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Adventure travel company World Expeditions has launched a brand specialising in a range of Australian self-guided cycling adventures designed to offer active travellers flexibility, affordability and convenience.

Australian Cycle Tours itineraries are diverse enough to be suitable for introductory cyclists — including families with young children — through to experienced cyclists looking for a challenge.

While there are a couple of guided experiences on offer, the vast majority of the new range is self-guided, offering flexible itineraries that include accommodation, bike hire, luggage transfers, route notes and maps, expert advice and GPS information.  Many offer optional e-bikes.

According to World Expeditions CEO, Sue Badyari, the new range has been developed in response to the demand for active adventures which are accessible intra-state by self driving to the destination or by short flights to intra-state destinations.

Ms Badyari says self-guided trips will become more popular during the covid-19 pandemic as they allow travellers to practise social distancing and because there is a healthy respect for following tight  procedures in regional Australia.

“In regions such as Europe, self-guided travel is a well-established and highly desirable style of travel and we’ve worked hard to create some amazing and affordable local packages using the same model,” she said.

“Travellers are looking for uncrowded, outdoor experiences that give them the chance to reconnect with nature and the natural world, at least partly in response to isolation and having been contained for so long.

“The new itineraries are underpinned with all the support working in the background, so cyclists can relax into a really inspiring short adventure, let their hair down and have some fun time, which we all need right now.

“We’ve seen a surge in enquiry for custom itineraries, with families, couples and groups of friends choosing to travel together, and the Australian Cycle Tours range has been developed to allow people to travel in groups of two or more, with a level of flexibility not possible on a group trip.

“Groups can travel at their own pace, choosing their own departure times and duration of stops, with all the logistics such as baggage transfers between each night’s lodgings, accommodation, route planning and backup support, all taken care of.

“We have high expectations for the range to establish itself very quickly as a favourite amongst active travellers.

“Itineraries are in place now in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, with other states to follow.”

On the Great Victorian Rail Trail.

Victoria

The six-day ‘Great Victorian Rail Trail Self-Guided Cycle’ follows Australia’s longest rail-trail through charming towns and countryside from Mansfield, in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, to Tallarook.

The trail passes over Lake Eildon into Bonnie Doon, through the state’s longest trail tunnel near Yea and along the Goulburn River.

Priced at $1490 per person, the ‘Great Victorian Rail Trail Self-Guided Cycle’ includes five nights of accommodation in hotels and guesthouses on a twin share basis.

Electric bikes are an additional $140 and tag-along bikes (for children) are available.

The five-day ‘Murray to the Mountains Downhill Edition’ is a unique itinerary put together to have guest cycle the Mountains Rail Trail without the hills.

From the well-preserved, historical town of Beechworth, the route follows flat roads and downhill trails while soaking in the views of verdant farmland, bushland, forests, valleys and mountains.

Including nights in Myrtleford and Bright, this gravity edition of the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail cycle costs $795 per person and includes four nights accommodation in hotels/motels on a twin-share basis, hybrid bike hire including helmet, lock, repair kit, front handlebar bag, drink-bottle holder, rear carrier and a waterproof pannier, transfer from Milawa to Beechworth, luggage transfers, route notes and maps and GPS information.

Cellar doors line the cycle way near Mudgee.

NSW

The emphasis is on flexibility on the five-day ‘Mudgee Explorer Self-Guided Cycle’, with a number of routes on offer, each of which offers a different experience of the region.

The self-guided itinerary provides complete freedom to set your own pace, with time to enjoy a long lunch, sample local cheeses or stop for a wine tasting, as you cycle quiet country roads passing picturesque vineyards and farms, renowned restaurants and cafes, each evening returning to a boutique hotel in Mudgee.

Priced at $870 per person, the ‘Mudgee Explorer Self-Guided Cycle’ includes accommodation, mountain bike hire including helmet and front basket, route notes and maps, GPX tracks and expert advice.

The two-day ‘Rope & Ride Blue Mountains Adventure’ is a chance to explore the heights, depths and lengths of the Blue Mountains.

This guided adventure combines a day-long seasonal roped activity, such as abseiling or canyoning with a day’s mountain biking adventure.

There is also a challenging and rewarding eight-day ‘Sea to Kosciuszko Self-Guided Cycle’, on which participants will enjoy the thrill of cycling from Tathra on the beautiful Sapphire Coast to Kosciusko at the top of Australia, and a spectacular six-day ‘South Coast Self Guided Cycle’ from Wollongong along the coast to the white sandy beaches of Huskisson, on Jervis Bay.

At $675 per person, the exclusive ‘Rope & Ride Blue Mountains Adventure’ operates with a minimum of only two people and would have to be one of the best ways to see parts of the Blue Mountains that are off limits to most visitors.

The experience includes a hearty gourmet lunch both days, accommodation pick-up (from Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Blackheath and Medlow Bath), professional, qualified and knowledgeable guides, all activity-related equipment for both days (wetsuits, harnesses, helmets, bikes and gloves).

On the Bonnie Doon Rail Trail near Mansfield, Victoria.

Tasmania

Tasmania’s East Coast is dotted with charming fishing villages, stretches of beautiful coastline, including the spectacular Freycinet National Park and the eight-day ‘East Coast Self-Guided Cycle’ is a chance to explore this stunning region independently.

With all the logistics taken care of, this challenging cycle adventure includes a circuit of Maria Island and gives riders the flexibility to undertake additional cycling or to stop at vineyards, cheese-makers and berry farms.

Priced at $1300 per person (twin-share), the ‘East Coast Self-Guided Cycle’ includes five nights hotel/cabin/guesthouse accommodation, two nights camping on Maria Island (all gear included), bike hire, road and ferry transfers, National Park passes, maps and expert advice.

For those short on time, there’s also the six-day highlight version, the ‘Self-Guided Cycle East Coast Highlights that costs $1195, including four nights guesthouse-style accommodation and one night camping.

Western Australia

The six-day ‘Munda Biddi Cycling Adventure’ is along a world-class cycling trail in southern Western Australia, and this experience is guided, with support vehicle so you can cycle as much of this 207-km trail as you like.

Comfortable cabin accommodation, luggage transfer and all meals provided, and this guided adventure costs $2100 per person (twin-share).

Visit www.australiancycletours.com.au or call 1300 767 381.

More media information from Michele Eckersley, at World Expeditions, on +61 2 8270 8400; mobile +61 422 726 344 or email  michele@worldexpeditions.com.au

 

NOTE: Potential travellers should check the status of individual events and establishments with regard to the coronavirus outbreak.