Victoria Bike Ride 2022

The ride today was fairly short, so we had plenty of time to walk around the lake, and examine some more of Daylesford's sights, before we set off.  Lake Daylesford Some more of Daylesford's sights  We eventually set off out of Daylesford, uphill for the first couple of kilometres. For the rest of today's ride we were going mostly downhill. Unfortunately, we were heading west, and the wind was a westerly blowing at about 30kph. And it was cold.  The road out of Daylesford was uphill After about 10 kilometres we stopped for refreshment at the Overwrought Sculpture Garden and Gallery, where we stopped for a hot drink and shelter from the biting wind.  Overwrought Sculpture Garden and Gallery - also serves coffee and hot chocolate When we hopped back on the bikes we were off the highway. The wind was still there though. We rode through peaceful, cold-looking countryside. Around Lawrence some helpful roadside signboards explained the geological and historical significanc...

Day 2 was a very pleasant ride through the undulating countryside of the Victorian goldfields.  We started with a short stretch uphill to the Garfield Water Wheel.  Uphill . . . . . . to the Garfield Water Wheel Then a leisurely, up and down trip to the Vaughan Mineral Springs, stopping to admire several of the sights along the way. Duke of Cornwall Cornish Engine House and sign pointing to it Red Knob And so to Vaughan Mineral Springs for morning tea. We tasted the water, and while supposedly containing beneficial minerals, it did not suit our taste.  Vaughan Mineral Springs From Vaughan we cycled to Franklinford, and on through Shepherds Flat to Hepburn Springs. There was quite a lot of uphill on this section, giving us plenty of time to see the sights on the way.  Shepherds Flat - Home of the Australian Cricket Bat Willow. Who knew? Pleasant riding at Shepherds Flat, before the road turned uphill again After a brief lunch stop (of leftovers from breakfast) in Hepb...

And we're underway. The ride started in typical fashion, with a ceremonial selfie. Ceremonial selfie to commemorate the start of the trip.  We left Bendigo under cloudy skies with annoying drizzle that stayed with us for most of the day's ride. We were joined by our friend Simon. We were glad to have his local knowledge to navigate through Bendigo's outer suburbs.  Kath and Simon climbing the fearsome Diamond Hill in Bendigo Once out of Bendigo, it was an up and down ride through the rain to Maldon, with few highlights on the way.  These two probably have a logical explanation for why they are walking up the hill On the way into Maldon we stopped to look at the Porcupine Flat gold dredge and dragline - relics of the area's gold-digging past.  Cyclists posing in front of the Gold dredge at Porcupine Flat Then it was in to Maldon to visit the sites of the town, and treat ourselves to lunch at the Maldon Hotel.  Maldon, 38 km from Bendigo Beehive Mine chimney, a hi...

After an eventful few weeks, we will be arriving in Victoria tomorrow, ready to start riding on Thursday.  Our preparations were interrupted when we both caught Covid a couple of weeks ago.  While we are now both fully recovered, it meant an unscheduled 3 week break from the bikes. We have been travelling south in a leisurely fashion. Here are our bikes resting on their way south On the way down we discovered the Chinese Tribute Gardens in Young - well worth a visit if you're in the area.  Chinese Tribute Gardens in Young We have been able to do a final couple of practice rides with family and friends in Canberra over the last few days.  Practising rest stops - we anticipate these will be a feature of our Victoria ride Looking elegant We were fortunate to be in Canberra when the Five Peaks Challenge was on One last practice rest stop Now the training is over. On to Victoria.