Winter often conjures up images of open fires and a good book accompanied by a hot chocolate or maybe a full bodied glass of red wine. Which is very appealing indeed.
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But if you yearn for a bit of the outdoors and you’re not heading to the snow then Yackandandah might be the place for you this winter.
Yack Tracks is the newest kid on the mountain biking block in North East Victoria. Mad keen locals have been busily building in the Stanley State Forest to establish an all year round mountain bike offering. Their goal has been to create a sustainable network of well mapped and managed cross-country trails highlighting the gold mining heritage of the area.
There's more to mountain biking than throwing yourself down the biggest hill. The trails range from easy to intermediate level, providing a safe but enjoyable ride experience for any level. The Ground Effect (yellow) loop combines the use of 160 year old mining races and flowing single track perfectly.
If you're looking for a workout hit the Kokoda loop (purple) then head up and do Diggers (red). As they say in Yack, you need to put in the hard yards to be rewarded with the sweet flowy descents. For those of you who fancy your mountain biking skills Carcass Canyon is a must. It leads you through a maze of shoots and sunken mining races, not to mention the tricky corners and drops. If you’re not convinced check out the “Ride High Country: Yackandandah” video by FLOW Mountain Bike here
The YOBBOS (Yackandandah Old Blokes Biking on Sundays) have regular rides from the Memorial Gardens in Yackandandah on Tues and Thurs nights at 7pm (yep, all year "good lights and a backbone required') and Sunday at 8am. Despite their name they consist of an eclectic group of MTB enthusiasts who are always up for showing a like-minded tourist around. A more casual slower group leaves at the same time on Sundays.
The funky Yack streetscape of old buildings, big verandahs, buzzing cafes and pubs will keep you well refreshed after your ride. Check out Saint Monday or the Rusty Bike for great coffee, pick up a mouth-watering Gum Tree Pie or stop for a beer and a yarn at the Star Hotel (Top Pub) or the Yackandandah Hotel (Bottom Pub). Or you can still indulge in that glass of wine in front of the open fire.
There’s a range of accommodation options to suit every type of cyclist and Yackandandah is a 20 minute drive to Beechworth. Find all the cycling information for the High Country at www.ridehighcountry.com.au
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