Hi all,
Due to having had a big lunch yesterday, we didn’t need much for dinner. We stayed in, ate some of the food we had brought from home, and watched the footy. Unfortunately Collingwood were absolutely terrible. That’s all I need to say about that!!
This morning we set off on another bike ride. Rob bought me my new bike in March as lockdown was starting and we were no longer able to go to the gym, play basketball etc. I am so grateful he bought me the bike. I have absolutely loved discovering our local bike trails with him. I’ve also begun to ride to and from work one day per week (it takes about 50 minutes each way), and I’m planning on maybe twice a week once Winter is out of the way. On this trip, having our bikes has allowed us to explore some new trails together. It’s a great way to get outside, get some exercise and clear your head - particularly in this crappy year.
Today we tackled a 30km stretch of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. The whole trail runs from Wangaratta to Bright (approx. 80km), along the former Bright railway line. Bright became an important location as gold was discovered in the local area in 1852. Previously called Morses Creek, it gained its name ‘Bright’ in 1862 when it was named after an English politician called John Bright. The railway out here was constructed in 1890 as rail travel became increasingly popular and a way for Victorians to travel around the state during that time. As personal motor vehicles became more popular post-World War II, the railway line out here dwindled and in 1982 the last train ran along the tracks. Since then, from 1993-2003 the old railway line was converted into the bike track that it is today.
This morning was absolutely freezing. When we woke up, it was a balmy 0 degrees (again – we laughed that we are meant to be in Hamilton Island where it is 24 degrees!!). By the time we set off on our bikes, the temperature had risen to 4 degrees (oooo!). I wore thermals on my top and bottom, gloves, a scarf and a woollen headband on my head…and I was still cold for the best part of the day!! Nonetheless, we loved the ride. The trails were really well paved and mostly flat. We enjoyed the different trees and shrubs along the path, the many bridges we got to ride over, and some animals along the way (goats and an alpaca). Smelling the open fires all the country homes were burning as we went past was nice as well. A highlight was Eurobin station, and a lowlight was a section of the path covered in worms that ended up all over our tyres which was pretty gross!!
In some parts there was a lot of low lying cloud, but as we arrived in Myrtleford we could see some sunshine and blue sky. Here we went to the local bakery and each enjoyed a pie, a coffee and a cake. They even had two outdoor tables that people were allowed to sit at, so we nabbed one of those and enjoyed people watching (from a distance).
Then we headed back. Feeling reenergised due to our stop at the bakery, we made it back a bit more quickly and even rewarded ourselves with a stop at Ringer Reef Wintery just outside Porepunkah (about 8km from Bright). Enjoying a beautiful view, we bought a bottle of Sauv Blanc and had a glass each at a table outside. We then rode back past the old Bright train station platform (the only brick one on that old train line) and the supermarket. We headed back to our unit before driving quickly out to Wandiligong before it got dark. It started to rain on the way here, and again we commented on how lucky we were that it started raining after our ride like on Thursday. After checking out the river and Chinese Bridge here, we drove back to Bright.
Tonight we are having takeaway burgers in our unit and watching North Melbourne play the Bulldogs. I hope tonight’s game is far better than ours last night!
Tomorrow we head home, but I will post about our day on the way home as we have a couple of things planned.
Love to all,
Claire
Xoxox
Due to having had a big lunch yesterday, we didn’t need much for dinner. We stayed in, ate some of the food we had brought from home, and watched the footy. Unfortunately Collingwood were absolutely terrible. That’s all I need to say about that!!
This morning we set off on another bike ride. Rob bought me my new bike in March as lockdown was starting and we were no longer able to go to the gym, play basketball etc. I am so grateful he bought me the bike. I have absolutely loved discovering our local bike trails with him. I’ve also begun to ride to and from work one day per week (it takes about 50 minutes each way), and I’m planning on maybe twice a week once Winter is out of the way. On this trip, having our bikes has allowed us to explore some new trails together. It’s a great way to get outside, get some exercise and clear your head - particularly in this crappy year.
Today we tackled a 30km stretch of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. The whole trail runs from Wangaratta to Bright (approx. 80km), along the former Bright railway line. Bright became an important location as gold was discovered in the local area in 1852. Previously called Morses Creek, it gained its name ‘Bright’ in 1862 when it was named after an English politician called John Bright. The railway out here was constructed in 1890 as rail travel became increasingly popular and a way for Victorians to travel around the state during that time. As personal motor vehicles became more popular post-World War II, the railway line out here dwindled and in 1982 the last train ran along the tracks. Since then, from 1993-2003 the old railway line was converted into the bike track that it is today.
This morning was absolutely freezing. When we woke up, it was a balmy 0 degrees (again – we laughed that we are meant to be in Hamilton Island where it is 24 degrees!!). By the time we set off on our bikes, the temperature had risen to 4 degrees (oooo!). I wore thermals on my top and bottom, gloves, a scarf and a woollen headband on my head…and I was still cold for the best part of the day!! Nonetheless, we loved the ride. The trails were really well paved and mostly flat. We enjoyed the different trees and shrubs along the path, the many bridges we got to ride over, and some animals along the way (goats and an alpaca). Smelling the open fires all the country homes were burning as we went past was nice as well. A highlight was Eurobin station, and a lowlight was a section of the path covered in worms that ended up all over our tyres which was pretty gross!!
In some parts there was a lot of low lying cloud, but as we arrived in Myrtleford we could see some sunshine and blue sky. Here we went to the local bakery and each enjoyed a pie, a coffee and a cake. They even had two outdoor tables that people were allowed to sit at, so we nabbed one of those and enjoyed people watching (from a distance).
Then we headed back. Feeling reenergised due to our stop at the bakery, we made it back a bit more quickly and even rewarded ourselves with a stop at Ringer Reef Wintery just outside Porepunkah (about 8km from Bright). Enjoying a beautiful view, we bought a bottle of Sauv Blanc and had a glass each at a table outside. We then rode back past the old Bright train station platform (the only brick one on that old train line) and the supermarket. We headed back to our unit before driving quickly out to Wandiligong before it got dark. It started to rain on the way here, and again we commented on how lucky we were that it started raining after our ride like on Thursday. After checking out the river and Chinese Bridge here, we drove back to Bright.
Tonight we are having takeaway burgers in our unit and watching North Melbourne play the Bulldogs. I hope tonight’s game is far better than ours last night!
Tomorrow we head home, but I will post about our day on the way home as we have a couple of things planned.
Love to all,
Claire
Xoxox
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