Ebiking the Snowies
PEDALLING THE PRETTY TUMBARUMBA TO ROSEWOOD RAIL TRAIL IS EASY WITH A LITTLE PUSH START!
During a springtime tour of the Snowy Region, we headed to Tumbarumba to have a
go at the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail. This trail has only been open for a little over a year and after many years of hard work, political manoeuvring and community fundraising, it has become a major tourist attraction for the area.
20,000 VISITORS IN THE FIRST YEAR
We stayed at a local caravan park and really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of the town. People are very welcoming and have recognised the enormous benefits the rail trail has brought to the area. In the first year of operation it attracted twenty thousand visitors! Not bad for an out-of-the-way country town.
TUMBA BIKES AND BLOOMS
We decided to try out a couple of eBikes for this rail trail so we headed to Tumba Bikes and Blooms to pick up our hire-bikes. Emma, who runs the store, has set up an amazing business that mixes flowers and bikes and given how many people were hiring eBikes, it’s really working out well.
Di hasn’t ridden as much as me over the last few years and was starting to think her riding days were behind her. This would be an ideal time to see if the eBikes would boost her riding confidence.
GRADES ‘NO PROBLEM’
We were given instructions on the eBikes and off we went soon realising that it’s just the same as riding a normal bike except you have the benefit of selecting electric power to assist your pedalling. It’s a thrill to be able to dial up the power as you need it, and even though the rail trail is very smooth and easy, the grades at each end become ‘no problem’ on the eBike.
FARMS, SIDINGS AND FOREST
The rail trail is a wonderful ride through farms, old railway sidings and sections of forest which eventually finishes up at Rosewood. There is a general store there that sells food and coffee and most of the cyclists stop there for a well- earned refreshment break before the ride back.
The rail trail ride was a great experience and another ‘must do’ if you are in this region in the so- called ‘off season’ but it’s also very popular in winter as there is usually no snow.
LOTS MORE TO SEE
We only scratched the surface on our short visit to the area. There’s also trout fishing, bush walking, wineries, wonderful fruit and local produce and some beautiful towns to explore. The scenery is spectacular and the people are warm and friendly.
Tumbarumba is 137km east of Albury, an hour north of Corryong
