Hello, I have just come back from my five day cycling tour. The intention was to ride from Shelley (near Tallangtatta) on the High Country Rail Trail and return to Bright via the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail.
The idea for day one of the tour was to ride from Shelley to Wodonga via the High Country Rail Trail (85km). It all started quite well...I got by bus to Wodonga and then got a taxi up to Shelley. That's when it started to go wrong. The taxi fare was much higher than I anticipated as I didn't know that taxi vans charge more. But I got up to the old Shelley railway station which is Victoria's highest station at 779m. It was downhill for most of the way, bush at first but the trail was rough at times with a lot of forest debris but it was pleasant through the eucalyptus, some trestle bridges, and lots of bird life. Went past the old Koetong station site (with a pub nearby) and then onto the Darbyshire site. After that the trail is not really developed, however the old trainline formation still exists. This section goes through many cattle farms, with gates, and it's rough in parts. The major object, at this stage however, was to dodge the cow pats. There were also a couple of creek crossings as the trestle bridges were not in use. It only got worse; one farm gate was locked so I had to retrace my steps and then detour via the road to pick up the trail again. Then things started deteriorating rapidly: a flat front tyre. I changed that and then noticed the rear tyre was flat too. I only had one spare tube, so that was the end of the trip with still 45km to go back to Wodonga. I called RACV Bike Assist (yes, there is such a thing!) and they organised a (partly subsidised) taxi to take me back to Wodonga (but not after a couple of kilometres walking to get to a road junction. I decided to stay an extra night in Wodonga then I could complete the trail from the Wodonga end. In the morning I went to a bike shop to get new tubes and off I went, after 10km another rear flat. I changed that and then the rear gears didn't work. I limped back to to the bike shop who fixed the gears but it was the end of the High Country Rail Trail for me. Wodonga clearly doesn't like me even though I was born there. It's a very spread out place and there is not really much in the centre unless you like fried chicken or are in need of medical attention. They also have a lot of palm trees for some reason. They are redeveloping the centre and trying to beautify it but (no offence to pigs) it's like putting lipstick on a pig. On the other hand, the parma I had at one of the few hotels there (all equipped with TABs) was excellent. The motel I stayed at was cheap. It had some interesting features. The design on the bathroom floor tiles looked like someone had tramped on them with muddy boots. The window latch was held in place by a teabag, the receptionist locked herself in the reception area (you had to ring or waive to her from outside to let you in), and reception itself didn't open until 10am. Did I say it was cheap?
The next day was a trip via back roads from Wodonga to Wahgunyah (on the Murray river) on then on the rail trail to Rutherglen. The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail starts at Wahgunyah and goes through to Bright. However there is a bit missing from Rutherglen to Springhurst (although according to the hotel owner in Rutherglen funding is to be provided to complete the missing link). Wahgunyah is a pleasant spot on the Murray and they have a quaint one way bridge (with traffic lights) that gives access to Corowa in NSW. It's a small place but they have a pub and a fish and chip shop as well! I stayed in Rutherglen, which is a much bigger place, 9km along the rail trail. It is a pleasant place which has a well preserved historic main street. The motel I stayed at was excellent, they gave me a key to their shed to store my bike in, and something I haven't seen in a motel before, was you could buy local wines (or beer) from them. But then it is in the middle of a wine growing region. So things have turned around after this day! And the weather was good for the first three days too!
Part 2 of the blog will take up the trip from Rutherglen back to Bright.
And, finally, some pictures....
Shelley to Old Tallagatta (High Country Rail Trail):
Wodonga to Rutherglen:
The idea for day one of the tour was to ride from Shelley to Wodonga via the High Country Rail Trail (85km). It all started quite well...I got by bus to Wodonga and then got a taxi up to Shelley. That's when it started to go wrong. The taxi fare was much higher than I anticipated as I didn't know that taxi vans charge more. But I got up to the old Shelley railway station which is Victoria's highest station at 779m. It was downhill for most of the way, bush at first but the trail was rough at times with a lot of forest debris but it was pleasant through the eucalyptus, some trestle bridges, and lots of bird life. Went past the old Koetong station site (with a pub nearby) and then onto the Darbyshire site. After that the trail is not really developed, however the old trainline formation still exists. This section goes through many cattle farms, with gates, and it's rough in parts. The major object, at this stage however, was to dodge the cow pats. There were also a couple of creek crossings as the trestle bridges were not in use. It only got worse; one farm gate was locked so I had to retrace my steps and then detour via the road to pick up the trail again. Then things started deteriorating rapidly: a flat front tyre. I changed that and then noticed the rear tyre was flat too. I only had one spare tube, so that was the end of the trip with still 45km to go back to Wodonga. I called RACV Bike Assist (yes, there is such a thing!) and they organised a (partly subsidised) taxi to take me back to Wodonga (but not after a couple of kilometres walking to get to a road junction. I decided to stay an extra night in Wodonga then I could complete the trail from the Wodonga end. In the morning I went to a bike shop to get new tubes and off I went, after 10km another rear flat. I changed that and then the rear gears didn't work. I limped back to to the bike shop who fixed the gears but it was the end of the High Country Rail Trail for me. Wodonga clearly doesn't like me even though I was born there. It's a very spread out place and there is not really much in the centre unless you like fried chicken or are in need of medical attention. They also have a lot of palm trees for some reason. They are redeveloping the centre and trying to beautify it but (no offence to pigs) it's like putting lipstick on a pig. On the other hand, the parma I had at one of the few hotels there (all equipped with TABs) was excellent. The motel I stayed at was cheap. It had some interesting features. The design on the bathroom floor tiles looked like someone had tramped on them with muddy boots. The window latch was held in place by a teabag, the receptionist locked herself in the reception area (you had to ring or waive to her from outside to let you in), and reception itself didn't open until 10am. Did I say it was cheap?
The next day was a trip via back roads from Wodonga to Wahgunyah (on the Murray river) on then on the rail trail to Rutherglen. The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail starts at Wahgunyah and goes through to Bright. However there is a bit missing from Rutherglen to Springhurst (although according to the hotel owner in Rutherglen funding is to be provided to complete the missing link). Wahgunyah is a pleasant spot on the Murray and they have a quaint one way bridge (with traffic lights) that gives access to Corowa in NSW. It's a small place but they have a pub and a fish and chip shop as well! I stayed in Rutherglen, which is a much bigger place, 9km along the rail trail. It is a pleasant place which has a well preserved historic main street. The motel I stayed at was excellent, they gave me a key to their shed to store my bike in, and something I haven't seen in a motel before, was you could buy local wines (or beer) from them. But then it is in the middle of a wine growing region. So things have turned around after this day! And the weather was good for the first three days too!
Part 2 of the blog will take up the trip from Rutherglen back to Bright.
And, finally, some pictures....
Shelley to Old Tallagatta (High Country Rail Trail):
Wodonga to Rutherglen:
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