High Country Cycling: Wodonga - Tallangatta - Shelley - Yackandandah - Wangaratta

Enjoy an extended, scenic cycling tour on the High Country Rail Trail between Wodonga and Shelley (formerly Victoria’s highest railway station), the brand new Osbornes Flat to Beechworth Rail Trail, part of the Mountains to the Murray Rail Trail between Beechworth and Wangaratta, as well as some scenic roads from Huon via Tangambalanga and Kiewa to Osbornes Flat. If you have limited annual leave available, it will be possible to join on Saturday 14 October, and/or to exit the tour on Monday 16 October. ** Maximum 10 attendees **

GRADE | LENGTH | TYPE: Medium to hard grade cycling of between 40 and 63 km per day. There will be wildly varying surfaces encountered, including a bone-jarring, unsealed section near Shelley, sealed and unsealed rail trails, and some on-road sections, including about 4 km on a relatively busy highway. 

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: This trip is designed to be accessed via public transport, but if you prefer you can drive to Wodonga, carrying your bike on your vehicle. The group will aim to catch an early train departing from Southern Cross Station at 7:07am on Friday, arriving in Wodonga at 10:27am. If you can't manage that, or we can't get all our bikes on the early train, there are alternative options for catching trains on Friday (departing from Southern Cross at 12:04pm, arriving in Wodonga at 3:24pm or departing at 6:02pm, arriving in Wodonga at 9:22pm), or to catch the Saturday train departing at 7:07am.

On Friday (optional day) we will explore some of the urban trails in the Albury-Wodonga region, with lunch probably at the River Deck Cafe, 48 Noreuil Parade, Albury. Our Friday night accommodation is in cabins at the Wodonga Caravan and Cabin Park. 

On Saturday we'll cycle along the High Country Rail Trail to Tallangatta, staying overnight at the Tallangatta Hotel. That trail is totally sealed except for a few kilometres at Huon.

On Sunday we'll participate in a festive day organised by Rail Trails Australia. Departing at 9am, we and our bikes will be transported up to Shelley, which until it closed was Victoria's highest railway station. We will then cycle approximately 43 km down from Shelley to Tallangatta, including a particularly bone-jarring section at the start. Included in the festivities will be a lavish morning tea at Koetong, lunch in the Tallangatta Valley, then afternoon tea upon return to Tallangatta. (If anybody doesn't wish to participate in the festivities, it will be possible to cycle part or all of the trail up to Shelley, or have a day of leisure around Tallangatta). We'll stay overnight at the Tallangatta Hotel once again.

On Monday we'll cycle back along the rail trail as far as Huon, at which point we'll take a quiet road to Tangambalanga. This will include the steepest ascent of the tour. From Tangambalanga we'll continue cycling on roads to Osbornes Flat, including about 4 km on the busy Kiewa Valley Highway, for which there are no alternative options. Once we leave the highway, we'll be gradually climbing up to Osbornes Flat, with a few undulations along the way. From Osbornes Flat we'll take the brand new rail trail to Yackandandah, where we'll stay overnight in cabins at the Yackandandah Holiday Park. We'll probably dine at the Star Hotel, 30 High St, Yackandandah. (Alternative: If you need to return to Melbourne early, you can ride back along the rail trail from Huon to Wodonga to catch a V/Line train).

Tuesday will be the longest cycling day (62 km), but the first few kilometres after Beechworth will be seriously downhill, hence cycled quite rapidly and easily. We'll aim to leave Yackandandah by 9am, which should enable us to catch the 1:44pm train from Wangaratta, arriving at Southern Cross Station by 4:30pm.

BOOKING: By Monday 9th October, or ASAP to ensure you don't miss out - accommodation is limited to a maximum of 10 people. To register click on Get Tickets.
Unsure if you've already booked? Click View my bookings.

FURTHER INFORMATION: 

• High Country Rail Trail: lots of information about the rail trail between Wodonga and Shelley via Tallangatta
• Murray to Mountains Rail Trail: Information about the trail from Wangaratta to Beechworth and/or Bright

MEETING TIME | LOCATION: 6:45am at Southern Cross Station to catch the service that departs at 7:07am. 

• Option 1: Train departing from Southern Cross Station at 7:07am on Friday, arriving in Wodonga at 10:27am.
• Option 2: Train departing from Southern Cross at 6:02pm on Friday, arriving in Wodonga at 9:22pm.
• Option 3: Your own vehicle, meeting up with the group in Albury/Wodonga as arranged with the event leader.
• Option 4: Train departing from Southern Cross at 7:07am on Saturday, arriving in Wodonga at 10:27am.

MAP REFERENCE: Southern Cross Station: Melway map 2E grid K6 | Google map goo.gl/maps/X5Grxth8Bb25TLEdA. 

DISTANCE | TIME FROM GPO: 330 km, approximately 3 hours 35 minutes via the M31/Hume Freeway.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: The 7:07am Albury train that departs from Southern Cross Station at 7:07am terminates in Albury at 11:03am (see MEETING TIME | LOCATION for alternative options).

• There are only 9 designated bike spaces on each train, and no way to reserve those, so it pays to arrive 30 minutes prior to the train departure time to be at the front of the (virtual) queue.
• To return to Melbourne, we'll be aiming to catch the service that departs from Wangaratta at 1:44pm, arriving at Southern Cross at 4:36pm. Alternatively, we could catch the train departing from Wangaratta at 6:20pm, arriving at Southern Cross at 9:48pm.

FOOD: Carry snacks and a litre of water. We'll organise meals as a group. The meal plans are:

• Friday lunch: Probably at the River Deck Cafe, 48 Noreuil Parade, Albury. 
• Friday evening: A pub or cafe in Wodonga.
• Saturday breakfast and lunch: we'll purchase supplies in Wodonga, as there are limited options along the trail
• Saturday evening: Probably at the Tallangatta Hotel
• Sunday: ample food (lunch, morning tea and afternoon tea) will be provided by the Rail Trails Australia event. You could optionally purchase a light breakfast from the Tallangatta Bakery, 39 Towong St, Tallangatta, and a light meal from a cafe or pub in Tallangatta.
• Monday breakfast & lunch: Purchased from Tallangatta Bakery, or lunch could be taken in Tangambalanga or Kiewa
• Monday dinner: Probably at the Star Hotel, Yackandandah
• Tuesday breakfast and lunch: purchased from the Beechworth Bakery (in Yackandandah and/or Beechworth)

COSTS: There will be V/Line travel costs, accommodation charges for Friday to Monday nights and food costs, as well as the participation cost for the Sunday festivities:

• ACCOMMODATION: The accommodation costs will be calculated based on the number of attendees and paid to the leader during the tour.
  Friday Night: We have booked two cabins, each with a queen bed in one room, and 4 bunks in the other. Cost is $125 for two people + $15 for each extra person.
  Saturday / Sunday Nights: We have booked: Family Room $100/night: queen size bed plus 2 single beds + 2 x Twin Rooms $60/night: two single beds (2 adults) + Queen Room $100/night: queen size bed plus a single bunk bed (up to 3 adults). 
  Monday Night: We have booked cabins 1, 2 and 3. Cabins 1 and 3 each have two bedrooms, one with a double bed, the other with a double+single bunk bed (double below, single above). Cabin 2 only has 1 bedroom with a double bed. Cost for each cabin: $120 for two adults + $10 per extra adult (but the cabin 3 base rate is $130).
• TRAIN: This route is outside the Myki Zone, so you'll need to reserve your seats in advance. Travel anywhere in Victoria is now capped at $7.20 full / $3.60 concession on weekends, and $10 full / $5 concession on weekdays.
• FOOD: Everybody will be responsible for individually ordering and paying for whatever food they want. 
• SUNDAY FESTIVITIES: Cost will be $80 to $90, which will include transport of yourself plus bike to Shelley, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

APPAREL | FOOTWEAR: Bring your bike, helmet and cycling gear for the five days, being sure to allow for all possible eventualities (i.e. bring layers, including a waterproof layer in case we encounter rain). You should bring two spare tubes in case of punctures.

LEADER: Alan D. | Email LeaderAlanD.thenomadsinc@mail.tidyhq.com if you have any questions.
Members can access leader contact details under Members | Leader Contacts when logged in to the website.

HOME   BACK TO LIST OF EVENTS   MEMBERSHIPS