Winding tracks through mighty red gums help Jon Miller convert a new bike rider into a cycle touring convert.
The adventure begins…
..on a Friday evening train to Kerang. My girlfriend and I arrive late and pitch our tents at the caravan park, nestled in a bend of the Loddon River. As a newcomer to cycling, Fiona has never done any cycle touring before, so I’m hoping this weekend will be the perfect introduction. Kerang is the gateway but our destination is Gunbower Island.
Gunbower Island lies in the floodplain of the Murray, just north of Echuca, and is an internationally significant wetland. It is Australia’s largest inland island and is covered by magnificent river red gum and box forest, which supports a large variety of native birds and animals. Depending on the season, wildflowers are also abundant.
We leave Kerang early and ride through Koroop. Our mountain bikes are equipped with touring tyres and handle the hard-packed dirt with ease. A tailwind helps us speed through the open farmland around Kerang, and in no time at all we are crossing onto Gunbower Island and leaving the bitumen behind.
The farms offer pleasant scenery but it is the native bush we have come to see. We have planned this trip for weeks and are excited to finally be in the Gunbower Forest. We’re both riding well, chatting and laughing as we go. I’m very pleased with the way Fiona is handling her bike with four panniers.
We interrupt a troop of six or seven kangaroos bounding through the undergrowth, a flock of swamp harriers fishing at the water’s edge, a wedge-tailed eagle circling high overhead, numerous kites, galahs, rosellas and other birdlife. The lack of traffic is refreshing – once we enter the forest, we only see one other car for the entire day, allowing the sounds of the bush to surround us – the cockatoo’s cry is never far away.
Towards the end of the day, we begin our hunt for a campsite. It’s an easy task and we settle on a flat grassy area for our tent with a fireplace nearby and a track to the river. Billy tea is soon boiling over the fire. We have the place to ourselves and spend the evening in glorious solitude listening to the bird calls and hunting for satellites amongst the stars. We fall into bed early, pleasantly tired after the day’s riding.
The next morning, I venture out of the tent early and am rewarded by the gorgeous, early morning light, gently illuminating the mist floating above the still waters of the Murray. It was a cold night; there is frost on the ground and ice on the tent. We dawdle over breakfast, admiring the view and allowing the sun time to break through the clouds and dry off the tent.
By mid-morning we’re on our bikes again, continuing through the forest. There are one or two sites of historical significance marked on the map, but Fiona is loving the conditions and racing ahead so we miss the turn-off. No matter, this gives us an excuse to come back again one day. All too soon, we emerge into civilisation at Torrumbarry Weir, stopping in at the Visitor Centre to read about the construction of the original weir back in 1924 and the reconstruction after a leak was found in 1992.
There is a little more forest after the weir but it gradually gives way to farmland again. Soon we join the main highway for the run into Echuca. Fiona is very pleased with herself and rightly so – we celebrate with coffee and cake at the bakery overlooking the Campaspe River.
On the train back to Melbourne, we recap Fiona’s first ride. She has fallen in love with cycle touring. Soon the maps are out – we’re already planning the next one. Maybe we’ll start in Swan Hill and ride for three days. Or take a week to ride from Swan Hill all the way to Wodonga. Or a weekend through the Koondrook and Perricoota forests of New South Wales. So many possibilities …
Jon Miller has been riding bikes of different shapes and sizes for 20 years. He likes all forms of cycling – especially touring – and is a current member and past president of Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club.
Getting there
Kerang is on the Swan Hill line. There is a V/Line train leaving Southern Cross at 6:17pm arriving in Kerang at 9:58. You will need lights to ride from Kerang station to your accommodation in Kerang.
There is a train leaving Echuca at 4:10pm on Sunday afternoon arriving in Melbourne at 7:33
Accommodation
Kerang Caravan & Tourist Park 21 Museum Drive, 5452 1161
Loddon River Motel. Murray Valley Highway, Kerang 5452 2511
Exchange Hotel, 62 Wellington St, Kerang 5452 1800
Gunbower Family Hotel 20 Main St, Gunbower 5487 1214
Maps
Cohuna – Echuca – Gunbower Forest Activities Map by Hayman’s maps is recommended.
The Murray River Access booklet published by Parks Victoria is also quite good.
Bike riding in Echuca
The Echuca–Moama website has some directions of day rides in Echuca as well as other information on the town.
