Ride 2021 - Inland and Great Ocean Road
- Inland VIC and Great Ocean Road: Wangaratta to Echuca to Bendigo to Halls Gap to Port Fairy to Torquay to Melbourne: March 12, 2021 to March 29, 2021. 1,100 kms, 3,582 m climbing and 5 exploring/rest days. $2,585
- Download itinerary covers both outward and inward legs
- Download registration and medical forms here
The return leg begins in Wangaratta with a trip along the Murray River flat lands to Echuca. The map shows the rough route - detailed route is a little longer
This trip starts with the secret parts of inland Victoria bringing together wilderness, mountains, craggy cliffs, settler history, unique fauna and flora, towering forests, pastoral lands, inland lakes, vineyards, lazy rivers, big blue sky, amazing stars. It also is a tour filled with history of pastoralists and river people and gold mining.
The tour follows minor roads wherever possible - better scenery, quieter and safer. There is quite a bit of rail trail used here too.
Download Forms: Please complete a registration form. You will also need to complete and sign the medical information form, which includes a disclaimer form. Cycle Across Oz also operate a code of conduct and a Covid-19 policy which you will need to read and sign.
Download and print registration and medical information forms and mail to us with your deposit of AUD300 as soon as possible to secure your place. Places are filling fast.
This leg feels like a mirror image of the first leg. Start with the river and then head to the mountains and then cross to the ocean.
Ride starts in Wangaratta and follows the farmlands south of the Murray River through Tungamah and Nathalia to reach Echuca. We take a rest day in the steamer town of Echuca which has a fine recreation of times gone by and for a lot of the time lives that way each day.
From Echuca, the route swings south to reach the Grampian Mountains and passing through gold mining country around Bendigo (rest day there to explore) and Halls Gap. The Grampians is a fabulous place to explore on foot or by bicycle.
From The Grampians the route strikes out for the ocean at Port Fairy and follows the Great Ocean Road for the run back to Melbourne and the ferry across the heads from Queenscliff to Portsea and back up toward the city to finish in Mentone.
Ride starts in Wangaratta and follows the farmlands south of the Murray River through Tungamah and Nathalia to reach Echuca. We take a rest day in the steamer town of Echuca which has a fine recreation of times gone by and for a lot of the time lives that way each day.
From Echuca, the route swings south to reach the Grampian Mountains and passing through gold mining country around Bendigo (rest day there to explore) and Halls Gap. The Grampians is a fabulous place to explore on foot or by bicycle.
From The Grampians the route strikes out for the ocean at Port Fairy and follows the Great Ocean Road for the run back to Melbourne and the ferry across the heads from Queenscliff to Portsea and back up toward the city to finish in Mentone.
Weather - Inland and Great Ocean Road
The pictures below cover wind (the most important one on top), temperature and rain. The Bureau of Meteorology has stopped publishing free wind maps. This chart shows the percentage of time wind blows a particular direction by month. The first chart is for Bendigo covering the first week or so of riding and the second for Port Fairy covering the Great Ocean Road section. For March, the probability of a south or westerly flow (i.e., unfriendly) is between 60 and 70%. If we get a late season like 2019, the northerly and easterly percentage could be higher. The second image below shows a friendlier picture with the probability of south westerly still at 60 to 70% as we head east back to Melbourne.
Type in your location in the search box on this WeatherSpark site and find the charts needed along the way
Wind Bendigo
Wind Port Fairy
On this leg, we follow along he NSW-Victoria border until Echuca and then head south west. See the route pencilled in on the rain map below.
For temperatures we will expect maximum temperatures to be in the 18 to 27 C band (65 to 85F). Minimums will be between 12 and 15C (45 to 55F). Monthly rainfall is between 25 and 50 mm (1 to 2 inches) in March which could stretch out over 3 spells of a day or two every 5 days. Rainfall is higher in the Otway Ranges down south.
For temperatures we will expect maximum temperatures to be in the 18 to 27 C band (65 to 85F). Minimums will be between 12 and 15C (45 to 55F). Monthly rainfall is between 25 and 50 mm (1 to 2 inches) in March which could stretch out over 3 spells of a day or two every 5 days. Rainfall is higher in the Otway Ranges down south.
