Tour De Great Victorian Rail Trail Guided - Labour Day Weeke

Make your own way to Mansfield. Nestled in the foothills of the Victorian Alps and surrounded by grazing land and mountain forests, Mansfield has a number of interesting historical buildings dating back to its time as a stock route camp and gold mining town. Ask us about booking an extra night here before your tour!Once in Mansfield, you will meet with your guide and fellow travelers at Mansfield Visitor Information Centre (175 High Street) for 12pm. After getting acquainted with your bikes and a briefing from your guide, we start our journey with a nice easy ride to Bonnie Doon. You will pass through the small town of Maindample and a quick stop at the Maindample Whistle Stop, a resting place in a local couple's garden that offers cold drinks and shelter out of the sun. Cycle across the impressive 385 metre bridge over Lake Eildon. Bonnie Doon was immortalized in the hilarious Australian classic movie "The Castle" and is a cute lakeside town. Tonight, make sure you save room for dinner as we enjoy the Asian Fusion dining experience on offer at Bounty Bonnie Doon. Using locally sourced produced on their 8-course set menu, this is a culinary highlight of High Country Victoria.

Today you set off through farming country, cycling past rock outcrops, livestock and open farmlands. You will pass by the Merton service station, before the gentle ascent to Merton Gap. This is the highest point on the trail, and the spectacular views from the top are well worth the climb. From here it's a nice, long gentle descent all the way to Yarck, where we will stop for lunch. Continuing the ride there is one more gentle climb before we head into the scenic country town of Alexandra which recently celebrated its’ 150 year anniversary.

After a cooked breakfast, today we head to the historic and thriving town of Yea, this area is a rich pastoral and dairying area with the Yea River flowing around the town. There are a couple of small climbs this morning out of Alexandra, for which you are rewarded at Eglington Gap, which has outstanding views back over Alexandra and the hinterland. From here you have a nice long gentle descent to Molesworth. Further along you will come to the 201-meter long Cheviot Tunnel the longest trail tunnel in Victoria. It was made from 675,000 bricks, which were handcrafted on site with local clay in 1889. The town has many historical buildings from the 19th century in good condition and worth a visit. Enjoy a group dinner tonight at your accommodation.