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| Alpine country on the Bogong High Plains |
Brief Description: This cycle tour crosses the mighty Murray River, traverses the highest continuous stretch of road in Australia and passes through historic Ned Kelly country. It includes over 130km of blissful car free-rail trail, most of it sealed. Lake Hume, Mount Beauty, Bogong High Plains, the lovely town of Bright, the historic township of Beechworth and spectacular alpine views from Mt Hotham are some of the many highlights of this trip, making it one of the best six day cycling tours in Australia. But be prepared for a few long climbs!
Route: Albury, Lake Hume, Gundowring, Mt Beauty, Falls Creek, Bogong High Plains, Omeo, Mt Hotham, Bright, Myrtleford, Beechworth, Wangaratta.
Distance: 415km (including side trip to Beechworth).
Altitude variation (rough guide only): Albury (150m), Mt Beauty (300m), Falls Creek (1500m), Bogong High Plains (1600m), Omeo (600m), Victoria Falls (1000m), Mt Hotham (1860m), Harrietville (550m), Bright (300m), Myrtleford (210m), Beechworth (side trip 540m), Wangaratta (150m).
Time: Minimum 6 days. It could easily be extended to 9 days or more.
Traffic conditions: Traffic is light throughout most of the trip. Most of the route takes back roads, cycle ways or roads that are not heavily used by cars outside the ski season. The Great Alpine Road (Omeo to Bright) may take more traffic during holiday season. This is a very narrow windy road in sections so should be cycled with care. There may be the occasional "rev-head" on the Bogan High Plains Road in summer.
Road Surface: Victorian roads are excellent. The rail trail along Lake Hume is gravel but still worth travelling on in preference to the sealed road around the lake. When I did the trip in 2005, the Bogong High Plains Road was unsealed for 30km and was well-graded (for safety I cycled down the steep sections at a mere 30km/h). However, it is anticipated that the entire Bogong High Plains Road will be sealed by June 2009 - see here for updates. Contact Parks Victoria (Ph: 13 1963) for the latest information about conditions on the high plains. The rail trail from Bright to Wangaratta/Beechworth is sealed the whole way and in excellent condition.
Climate Considerations: The route cannot be travelled in winter and early spring because the Bogong High Plains Road is closed due to snow. Days can get very hot other times of the year, especially when cycling at an altitude of 400m or below. One must be prepared for subzero (degrees Celsius) temperatures in alpine regions, even in summer. For specific climate information, check relevant pages at the Bureau of Meteorology.
When to Travel: As mentioned above, this route cannot be travelled during the snow season as the Bogong High Plains Road is closed. Late spring, summer and early autumn are all recommended times to enjoy the trip. Contact Parks Victoria (Ph: 131963) for latest information regarding conditions on the Bogong High Plains.
Fitness Required: Expect some long steep hills. The climb from Mt Beauty to Rocky Valley Storage gains 1200m over 33km. There is a sharp climb out of the Omeo Valley and gradual uphill all the way to Mt Hotham. You must be fit for this tour.
Direction to Travel: While the Bogong High Plains Road remains unsealed, travelling from Albury to Wodonga is definitely preferred to the other way around. If starting from Albury, the climb up to the Bogong High Plains is done on a sealed surface and the climb from Omeo to Mt Hotham is spread over 55km and broken up into stages. If starting from Wodonga, the climb to Mt Hotham is done over 20km in one stage only, while the climb to the Bogong High Plains is done over a steep unsealed surface. The steepest sections of the route are encountered on the unsealed Bogong High Plains Road. Therefore I recommend doing the tour route clockwise rather than anti-clockwise so that these parts are negotiated while cycling downhill rather than uphill. Once the Bogong High Plains Road is sealed the anti-clockwise direction becomes more viable.
Access: Albury and Wangaratta (the endpoints of the tour) are easily accessed by train either from Sydney (Countrylink) or Melbourne (Countrylink, V-line). Please visit their websites to obtain information on seat reservation and bicycle transportation. (Countrylink requires that the bicycle is boxed and while they claimed (in my case) that boxes would be available at Wangaratta, there were none to be found. Fortunately V-line gave me one of theirs.)
Maps: My Google map of the tour is located here. Of the many print maps available I found the two following maps helpful when used together.
Accommodation: The tour works best for cyclists carrying tents and is written from this perspective. This allows the freedom to camp in the high country. However, it is possible to do this tour by staying in hotels and motels. If intending to stay in hotels, then one possible itinerary would see cyclists staying overnight at Albury, Mount Beauty, Falls Creek, Omeo, Mt Hotham, Myrtleford and Wangaratta.
Drinking Water: All water, including running water mentioned in these guides, should be treated (boiled, filtered or purified) before consumption.
Bicycle Shops: There are bicycle shops in Albury, Mt, Beauty, Bright, Myrtleford, Beechworth and Wangaratta. Omeo has a hardware store for emergency supplies (e.g. puncture kits). Some contact details that were accurate in December 2005 are given below:
Current details may be obtained using the Yellow Pages, Australia's premiere online business directory.
Date Travelled: I cycled the route in December 2005.
© 2008 Robert Taggart. Last updated 19 November 2008.