Enjoy a weekend of fun, fitness and fresh country air with a two‑wheeled exploration of Victoria’s central goldfields. This 2 day mountain bike tour from Melbourne visits four different trail networks across Woodend, Harcourt, Bendigo and Castlemaine, offering flowing singletrack, hand‑built club trails and purpose‑built bike park runs for a wide range of skill levels. With great local food, craft beer, quality accommodation in Bendigo and full guiding and transport included, it is an ideal escape for riders who want maximum time on the trails and minimal time worrying about logistics.
The first day begins with an early departure from Melbourne, heading towards Woodend and the handmade trails of Wombat State Forest. Here you warm up with around two hours of riding on the popular 17 km loop, weaving through the trees on undulating singletrack with plenty of fun features and optional challenges along the way. The trail network is well established and suits a wide range of riders, making it a great introduction to the weekend.
Late morning, you roll into Woodend’s famous Holgate’s Brewery for lunch. For many guests this is a highlight of the day, with an impressive range of beers brewed on site and hearty food that is perfect fuel for the afternoon ride. You are welcome to sample the beers in moderation, keeping in mind that the best riding is still to come.
After lunch, a short drive up the Calder Highway brings you to Harcourt, just outside the gold mining city of Bendigo. Here, millions of dollars have been invested into a 34 km network of machine‑built green, blue and black trails, designed and constructed by the team at Dirt Art. Most runs are aimed at moderate to advanced riders, with big berms, rollers and features that test both skills and fitness while rewarding you with spectacular views and big smiles. Groups with less experience can instead ride an easier hand‑built trail network closer to Bendigo. After another couple of hours on the trails, you head into the centre of Bendigo to check into your accommodation and enjoy the evening at your own pace. Bendigo is a vibrant regional city with plenty of eateries, pubs and night spots, and your comfortable surroundings provide a great chance to rest and recharge for day two.
Day two starts with a hearty breakfast at a local Bendigo café. As any rider knows, coffee is the most important fuel of all, and there is no shortage of excellent “black gold” to get you moving.
The morning ride takes place on Andy’s trail network at Spring Hill near Bendigo, a maze of hand‑crafted trails built and maintained by dedicated local club members. The riding here is engaging and technical in places without being extreme, with no long climbs but plenty of rocky sections to keep you alert and focused. Around two hours on these trails is enough to cover a good portion of the network and leave you wanting more.
For lunch, the tour continues to Das Kaffehaus within Castlemaine’s Mill precinct. This buzzing hub combines great food, coffee and local makers, and the menu leans into hearty, European‑inspired dishes that provide ideal “mountain food” between rides.
The final riding destination is just outside Castlemaine at the famous “Bacon Trails”, another hand‑built club trail network gifted by early pioneers of the sport. Flowing downhill gullies, switchback climbs, rocky sections and playful drops make this a fantastic way to finish two days of riding. Safe in the bush, away from traffic, you can fully focus on the trail, your breathing and the simple thrill of chasing your friends up climbs and down fast, flowing descents. Often the sense of adventure takes over and you forget you are getting a serious workout at the same time.
After an afternoon on the Bacon Trails, you pack up, load the bikes and begin the return journey to Melbourne, tired in the best possible way and full of stories from the weekend.
This 2 Day Central Goldfields Mountain Bike Tour departs from Melbourne CBD, with pickup included. After two full days of guided riding across multiple trail locations, you are returned to the Melbourne CBD at the end of day two. Exact pickup and drop‑off times can be confirmed at the time of booking.
The bikes used on this tour are well‑maintained Trek hardtail mountain bikes with front suspension, supplied in partnership with Woodend Cycles. You will be required to sign a waiver before participating. Mountain biking is an adventurous sport, and we expect all riders to ride within their personal limits; we cannot take responsibility for the on‑trail decisions you make. We strongly recommend taking out appropriate travel insurance and/or ambulance cover, as you can never be too careful when it comes to adventure activities.
We include breakfast and dinner for each night on tour. Chris’s restaurant does a wonderful meal overlooking the ocean followed by a deluxe continental breakfast the following morning.
The Barn has one of the best steakhouses in Australia and it is to die for. They also do a cooked breakfast to kickstart the next day.
When we stay at the Royal Mail Hotel at Dunkeld at the foot of the Grampians, we include the degustation menu at ‘Wickens’. It is a celebration of food and creativity and should not be missed. A simple in room continental is all that is necessary the following day but a stop by the bakery on the way out of town is not unheard of.
We will do the GOR in a day if we cannot convince people to do the 2-day or 3-day options, but it is not something we promote nor recommend. It is such a long day of driving, and you are limited in what you can see and the amount of time at each place. It is better doing it in a small vehicle rather than a big bus but if you have the time, an extra day is certainly worth it.
