Epic adventures: from sea level to (nearly) the top of Australia

“Are we really getting on that little plane?”

“Yes, we told you we had to get on a little plane to get to Merimbula”

“But that’s really, really little. And I didn’t think you were serious….”

The Great Dividing Range stretches 3,700km from Victoria (Southern point) to Queensland (Northern point), Australia

And this was how 4 days of laughs, silly stories and a great adventure began. Some months ago, I convinced 3 friends to sign up to Cyclehosts’ Merimbula to Albury adventure ride, keen to ride from the coast, through the Australian Alps, over the Great Dividing Range, then follow inland rivers in to Albury.

Short Point, Merimbula NSW. The start of the journey

The stories started as soon as we got off that little plane – we had been asked to pack bikes into cardboard boxes so that we could recycle the boxes after transport. I had Cyclespeed pack mine to ensure that it made it to the destination safely intact. This also meant that unpacking was a surprise and it took us nearly 2 hrs of standing around at the airport looking confused at different bike parts (and borrowing tools off the tradies who were renovating the airport) before we eventually put all the pieces together to ride away. Mechanics we are not. 

Merimbula is located on the far south coast of NSW, about 70 km north of the Victorian border, surrounded by surf beaches and Merimbula Lake being the centre piece of the town. We met the whole group at a meet-and-greet in a wine bar in town that evening, who we all clicked with, and our ride leaders, Diane, who was usually the at the front of the bunch as the engine of our train, and Ben, our chilled out soigneur. 

Photo time at Short Point, Merimbula

In the morning, we headed to Short Point, a lookout overlooking the surf beach to take in the view in the early light before turning inland towards the rolling hills. Once we started riding, thoughts turned almost immediately to our first coffee stop, which was to be Bemboka. This set the tone for the trip – ride, coffee, cake, ride, coffee, cake, ride. When we ran out of cafes and bakeries in the more remote locations, we would ride along for about 40 km before looking for our support car. Each time, there was Ben, table out, snacks set up, and ready for coffee with an often spectacular view.

Quiet country roads of NSW

The first day saw us climb from sea level in Merimbula, over wet temperate rainforest on Brown Mountain (at 1243 m) with some steep pinches, and then across the Monaro Plain into Cooma. The landscape was stark across this section, with the naturally treeless plain and exposed granite boulders accentuated by the effects of the drought. Our second day from Cooma to Jindabyne saw severe storms hit Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, all while we threaded the needle through this weather and avoided getting wet. 

Woody became the mascot for the trip. Pictured here on the High Plains of Australia, near Cooma NSW

From Jindabyne, we headed up to Thredbo through windy mountain roads which are completely different to those we normally ride in the Victorian Alps, before leaving the Great Dividing Range and dropping into Khancoban and then on to Corryong. In the times that I have driven along this road, I recall thinking that this would be a great ride, and it didn’t disappoint.

Back roads between Cooma and Jindabyne

The varied terrain of this adventure is part of the appeal

The final push to Jindabyne

There was time to ponder the scenery of sub-alpine grasslands, Snow Gums and Mountain Ash, admire the steep sided road cuttings through the gorges and appreciate the engineering feat of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme. This section had the headwaters of the Murray River, wild brumbies, and the home of the Man from Snowy River. Our last day had us riding from Corryong, past the drowned town of old Tallangatta, stop for cake at new Tallangatta before following the High Country Rail Trail around Lake Hume and into Wodonga, finishing with a celebratory prosecco. 

Snow in the background…in November

The descent from the High Plains of Australia….

The riding was challenging but spectacular, with our evenings spent retelling the highlights and silly events of the day. Diane’s estimations of distance and vertical metres were optimistic, becoming increasingly more optimistic as the ride continued and a source of constant amusement.

And would I do another Cyclehost adventure? Absolutely – if not for the scenery, then for the laughs, stories and new ride buddies that you’ll ride away with.