Day 4
Rowan had been carrying cereal till now, but it was all gone, so we decided to go out for breakfast for our last couple days on the trail and that was a good way to start our longest day on the trail. And it was another hot, muggy, overcast day. But we are enjoying summer!! We don't get much of a summer back in Tasmania.
Breakfast
Since we had made it to the end of the rail trail yesterday, we were now heading back, the first trail highlight was, of course, the bridge over Lake Eildon! This time, when we cycled through Bonnie Doon, we did notice some signage pointing to the business area. So it is there, but we do think it could be more obvious throughout the trail.
The next highlight was the descent to Yarck. That was nice!!
Bonnie Doon Bridge over Lake Eildon
Then the climb up to the Cheviot Tunnel again. This climb seemed long, but it’s possible I was a little tired from all the cycling lately. It was good when we got to the top, and it was cool and dark inside the tunnel. And the descent down into Yea was great! Partway down we met another couple who were climbing up. They were already a bit tired, but I guess they had something of a headwind and they were also carrying quite a bit more than we were.
We were into Yea in no time, and of course stopped for ice cream. Yep, fuelled by ice cream on this trip!
Cheviot Tunnel
Back into the same lovely cabin again … that’s one thing about doing these out-and-backs, you get to know the people running the caravan parks a little bit. And this evening we walked to one of the restaurants I had wanted to visit when we lived in this area. I don’t know why we never went there before, but this seemed like a good opportunity and the food was good.
Distance: 87.66 km
Elevation: 461 m
Moving Time: 5:25:02
Elapsed Time: 7:35:10
Speed: Avg: 16.2 km/h | Max: 32.4 km/h
Plus, a 1.4 km walk.
On the last day we went out to breakfast to another place I’d heard about when we lived here, but had never been to. This was a trip of doing things we had meant to do but never had the opportunity to do before. While there, a number of cyclists came and went. Because it was a Saturday, it appeared we would have more company on the trail.
Day 5 was a short day again, and our last day on the trail. The trail at this end doesn't have as nice a surface as the rest. It's more gravelly and soft so it made for a bit more work. Also, although it looked like it was going to rain at any moment, it was hot and humid.
Because we were hot and thought a cold drink would be nice, we decided to stop at a hotel we used to see when we drove into Melbourne. A few years ago, it was a beautiful, historical, busy place that served lunches and teas and all sorts. But now, it looks half abandoned, and they certainly weren't serving lunches. We went in any way to get something to drink and were sold two cans of coke for ... wait for it ... $12!! I check Trip Advisor, and it looks like the place started to go downhill about 2 years ago. That's sad.
But much of the trail follows the Goulburn River so it's scenic. And before long, we were back in Tallarook where we started.
Tallarook
We were there well in time to catch the early train back into Melbourne when an announcement came that it was cancelled. Oh dear. When they cancel trains, they replace them with coaches but coaches don't take bicycles. Our only choice was to wait for the next train and hope it would turn up.
Train Station
Meanwhile a couple came to the station house, after a bit, we started chatting with them. Apparently, they rent the place as a "holiday home" because they like trains and like getting out into the country. And the town likes to have them there because they come out every couple weeks keep the place up so it looks nice. He told us all sorts of things about the history of the station ... very interesting.
Our train did come and we were on our way to Melbourne. That evening, we went for a walk to look for a place to eat and found a lovely little "alleyway" lined with restaurants and chose a great Italian place. Lots of atmosphere ... people watching, music, and all.
It felt a little odd to be finished. We were just getting into the swing of things and wish we could keep going for another week. It was a much-needed break. Both of us have been so busy ... it was nice to just have one thing to do each day: cycle. Also, it is so good to get off the island every so often.
Distance: 40.40 km
Elevation: 329m
Moving Time: 2:45:03
Elapsed Time: 4:45:32
Speed: Avg: 14.7 km/h | Max: 25.6 km/h
Plus, a 2.4 km walk.
In Summary
Rowan and I had a good week of cycling!! Plus, we actually had some summer!!
On the Sunday we cycled a 200 km randonnee (215.5 km!!) ... a timed long distance event.
Then between Tuesday and Saturday we cycled the Great Victorian Rail Trail as a cycling tour:
https://www.greatvictorianrailtrail.com.au/
We did a bit extra on the Wednesday so all up, we cycled 312.4 on that cycling tour.
In total: 527.9 km in a week!!
Lots of photos starting with the ones on 20Feb17:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka...09134945/page1