Bikepacking the Grampians

Whether you are a seasoned bikepacker, or are looking to ramp up your bikepacking from beginner trips with the club, this trip is for you! Get out of the winter blues and out there on your bike :) 

On this trip we'll be heading from Aararat into the Grampians National Park, going past Moyston and staying overnight at Boreang Campground in the heart of the park, before heading up and over Mt William Range and back into Aararat. 

Itinerary:

Saturday 14th June - Aararat to Boreang Campsite (89kms, 844m elevation gain)

Meet at the MUMC clubhouse at 7:15 am, before riding all together to Southern Cross station to catch the 8:17 am train to Aararat, arriving at 10:45 am. We will ride along gravel roads and paved roads past Moyston for a pie/refreshments, before heading into the hills. From there, there will be a short single-track section, past the Moora Moora reservoir, with the option of visiting Paddy's castle before arriving at camp. We'll have a cookup and catch some Z's ready for the big day tomorrow. 

Sunday 15th June: Boreang Campsite to Aararat (69kms, 1072m elevation gain)

Waking up to the fresh air, we'll have a day of undulating climbs and false summits. We'll follow Stony Creek road, have some awesome descents and go past Borough Huts Campground for a possible lunch spot/snack break. After this, we'll go over the awesome Mt William Range and onto the other side, where we will fly back down to Moyston, and then Aararat, at this point taking roughly the same route as we did the day before. We'll arrive in Aararat and take the 4:16 pm train out of there, arriving back at Southern Cross at 7:34 pm. 

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38661721

Participant requirements:

This is an intermediate trip, running in a winter month in a notoriously wet part of the world, meaning participants will need to:

- Have gone on at least one bikepacking trip before and be comfortable riding/climbing on a loaded bike. 

- Be able to pack all their overnight gear, food (including one breakfast, one lunch, and one dinner at the very least), wet weather gear, CHARGED LIGHTS, layers, snacks, and some tools to fix their bike, including a flat repair kit (and knowledge on how to use it) and an allen key set. 

- Be able to ride for up to 6 hours on a loaded bike on relatively hilly terrain.

- Be able to manage food and water intake, as snacking regularly on the bike is highly important for longer trips. NOTE: this also means that it's recommended to be able to snack on the bike whilst moving; ie, have snacks accessible. 

That's all! Couldn't be more stoked for this, let's get out there :)