Beechworth was stop number two for us on our week long Dirty Dozen road trip, exploring the 12 handpicked trails across the north-east of Victoria. This town might lack the towering hills of some of the other Dirty Dozen destinations, but it proves emphatically that it’s what you do with the terrain you’ve got which really counts. You’ll find two of the Dirty Dozen trails in Beechworth, but don’t surprised if you find yourself staying for a while – there’s so much to love about this place.
Flame Trees
Flame Trees is a cool, mellow cross-country loop which is accessible by a short pedal down the Murray to Mountains rail trail straight from town. The trail never deviates far from the rail trail, but snakes alongside it, ducking into cuttings and gullies and milking the rolling terrain to keep a good flow.
The trail is surrounded by some really iconic, Aussie-as farmland and it’s a particularly stunning ride in the afternoon when the setting sun bathes the whole scene in golden country light.
Flame Trees is a pretty quick loop, about an hour at most, so it’s a good way to start things off in Beechworth before heading off to the more technical Beechworth Mountain Bike Park.
Beechworth MTB Park
Occupying a compact area just on the edge of town, this mountain bike crams an amazing amount of fun, challenging trail into a small space. We really love this mountain bike park, it’s incredibly unique, and there are stacks of different loops available.
The trail builders have embraced the rocky, granite strewn terrain, incorporating all kinds of rock outcrops into the trail, rather than scooting around them as we see too often. There are trails for just about any level of rider in the park and they’re all mapped and signposted as well, so you can plan out your loop according to the challenge you’re looking for.
It’s not all rock gardens though, and the singletrack has a really fun, fast surface, which gives you some of the most satisfyingly controlled drifts that you’ll find anywhere. You could very easily spend a couple of days here, sessioning different sections, working out new loops and discovering new ways to ride the rocks, or you could head to Bridge Rd Brewers or the amazing bakery for a refuel. Either way, we’re sure you’ll love this town as much as we do.
For more information on the riding in Beechworth and the Dirty Dozen trails, head to http://thedirtydozen.com.au
