie late morning so there’s an opportunity to buy food at the general store, other than that you will need food for dinner on day one, breakfast and snacks on day two. On day two there are several options for trains home from Lara (km90), North Shore (km102.5) North Geelong (km106) and Geelong (km110). This means if you are a little apprehensive about the 70km on day two it can be shortened to 50km. You can also skip the detour into the You Yangs MTB trails by going straight at KM71.
We did this trip in March, but Springtime is also a wonderful opportunity to see wildflowers in this lovely park!
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42120591
