A Day of Good Temps & Bad Wind

March 31, 2025

Echuca to Bendigo

It’s been a big day in the great outdoors.

92 km of treadling, mostly head-on into a persistent blasts of air determined to move to the north. Thankfully a modest 273 metre ascent, and cooler weather helped us cover a reasonable distance.

We’ve arrived in historic downhill Bendigo.

We had mixed success trying to avoid the busy main highway. The Kamoot Nav app suggested one route parallel to the main highway but on the other side of the river, however the likelihood it was unsealed for much of the way, ruled it out of contention.

Fortunately we found an excellent backroad from Rochester to Elmore. This kept us off the Northern Highway.

From Elmore to Bendigo was not as easy, as we met another cycle tourist in Elmore who’d attempted a recommended backroad. They discovered it had no shoulder and was busy with trucks. So we opted for the Midland Highway which was mostly well served with a shoulder.

We were pleased to roll into Greater Bendigo at about 4.30pm. The bonus was that from about 10km out of the CBD, the road had a bike lane.