Ride the historic Great Southern Rail Trail in beautiful South Gippsland from start to finish over 3 days. 

Enjoy views of Wilsons Promontory and Quiet Corner. Spot wildlife throughout your ride including koalas, kangaroos and more.  Laze at the many cafes, relive your riding at a classic Aussie Pub or a local restaurant.  

Start: St Kilda, Melbourne
Finish: St Kilda, Melbourne

Inclusions:

• 3 Nights quality ensuite accommodation (Double or single, note twin share is not available)
• Transport to and from Melbourne, with bikes, luggage
• 3 x full breakfasts
• 2 x restaurant dinners
• 2 x mid ride lunches (cafe) 
• Ride with guide and support van with driver 
• Daily luggage transfers
• Enviro friendly Water bottle
• Lightweight fair-trade cycling t-shirt ideal for cycling
• BYO bike or hire available (Trek FX hybrid or Ebikes available)

The Cycling:
From the start of the Great Southern Rail Trail in Nyora to the new end section at Yarram you will ride the full length of this beautiful cycling trail
Total Distance: Possible total 137kms over 3 days total
Track: Compacted gravel surface, fine gravel suitable for most bikes and riders

Day 1 – Wed 29th January: Depart Melbourne

Your trip includes all transport including to and from Melbourne.  Meet us at our departure point at 12pm for the 1.5 hr drive to Loch near the start of the trail.  We overnight in Loch with a lovely local restaurant meal to get us started.  Accommodation is at the delightful Old Hospital in Loch.

Day 2 – Thurs 30th January: Ride Nyora to Meeniyan

Breakfast is included on your first morning so after fuelling up, we make our way to the new start of the Great Southern Rail Trail in Nyora, aiming for Meeniyan where we spend the next 2 nights.

Cycling 52kms

We begin our ride on this scenic section of the trail towards Leongatha, passing through the town of Loch, a bustling village with cafes and galleries and an award-winning railway station building. It is a winding, but scenic climb up to the old coal mining town of Korumburra, perched on the top of the hill. From here, the rail trail continues through rolling green countryside, descending approximately 150m to Leongatha which marks a great time to stop for lunch.

It's now a gentle descent from Leongatha to Koonwarra, past farmland, lowland forest and wetlands.  Look out for heron and other waterfowl, before arriving in pretty Koonwarra, known for its love of food and fine local produce, sustainable living and a regular farmers market. The history of the railway comes to life as we cross the original 1880s trestle bridges, which spans the Black Spur creek and surrounding fern gullies. The trail meanders close to the main street of Meeniyan where we will regather and head to our nearby (and pretty special) accommodation.  The next 2 nights are at the villas of Campania in Meeniyan.  On a hot day, the pool is a delight!

Day 3 – Fri 31st January: Meeniyan to Port Welshpool

We start the day with a very short roll into the lovely town of Meeniyan for a café breakfast, complete with coffee/tea.  The perfect way to start the day. 

Cycling 51kms

From Meeniyan, we enjoy a gentle undulating ride to Buffalo.  Grey kangaroos, wallabies and many bird species are common along here.  The trail then enters the foothills of the Hoddle Range with several cuttings and embankments providing ever changing views.  We ride into charming Fish Creek where the original train station platform remains.   Fish Creek has an old
butter factory, book and antique stores, the Promontory Hotel and plenty of places to eat.

From Fish Creek the trail climbs gently for 6km to Hoddle Summit, named after Victoria’s first Surveyor-General, Robert Hoddle. Descending from here offers spectacular views of Corner Inlet, the Strzelecki Ranges to the north and the mountains of Wilsons Promontory to the south.  We arrive into Foster where we enjoy our included lunch at a special location with beautiful views.

Foster is a larger town so we can take some time to look around before jumping back on the bikes for the final 19kms. From here the trail is flat and relatively straight as it runs through lush dairy country interspersed with eucalypts around watercourses. We ride down to Port Welshpool and for those keen ride the spectacular ‘Long Jetty’ stretching 850m to enjoy interrupted views of thw stunning Wilsons Promontory ranges.

After getting our pics we jump back in the bus for our transfer back to Meeniyan, and our final evening.  Perhaps enjoy a dip in the stunning pool at our accommodation before our (included) dinner for the trip, always a great celebration.  

Day 4 – Sat 1st February: Port Welshpool to Yarram to Melbourne

After another delightful evening at our special accommodation, we enjoy a café breakfast before transferring back to Port Welshpool to start our riding.  We do this so we can enjoy the last and newly opened section of the Great Southern Rail Trail through to Yarram. 

Cycling 28kms

Adelightful ride today as we make our way to Yarram.  Depending on time and inclination there is the opportunity for a possible side trip to seaside Port Albert (+7kms).  This new section was opened in June 2024.  For most of the 21km, the predominantly ti-tree boundary vegetation to the south provides good protection and the occasional view of the extensive coastal plains, with the northern side providing views of the South Gippsland hills.  Keep an eye out for wildlife from the bush on the southern side. Reaching Yarram we have ridden the Great Southern Rail Trail from end to end.  We will enjoy a quick lunch whilst we load up the bikes and gear and make our way back to Melbourne, aiming for a 4pm arrival back in St Kilda.  

Tour Highlights and inclusions:        

• Riding the easy, safe Great Southern Rail Trail from start to finish
• 3 x nights quality accommodation 
• 3 x breakfasts
• 2 x (restaurant) dinners + 2 x lunches
• Listening to the sounds of dense forest, with abundant birdlife 
• Riding over trestle bridges and enjoying river and ocean views 
• Visiting the cute rural towns along the way such as Koonwarra & Fish Creek 
• Wildlife spotting including koalas, kangaroos and wallabies
• The scenic views,clean country air and the real sense of escape
• Environmentally friendly cycling water bottle (re-used plastic) and lightweight t-shirt