Murray to Mountains Rail Trail

Bright → Wang, round two

Alex rode it at Easter 2026. This time with Rebecca & Minna.

Three days, including travel.

Rebecca's e-bike makes Taylors Gap easy, so legs aren't the limit; Minna's time in the seat is. Three days keeps it to about 30 km a day, with time for every pool and playground.

Date TBC Labour Day weekend, 6–8 Mar 2027?

Sat – Sun

The 2-day dash

  • Sat Leave Melbourne ~6:30. 09:57 coach from Wang, ride 31 km to Myrtleford, camp.
  • Sun 55 km over Taylors Gap to Wang, drive home.

Doable for adults. A long day in the seat for Minna.

Sat – Mon recommended

The 3-day amble

  • Sat
    1. 6:30 leave Melbourne, ~2.5–3 hr drive
    2. ~9:30 Wang
    3. 09:57 coach
    4. 11:32 Bright, pizza, roll
    31 km to Myrtleford Holiday Park.
  • Sun ~27 km over Taylors Gap, including the hop to camp. Free river camp at Pioneer Bridges.
  • Mon ~35 km back to the trail and down to Wang, Apex Park playground on the way to the car. Aim to be at the car by early afternoon.

About 30 km a day.

The route

Coach up, three days riding back down to the car. Tap a pin for details.

camp Minna stop approximate

Height along the trail, Bright → Wang

Day by day

Day 1 · Sat 31 km

Bright → Myrtleford

The pretty, busy bit: river towns, hop kilns, chocolate.

Sleep Myrtleford Holiday Park, powered site.

Day 2 · Sun ~27 km

Myrtleford → Pioneer Bridges

The one hill. Taylors Gap is the climb between Myrtleford and Everton; the e-bike shrugs it off, then it's down the other side.

Stock up in Myrtleford: Sunday dinner, Monday breakfast and water. The camp is just a camp.

Sleep Pioneer Bridges, Markwood. Free, flat, shady, on the Ovens, about 4 km off the trail by road.

Day 3 · Mon ~35 km

Pioneer Bridges → Wang

Back to the trail, a gentle rise to Everton Station, then downhill through farmland, Tarrawingee and Bowser, to the car at the station.

Home Milawa Cheese is a detour by car on the drive home, not by bike (check public-holiday hours).

For Minna

Stops worth stopping at

  1. 0
    Bright Brewery Family-friendly pizza by the river. First lunch.
  2. 0–6
    Baby Magpie & the colour bridge A trailside sculpture and a bridge of painted flowers and butterflies.
  3. 6
    Porepunkah river pool (summer) Natural pool, a separate kids' paddling pool, playground. Close by, the Rail Trail Café has highchairs and milkshakes.
  4. ~26
    Pepo Farms, Ovens Chocolate-making on show, sunflowers in summer, right across the road from the trail. Weekends 10–4.
  5. 31
    Myrtleford Splash Park Platypus water play on Lewis Ave, the same street as the holiday park.
  6. 31
    Heiner's Bakery Pies and cakes. Saturday only, until 4pm, so a day-1 treat if we're quick.
  7. ~85
    Apex Park, Wang Big fenced playground right at the finish.

River pools: check the warning signs, and skip swimming for a day or two after heavy rain.

Logistics

Coach up, ride down

Coach
Bikes free, first come first served, we load them ourselves.
The e-bike
Goes on like any bike: e-bikes are on V/Line's allowed list, battery switched off on board, and Minna's seat unclips if space is tight.
Minna
Under 4 rides free. No car seat legally needed on a full-size coach.
Parking
Park at Wangaratta station (free).

Camping

The Double Rainbow, twice

Night 1

Myrtleford Holiday Park

Level grassy sites, hot showers, baby-change room, playground, right next to the trail. Long weekends are peak rates, so book early.

Backup: Ardern's, also on the trail.

Night 2

Pioneer Bridges

Free, no bookings. Flat shaded tent sites on the Ovens River, sandy river access, toilets, no showers listed. Popular on long weekends, so arrive early.

Battery: charge on the powered site in Myrtleford; don't count on power at Pioneer Bridges.

Alex's bush spot near Myrtleford is on a steep hill. Lovely for hammocks; a tent and a toddler would roll to the bottom by morning.

Packing, the toddler edition

Pick a weekend

Not Jan–Feb: too hot for a toddler on the back of a bike. Wang averages 8.6 days of 35°+ in January.

Who else is coming?