Just bring yourself, your clothes and a camera while we provide your bikes, maps and information, transport your luggage, book your accommodation and arrange your return transport. An excellent train service between Melbourne and Bairnsdale can make this a truly carbon neutral cycling getaway!

Summary.

Our packages include:

Bike Hire: good quality mountain bikes with rack and bag, basic tools and spare tube, mens and womens seats and a breakdown replacement guarantee. - from $30 per day.

Maps and Information: Rail Trail map and locality maps, comprehensive information including emergency contacts, where to eat and sights along the trail.

Luggage Transport:  $11 per bag. (weight limit applies)

Accommodation: Options include luxury B and B to self contained houses and cottages. Price varies with group size and accommodation type.

Return transport: From $25 per person Orbost - Bairnsdale or Bairnsdale - Orbost.

The East Gippsland Rail Trail.

The East Gippsland Rail Trail is located in the far east of Victoria, Australia, travelling through the low foothills of the Great Dividing Range that skirt the coastal lakes opening into  the Southern Ocean.

The Rail Trail enables cyclists, walkers and horse riders to travel along the disused rail line that transported passengers and goods between Bairnsdale and Orbost up until 1987. Now resurfaced with hard packed gravel it offers a chance to see the country side as rail passengers once did, and with no vehicular traffic and very gentle gradients it makes for a superb cycle journey.

Bike Hire.

Our fleet consists of mountain bikes in a range of sizes with front suspension, comfortable mens and womens seats, fat tyres with deep tread and a wide range of gears to make riding in any conditions comfortable. Bikes come with a rack and bag on the back, water bottle holders, spare tube and basic tools. We have a replacement guarantee: if your bike has a breakdown other than a flat tyre, we will replace it for you on the trail.

Please note we do not do casual day bike hire, but we can put you in touch with businesses that do!

Riding times and distances.

The trail can be ridden over 2, 3 or 4 days, depending on how far you wish riding in one day and whether you add up to 33 kilometres by riding the Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail loop. Below are some possible itineraries, which can be ridden in either direction.

Three days, 99km. Day 1: Bairnsdale - Bruthen (30km); Day 2: Bruthen to Nowa Nowa/ Tostaree (27/35 km) Day 3: Nowa Nowa/ Tostaree to Orbost ( 42/34 km).

Four days, 132 km. Day 1: Bairnsdale - Bruthen (30km); Day 2: Bruthen to near Lakes Entrance via Gippslannd Lakes Discovery Trail (approx 30km); Day 3: Lakes Entrance to Nowa Nowa (approx 30km); Day 4: Nowa Nowa to Orbost (42 km).

Two days, 99 km. Day 1 Bairnsdale to Nowa Nowa/ Tostaree (57/ 65 km); Day 2 Nowa Nowa/Tostaree to Orbost (42/34 km).

Three days, 132 km. Day 1: Bairnsdale to Bruthen (30km); Day 2: Bruthen to Nowa Nowa VIA Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail loop (54); Day 3: Nowa Nowa  to Orbost (42 km).

There are also several options for extending the trip by 15 - 20 km at the Orbost end of the trail, leaving the trail a little before its end to loop out onto roads that follow the Snowy River back into Orbost.