An adventure to savour
There have been occasions in my life where I have found myself awestruck by incredible rides, made perfect by the roads, lack of traffic, and stellar company. Day one (Milawa to Beechworth) of the Girls Gravel & Gourmet weekend, run by the High Country Women’s Cycling Festival (HCWCF) in Victoria’s High Country, was one of those occasions.
We’re talking three days of gorgeous gravel routes on quiet roads around Milawa and Beechworth, complete with support and photography cars, cuisine to travel for, and an overall sense of adventure on roads previously unseen.
The weekend was the inaugural gravel event hosted by HCWCF, held in November 2021 (hot tip: there’s another coming soon on 24-27 March 2022). A diverse group of women with various levels of gravel experience and a variety of gravel-appropriate bikes came together to explore the roads less travelled in the beautiful High Country, eating and drinking their way through towns large and small.
Day one saw the arrival of fresh and excited faces into the town of Milawa. Some 18km south-east of Wangaratta, this picturesque little spot is the gateway to the King Valley and the hub of the Milawa Gourmet Region. Located on the lands of the Bpangerang people, Milawa has an Italian migrant history that complements the region’s natural beauty.
Our accommodation for the night is the tranquil, the Lancemore Milawa complements the astounding backdrop of Victoria’s High Country and the artisan producers of Milawa and the King Valley gourmet regions. Elegantly designed and spacious rooms frame the beauty of the surrounding landscapes, opening out onto manicured formal gardens or overlooking neighbouring vineyards and distant alpine peaks.
