How to: Plan your first overnight bike trip

Going camping on bikes is just about the greatest thing ever. It’s amazing to travel through nature on a bike, though it can be daunting to embark for the first time. It is so immensely rewarding that if you’re thinking about it you should try it. I created this step-by-step guide to convince you that virtually anyone can do this.

Jamieson Insanity

You’ll be pushing your bike up most of Mt Terrible and the whole section above Jamieson is hectic. The views are great but the difficulty is intense.

The Finn and Aidan Show

We made good time grinding uphill. I was really impressed with Finn’s speed, there was none of the usual waiting around for people to catch up I had experienced riding with other friends. I am not sorry to wait, everywhere there is something new to see and I have a great love for these spaces in between places. There’s always something special about time without obligations.

Finn and Aidan Show (Route)

This route takes you up to the Kinglake Ranges and then through a small section of Mt Robertson State Park into Kinglake National Park. It then traverses Toolangi and connects with the Acheron Way to climb over the Great Dividing Range and back down towards Warburton. It then bypasses Warburton by means of the extremely scenic O’Shannasey Aqueduct Trail and finishes with the Warby trail.

Road Bikes Off Road

Early 2016 I went on a roadpacking trip, and took my road bike off road on the O’Shannasey Aqueduct. I rolled up the Reefton Spur, through Marysville, onto Healesville and then up to Castella Junction to hang out with the staunch and committed Knitting Nannas of Toolangi

Ride #2 – Toolangi

This was a great week. I got lost in nature, regained some fitness and enjoyed some delicious meals. Everything you want in a break from suburban life. I CAN’T SAY THIS LOUD ENOUGH, TOOLANGI IS BRILLIANT!

My First Ride in the GFNP

We camped for the first night in one of these areas, The Mount Robertson State Forest. It is a popular destination for trail bike riders, and by extension mountain bikers. We had a lot of fun exploring the loose sandy tracks, dodging dried up mud traps and stray logs under the forest canopy.