2020 Victorian High Country
7 days | 15th to 21st February
AT A GLANCE
- 7 Days
- 4 Dinners, 1 Lunch
- Victorian High Country
- Luxury Transport
- High Staff Ratio
- Intermediate to Experienced
- 3 & 4 Star Hotels
Victorian High Country Trip Details
Bucket List Climbs
- 6 of the Official 7 Peaks Challenge
- Lake Mountain, Mt Buller, Falls Creek, Dinner Plain, Mt Buffalo, Mt Hotham
Secret Roads
- Scenic ride routes, avoiding major roads and making the most of the picturesque area
- Gravel road segments
Touristic Opportunities
- Ovens to Murray rail trail
- Traditional Country towns
- Recovering Bushfire communities
Dates: February 15, 2021 to February 21, 2021
Start: Melbourne, Victoria
Finish: Melbourne, Victoria
Group Size: 15 guests – 3 staff
Price: TBC
Single Supplement: TBC
Note: All trip costs are per person, not including airfare and based on two persons per room. If travelling alone we will match you with a person to share. Alternatively, you may choose to have a room of your own by paying the single supplement.
Note: It is a requirement of Bikestyle Tours that you have Travel Insurance for your trip.
RIDE RATINGS
Our trips allow you to choose a suitable ride each day. Alternative ride options are available on most days. We use a consistent ride rating to help you choose your ride. We rate each ride on various factors; distance, total climbing, intensity and altitude. The table below is a guide to our ride rating system. Unfortunately, we can’t forecast the weather when designing our rides, but your trip leader will advise you on any precautions.| Distance | SHORT: less than 30km |
| MEDIUM: between 30km and 80km (depending on the total climbing). | |
| LONG: more than 80 km | |
| Ascent | Total climbing (ascending) for the day, anything over 2000m is a big day |
| Intensity | Some rides may have time constraints. Our rides vary from EASY, MODERATE to HARD. |
Experienced Riders
Your cycling holiday is all actually about the bike! Our epic and challenge rides seek more vertical metres and longer miles.
Social Riding and Leisure
This trip has limited support (for slow riders), support vehicles operate to refuel riders rather than as a sag wagon. But there are opportunities to take a small rest in the van on sections of the ride.
A reasonable amount of training is desirable!
Spectators and Off the Bike
Sorry this trip is for experienced cyclists. We have other trips available for spectators and non-cycling partners.
Tour cost is per person twin share and includes:
- Transport throughout by custom mini vans
- Services of our experienced tour guides, mechanics and drivers
- 6 nights accommodation 3 & 4 star hotels
- Buffet breakfast daily
- 2 course evening meals on 4 nights, gourmet lunch
- Wine at welcome and farewell dinners
- Scheduled arrival transfer on day one from Melboure Airport
- Scheduled departure transfer on final day to Melbourne Airport
- Mechanical assistance with your bike
- Ride files and Bikestyle guide to the High Country
- Full Bikestyle Tours kit including knicks, cycling jersey, cap and musette bag
Conquer the Victorian High Country
We’ve been running cycling tours for over 25 years. Many of our guests cherish their experiences of conquering bucket list climbs.
Q. Are there great ride itineraries in Australia? Comparable to a European experience?
A. Simply, the answer is yes. We deliver fully supported European style cycling tours in Australia.
Victoria’s high country is spectacular, challenging and captivating
In recent years, our guides explored the Victorian High Country to investigate the logistics for running a trip that included completing the 7 Peaks Challenge. It can be quite a challenge completing the 7 Peaks over a short time period. You need outside assistance. You need transport, comfortable places to stay and most importantly ride support and nutrition. Our 7 day trip completes 6 of the official 7 Peaks, you may wish to extend your holiday either at the beginning or end and include Mt Baw Baw, it is just a short distance from Melbourne.
For all of our trips, we look after every detail and support you on and off the bike. You only need to worry about riding your bike. We’ll help you have fun! Uniquely to our 7 Peaks trip, we have planned experiences along the way to showcase the incredible produce and friendly country hospitality of North East Victoria.
We’ve partnered with the great crew at Ride High Country. Together we’ve identified touristic highlights and ensure that you will have a memorable local experience. Our focus however is completing climbs of the Official 7 Peaks Challenge.
Roll through the valleys, climb the twisty alpine roads, enjoy friendly country hospitality
Starting from Melbourne, our trip takes us to the Marysville, a place rebuilt after the devastating Black Saturday fires. We’ll tackle Lake Mountain before we travel toward the North East and ride one of the most popular climbs Mount Buller. We take a pause for a moment and enjoy the local produce and heritage town of Beechworth soaking in the friendly country hospitality. Our riding kicks up a gear as we tackle a double climb day over Falls Creek and returning via Dinner Plain. An epic day on the bike. If you have concerns about making the double, we have a shorter option for you.
Our final 3 nights are in Bright the heart of the Alpine country and giving us easy access to Mt Hotham and Mt Buffalo. We stay at deluxe accommodation all the way, air conditioned comfort, country style and luxurious beds for a great nights sleep. Dinner on 4 of the nights, giving you opportunity to treat yourself to a romantic dinner or just take in the country life on the other nights. We’ll admire our achievements and celebrate our friendships at a final lunch highlighting the local produce before returning you to Melbourne.
Victorian High Country Tour Itinerary
Welcome to Marysville
Staff will meet you are Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine. Our scheduled collection is 10am. After a short drive we'll arrive in the surrounding mountains, at beautiful Marysville. After arriving at our accommodation, we'll assemble our bikes and enjoy a leisurely warm-up ride, we have something special installed for our first ride. A perfect way to meet other guests and test out our bikes for our travels through the Victorian high country.
Marysville and Lake Mountain
Lake Mountain climb starts from the roundabout as we leave Marysville. The more difficult part of the climb is early on, meaning most of the climbing is down by the time we reach halfway. As we enter the resort road the gradient flattens and we have an opportunity to push bigger gears and increase our speed. The views across the valley are stunning and the small gums that have germinated after the fires fume the air with eucalyptus. Tonight you are free to try one of the many restaurants in town.
Mt Buller and Bright
We'll enjoy a quality coffee this morning along with a cafe breakfast before we head off toward the alpine country. We'll travel to near the base of Mt Buller skipping some of the busier roads out of Mansfield. In our distance are the silhouettes of Mount Stirling and Mount Buller.
The resort gates mark the base of the climb. Grazing lands give way to the national park, the gum trees provide increasing shade and the road begins to wind its way. You're on the climb. Save yourself for a couple of kickers near the top as the ski resort comes in view and tantalisingly close.
After grouping at the top, enjoy a second coffee from the small cafe and we'll descend back to our transport for our transfer into the heart of the Victorian Alps. Tonight we'll enjoy dinner together from a local bistro that highlights in-season local produce.
Falls Creek and Dinner Plain
Today's is our epic ride and with that comes conquering 2 climbs of the Victorian High Country. We will start with an early breakfast and make our way down the valley with transport to a great little village at the end of the Kiewa Valley, Mount Beauty. We'll start our rides from here.
As we leave Mount Beauty the road starts climbing to the ski resort of Falls Creek. This is one of our favourites. The gradients are gentle, scenery beautiful and there are many views across the valley to Mt Feathertop, Australia's second highest mountain. Interestingly, it's summit is just a little higher than Mont Ventoux in France. We are in Australia's high country.
Enjoy a nice road and steady gradient all the way to Falls. We pass the resort gates, it's not far now. At the resort we can refuel for our next leg of the journey. We have two options from here, our epic venture today continues over the climb for the ascent of Dinner Plain. Our short ride returns to Mount Beauty before finishing on the much shorter climb over Tawonga Gap.
Beyond the Falls Creek resort, we take a road that is only open during the warmers months. The descent has some steep sections, and you'll enjoy the fact we aren't riding the opposite direction, its known simply as 'back of Falls'. This area has wild brumbies and is still used today by drovers grazing their cattle on the open plains. We can refuel once again at Anglers Rest, which has an interesting history, all to do with its pub.
We carry along the undulations of the Omeo highway, through to Omeo and start our climb to Dinner Plain. This will challenge your weary legs as the road climbs and descends all the way to the village. It does climb more than descend. Dinner Plain is just a stones throw from Hotham Heights village. You'll be elated to reach Dinner Plain, knowing that the hard work is complete, well most of it. There is a short climb to Mount Hotham and a couple of unwelcome rises in the road as we go over the saddle. We finally descend, enjoying the spectacular views of Feathertop.
We'll arrive in Bright during the afternoon after a long day in the saddle. Elated we've achieved 2 big climbs of the Victorian high country.
Mount Buffalo and The Horn
Yesterday was a big day for us, so we'll reduce the volume today and save some bickies for tomorrow's final peak. A distinctive feature of the landscape is the impressive silhouette rising to the west of Bright.
The Buffalo shape inspired the name for the mountain. At the top is an extensive plateau that has the Horn, yes the Buffalo's horn, at the southernmost tip.
Our climb starts about 10km from Bright. We roll out past Porepunkah where the mountain comes into view. A series a twisty and gently rising section takes us up the northern side of the mountain. Mount Buffalo is a nature lovers paradise. There are sheer cliffs, imposing granite boulders, tumbling waterfalls, snow gums and stunning wildflowers.
After reaching the summit, we'll take the left into the historic chalet, built-in 1910 as Australia's first ski resort. A short walk from the chalet we can stand on top of the towering cliffs and admire the incredible view across the alpine valleys.
If you'd like to ride a little further, from the chalet it is possible to ride along the plateau and climb up to the Horn picnic area. The last stretch is on gravel, but rewards are there for those that venture to the scenic lookout.
Mt Hotham
Possibly the most challenging climb Australia has to offer, many seasoned riders have suffered on Hotham.
To do the summit of Hotham you are filled with mixed emotions. Magical, confronting, painful, joyful and satisfying all describe your experiences during the climb. Approach Hotham in its three sections and you'll love it. Section one starts from Harrietville. It is very easy to get carried away and feel 'good'. The forest canopy and nice road surface help you tick off the kilometres comfortably. Then you reach The Meg and the road kicks up, reminding you that Hotham will challenge your ascent today.
Once you pass The Meg the road flattens out, it sometimes you feel as if gravity is on your side for a little. Again, it is easy to get carried away along this midsection by pushing harder gears. Resist the temptation to over exert yourself, as the final section is the greatest challenge.
This final section confronts you with steep gradients, often windy conditions, and annoying descents that just require you to climb again. It is at this stage you wonder why they built the ski village at the top of the ski runs. We celebrate as we reach the summit and continue into Hotham Heights for a well-earned snack. Tonight we will celebrate our final night together with a farewell dinner.
Buckland Valley and Farewell
Sadly our trip comes to an end today. We'll take the opportunity to finish with a final easy roll along the valley.
After breakfast and checking out from our hotel, we will jump on our bikes. Together, we can roll and share our great memories of the week together in Victoria high country.
Buckland Valley was first explored by gold miners, and in 1857 it was the location of one of earliest atrocities against Chinese immigrant miners in Australia. The size and scale of the riots have been compared to those of Eureka Stockade. Much of the details are not recorded as court documents have gone missing.
Today, Buckland valley is an access road for remote camping sites as well as local farms. It is a nice relaxing return ride and will have us back with plenty of time to pack our bikes and enjoy a final lunch together at the Punkah pub.
Our lunch venue has recently received a full make-over for the sole purpose of (re)establishing a good friendly country pub with great food and drinks along with a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Its a perfect location for our farewell gathering.
After lunch we will travel back to Melbourne arriving at Tullamarine airport by 6 pm. If you are planning your flight home this evening, we suggest catching a flight that departs after 7 pm. If you'd like to stay on in Melbourne, there is a regular SkyBus service connecting you with Spencer St station and all major hotels within the CBD.