Beechworth is the gateway to some incredible Victorian High Country bikepacking routes
The historic town of Beechworth is the perfect start/finish point for your High Country bikepacking or flashpacking adventure. It’s easily accessed from Wangaratta or Albury train stations, less than 30 minutes’ drive from the Hume Highway and is home to some of Australia’s best gravel riding.
Bikepacking Bag Hire
Gravelmob has sets of bikepacking bags available for hire from 2-14 days for just $30 per day. The bags are a great option if you’re keen to explore the High Country backroads beyond Beechworth. They are lightweight, weatherproof, and easy to use. We use bags from Restrap, Apidura and Blackburn Elite.
You can hire the bags and fit them to your own bike (allow some time with us to match bag sizing to your bike), or we can supply them already fitted to one of our Bombtrack hire bikes.
What’s included in each set
- Large seat pack. Note: we have one seat pack that is compatible with dropper seatposts.
- Half-frame bag or full frame bag
- Top tube bag
- Handlebar roll
- 2x fork bags. Note: The fork bags require your bike’s fork to have cage mounts. All the other bags can be fitted to almost any bike.
To book the bags for your trip please get in touch with us.
Routes
We’ve curated a range of adventures to suit most riders.Bring your climbing legs and come and experience some true backroads riding in Victoria’s High Country.
The Smallest Pub in Victoria (2 day ride)
Day 1 – 35km | Day 2 – 35km | Total 1,100 vm | 90% gravel
We’ve designed this as an ideal first bikepacking experience from Beechworth. The ride is relatively short out and back, but includes climbs and descents on both days – perfect to help you get used to how a loaded bike handles. Camping by Reedy Creek in Eldorado is magical, and once you’ve set up camp for the night you’re not far from a slap-up dinner at Victoria’s smallest pub, The McEvoy Tavern. The ride’s relatively short, but this overnighter is a ripper and we often ride it ourselves with our kids.
Beechworth to King Valley Return (2 day ride)
Day 1 – 85km | Day 2 – 95km | Total 1,850 vm | 80% gravel
Day 1 of this ride departs from Gravelmob HQ at The Old Beechworth Gaol and sends you on scenic backroads through farming country before arriving for lunch in the King Valley village of Moyhu. The riding after lunch follows more excellent gravel roads to the southern end of the King Valley, where you can stay overnight in either Whitfield or Cheshunt. The return to Beechworth on day 2 sees you riding the spectacular Rose River Road to Lake Buffalo before lunch in Myrtleford and the final push up Flagstaff Road back into Stanley and Beechworth.
Beechworth to Bright Return (2 day ride)
Day 1 – 90km | Day 2 – 90km | Total 3,060 vm | 70% gravel
Linking two of the High Country’s favourite towns, this route provides plenty of vertical gain over its journey through some epic mountain landscapes and challenging backroads. Starting at the Old Beechworth Gaol it’s downhill or flat for the first 50km of day 1, but there’s a solid backroad climb up Mt Porepunkah to negotiate before you roll down into Bright for a well-deserved ale. After camping overnight, day 2 includes two solid climbs – back up Mount Porepunkah (gravel) and then the Back of Stanley (sealed) – before a very welcome descent from Stanley back into Beechworth.
Some of this route is included in our (mini) High Country Brewery Grind bikepacking ride at the end of October.
Beechworth to Mitta Mitta Return (3 day ride)
Day 1 – 90km | Day 2 – 85km | Day 3 – 120km | Total 5,200 vm | 70% gravel
Rideable over 3 days (if you’re fit), this route absolutely nails the High Country bikepacking experience. Iconic High Country mountain landscapes, knee deep creek crossings, fire trails through native forest, quiet sealed backroads, the chance of snow in winter – it’s all here are as the route passes through the towns and villages of Whorouly, Myrtleford, Ovens, Bright, Mount Beauty, Mitta Mitta, Eskdale and Yackandandah before returning to Beechworth and ending with a frothy at the brewery (well, that’s how we do it anyway). Don’t underestimate the climbs on this one, there are some doozys … and not a lot of zero gradient along the route.
Stay in Bright on night 1 and Mitta Mitta night 2, or take longer over the journey and pick your own overnight stops.
Getting to Beechworth
Driving
Beechworth is 30 minutes from the Hume Freeway. If travelling from Melbourne, take the Beechworth/Bright Great Alpine Road exit on the Wangaratta bypass, and then turn left at Tarrawingee. If coming from Albury the fastest way is to take the Wodonga exit and then the Wodonga- Beechworth Road. For a more scenic route drive a little further along the Hume to the Chiltern exit.
Train + Ride
For a car-free bikepacking experience take the train to Wangaratta, Chiltern or Albury station and hop on your bike for the last leg.
Albury to Beechworth
Chiltern to Beechworth
Wangaratta to Beechworth
Insurance and Risks
- If you download and use one of these self-guided routes you acknowledge and accept that you are riding totally at your own risk. The rides listed above are simply suggested routes on publicly-accessible roads and tracks, and the quality, safety, difficulty or day-to-day availability of any of the mapped roads or tracks is outside of Gravelmob’s control.
- Gravelmob strongly recommends that you have your own personal accident and liability insurance whenever you hop on your bike. There are various insurance providers available, Cycling Australia is the obvious one.
- Some of these routes pass through remote areas where mobile phone reception is not reliable for making calls or locating yourself via your phone’s GPS. We recommend you arrange a backup communication plan, bring a dedicated GPS unit (so you can get yourself back to the pub), and pack a Personal Locator Beacon in case of a true emergency.
