Great fun riding around Dubbo Zoo
My partner and some of my family members are just back from a great long weekend away where we found ourselves riding around Dubbo Zoo. It was a great way to see the zoo because you could ride right up to all the enclosures. But it got me thinking that tourist attractions like the zoo in western NSW is doing a great job of normalising bike riding. This is because most of the people riding bikes around the zoo are not regular riders so it’s promoting riding to them. I expect that some of them return home and start riding a bike as a result of the experience.
So it got me thinking that incorporating even a small amount of bike riding into a holiday is a win-win. It’s a great activity for people with children, but it’s also great for people who don’t have children in tow. So to get you thinking about incorporating bike riding into your future holidays, here’s a few Australian locations:
Bright, Victoria
I had a recent short break in Bright and it was a great cycling destination. It is surrounded by great off-road bike paths that are relatively flat and easy, but it’s also got mountains for those who want to challenge themselves. Surrounding towns also boast great rail trails that are linked up for ease of use.
Mudgee Muster, NSW
Every Easter long weekend the NSW town of Mudgee hosts a bike riding festival called the Mudgee Muster. It’s focused on non-competitive cyclists with different ride options, and other bike related festivities.
Dubbo Zoo, NSW
A great place to ride around on bike paths and roads. I took my own bike, but there are hire bikes available. It was pleasing to see that every bike available for hire was in use, a testament to their popularity.
Rottnest Island, WA
I’ve not been to Rottnest Island in Western Australia but I’m told it’s a great for cycling, and it has plenty of bikes available for hire.
Maria Island, Tasmania
Like Rottnest, Maria Island can been seen by bike at a leisurely pace, although there are some and hills and it’s a national park so you have to stick to the designated trails.
Magnetic Island, Queensland
I’ve not visited beautiful Magnetic Island which is just off the coast of Queensland near Townsville but I’m told it’s a great place to ride. You can hire bikes and even e-bikes, so I’m guessing there must be a few hills to tackle.
Clare Valley Riesling Trail, SA
Some friends of mine have ridden the Riesling Trail in South Australia’s Clare Valley and had a great time. They are keen road cyclists but were happy to swap their serious bikes for a more leisurely pace, plus you get to taste the great wines of that region.
Now there’s a post after my own heart. We incorporate bike rides into as many holidays as we can lol! Including Port-Fairy to Warnambool rail trail when staying at Port Fairy, Queenscliff to Drysdale rail trail when staying in Queenscliff and the Murray to Mountains rail trail near Bright and Beechworth (including a great 19km downhill section from Beechworth to Everton complete with mini mountain bike challenges along the way). Further afield, cycling around Copenhagen city on their amazing network of single directional bike paths adjacent to almost every single road, cycling through rice fields and villages in Bali and cycling through disused railway tunnels along the Italian coast just north of Cinque Terre. As for what’s next – would love to do a cycling holiday in Vietnam or somewhere similar!
Oh I forgot our most recent holidays – left the car parked in the hotel car park and spent a few days cycling our way around Canberra to many different attractions (War Memorial, National Arboretum, Questacon and more), more often than not circumnavigating the various sections of the Lake Burley Griffin bike path!
Pretty well wherever I travel I carry my bike on the back of the car. In the last four months, I’ve been down to Bright and ridden Bright to Myrtleford trail and in the same area the Yea to Mansfield Rail Trail, I spent a month in Stanthorpe and cycled all around everywhere, including the Stanthorpe to Ballandean trail. Then onto Fernvale for three weeks, and of course did a fair bit of the Brisbane Valley Rail trail. After that I’ve been at Bundaberg for five weeks and Bargara for two weeks and there is a lot of beaut cycling up and down the coast line. You can almost anywhere with a bicycle!