The Murray to Mountains offers a rich variety of experiences, from the Murray River in the north to the foothills of the Australian Alps to the east. The region has a strong focus on visitors, exemplified by its Ride High Country initiative. The rail trail actually encompasses four branch lines. There are gaps in the network, with connecting routes that may involve riding on roads. There are numerous ways to extend your ride or walk, or shorten it.

The four main sections of the M2M, which is all sealed, are:

• Wangaratta to Bright (82km): Follows the picture-perfect Ovens Valley, which produces hops, berries, nuts and grapes, via Everton and Myrtleford to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and easily split over three days
• Everton to Yackandandah (38km): Climbs quiet steeply to historic Beechworth and then follows an undulating route to Yackandandah with some great views
• Wangaratta to Oxley (9km): Basically flat, this section follows part of the route of a narrow-gauge railway through the King Valley and past the Milawa gourmet area
• Rutherglen to Wahgunyah (8km): Another flat stretch, across the famous Rutherglen wine-growing area with an on-road connection from Bowser.

Wangaratta is a major regional centre with a range of historic buildings, parks, restaurants, accommodation options and a train service. For public transport options, scroll down to GET AROUND and click on SHOW MORE if necessary

There are ESTA marker posts along the trail. In an emergency, call 000 and quote the alpha-numeric code on the post nearest to you, for example MTM111, to get help.

Wangaratta to Everton (26km)

• Access: The Wangaratta trailhead is in Apex Park on Clements Rd, west off Parfitt Rd (C314) and just north of the Ovens River road bridge. It has toilets, a large picnic shelter and parking. There is a poorly marked route to the trailhead from Wangaratta Station (see map)
• The railway to Bright left the main line at Bowser, 8km north of town. As the North East Line is still fully operational, the rail trail uses a network of shared paths, a levee bank and disused roads to get to Bowser
• From Apex Park, a shared path runs under the road bridge and onto the levee bank before paralleling the C314 to Bowser, which has the first of many rest areas with a steam-locomotive theme. Here the road route to Rutherglen heads north on Morrison Rd (see CONNECTING PATHS)
• The trail now heads south-east on the railway alignment across flat farmland, with distant views of the Everton Hills, to the Londrigan Station site, home of the Magpie Family sculpture and start of a side trip Eldorado (see below)
• After 11km the site of Tarrawingee Station is reached before the trail climbs gently to the Everton Station trail hub, formerly the junction for the branch line to Bright
• The trail to Beechworth soon heads to the left; the Bright one to the right
• Slightly further (2km) towards Bright, there’s an arrowed route down quiet Diffey Rd to the Everton village, which has a general store/cafe, hotel and budget holiday park. There’s also another on-road link from there to Milawa (see below)

Everton to Myrtleford (26km)

• Access: The Everton Station trail hub, with the usual facilities, is on White Post Rd off Beechworth-Wangaratta Rd (Search: Everton Railway Station)
• This section undulates through farmland and native bush before climbing to Taylors Gap
• Here the railway cutting has been filled in but the foundations of the steam engine water tank remain, near the one provided for boiling trail users
• Enjoy the descent through Gapsted to Myrtleford
• At Myrtleford much of the railway easement has been sold, so you need to follow the ‘Rail Trail’ signs through town
• Alternatively, you can follow the Ovens River Trail and rejoin the rail trail via Lewis Ave and Albert St
• Myrtleford has plenty of accommodation options and facilities, including a bike shop.

Myrtleford to Bright (30km)

• Access: Myrtleford does not have a trail hub but there is parking near the Albert St/Elgin St intersection where the trail crosses. Toilets are in Jubilee Park on Myrtle St (B500)
• The trail rejoins the original alignment at Jones Park, on Myrtle St, then rises gently as it follows the Ovens Valley to Bright. Mt Buffalo looms on the right and the High Country approaches in front.
• Farms growing berries and grapes may tempt you to make a detour to taste their wares
• At Porepunkah, a popular summer holiday destination, the trail passes beneath the highway bridge
• Take a dip in the nearby Ovens River if the day is warm enough
• The trail follows Back Porepunkah Rd and returns to the railway corridor
• It continues to Bright Railway Station, now a museum, open on Sundays and by arrangement
• If travelling the rail trail west from Bright, there is a trailhead area on Burke St
• Bright is another popular holiday town with its proximity to the alpine area. It is a regional centre with many facilities and more trails (see CONNECTING PATHS).

Everton to Beechworth (16km)

• Access: The Everton Station trail hub on White Post Rd, Everton
• This section is peaceful and attractive, with a mixture of bush and farmland. It has one of the steepest grades that were allowed for a broad-gauge branch line, so some may find it more peaceful travelling in the opposite direction
• The last part is a gentle descent to the restored Beechworth Station. Turn left at Albert Rd and follow that into town or continue on to the Lake Sambell Reserve and Chinese Gardens
• Beechworth has many historic attractions, with festivals and events throughout the year.

Beechworth to Yackandandah (22km)

This section undulates as it descends 240 m to Yackandandah at a gradient similar to the one to Beechworth, with a bonus roller coaster near Yack due to the trail not being in the railway corridor. Unless you are fit or have a freshly charged e-bike, consider staying in Yackandandah overnight before returning

• Access: The trail hub is at the 1876 Beechworth Station near the corner of Albert Rd and Railway Ave (Search: Beechworth Railway Station)
• Heading north, the general route of the railway corridor is followed around Lake Sambell before the trail runs through the residential area
• It then diverges away from the rail easement and becomes a roadside path. At Kibell Lane, it goes back to the railway corridor but it’s shared with resident’s cars for a 3km section that has great views over the valley
• At the end of Kibell Lane, the rail trail proper resumes with some large cuttings and embankments as it continues to descend
• At Star Lane the trail leaves the corridor again as it enters farm land. Turn left onto a roadside path which takes a dogleg down to the main Beechworth-Wodonga Rd (C315) at Wooragee. Some users may prefer to keep going on quiet Star Lane directly to Beechworth Rd as shown on our map
• The off-formation trail along Beechworth-Wodonga Rd is undulating, but with only one short, steep climb
• At Yackandandah Rd there’s a purpose built underpass so trail users can avoid the roundabout
• From there, the rail trail is on the original formation for a scenic kilometre before it runs alongside it. There are great views of the valley and mountains descending to Yackandandah. It is a bit of a roller coaster with the undulations; maybe in the future landowners will allow some of the deeper cuttings on their properties to become part of the trail
• Historic Yackandandah has a lovely main street and all the facilities of a small, popular tourist town
• There is a bit of railway history at the station site, including a well-preserved gantry crane. The nearby brewery has a selection of interesting rolling stock.

Rutherglen to Wahgunyah (8km)

• Access: The Rutherglen trail hub is easy to find next to the information centre at 57 Main St. There’s more parking in Douglas St
• After passing the town’s painted silos and former station, the trail traverses vineyards and farmland to Wahgunyah, where a large Uncle Toby’s production centre signals you’ve arrived
• At Wahgunyah some of the tracks have been left in place for possible use by a rail heritage group. The trail finishes near the Murray River, at another loco-themed shelter, not far from the Culcairn-Corowa Rail Trail in NSW
• Rutherglen and the twin towns of Corowa-Wahgunyah are well set up to cater for visitors.

Wangaratta to Oxley (7km)

• Access: The formal rail trail begins next to Targoora Park at the southern end of town on Wangaratta-Whitfield Rd (Murdoch Rd, C521). It’s possible to get here from town using the service lanes along Murdoch Rd but that’s not ideal. The pleasant One Mile Creek Path will get you from Cusack St to Wenhams Lane and a shared path through Targoora Park to the start
• The trail now travels along the railway corridor, which just happens to have been built in the Wangaratta-Whitfield Rd reserve
• Before reaching the Hume Fwy, the path crosses to the eastern side of the road to get under a freeway bridge at King River
• After rejoining the railway reserve, the trail returns to the western side and continues to Glenrowan-Myrtleford Rd (Snow Rd, C512), site of Oxley Station and current end of the rail trail
• An 8km shared path from here crosses Wangaratta-Whitfield Rd and proceeds adjacent to Snow Rd to the Oxley and Milawa townships.

CONNECTING PATHS

Rutherglen Link (42km): For those keen to ride from the main rail trail to Rutherglen, a 42km on-road option from Morrison Rd, Bowser, is shown on our map. All roads are 100 km/h and have no shoulders. The first section to Springhurst uses lightly trafficked roads, while Springhurst-Rutherglen Rd (C376) has regular traffic. Note when turning off the rail trail at Bowser that Morrison Rd is unsealed while Byawatha Rd, 1.5km further on, is sealed. To go via Chiltern and its famous bakery is an extra 20km. If you must, at the Springhurst overpass continue straight on Gayfer Rd, turn right at the T-intersection onto a bitumen road then left on to a gravel one past a few farms to Horns Access Rd. Turn left into a tunnel beneath the highway, then over the railway and on to Racecourse Rd and follow the signs to Chiltern. After your pastry fix, follow the blue signs featuring R for Rutherglen along Old Howlong Rd and Cornishtown Rd into Rutherglen, a total distance of close to 70 km

Eldorado Loop (18km): Heading east from Bowser, at the Londrigan Station site near Wangaratta-Eldorado Rd, cyclists can make an on-road diversion east to the massive Cock’s dredge at Eldorado, before returning to the rail trail southwards via Eldorado-Tarrawingee Rd. Eldorado has public toilets and a general store.

Milawa Link (16km): Take the marked exit from the trail to Bright, 2 km east of the Everton Station trail hub, down Diffey Rd to the Everton village and follow the arrows. After nearly 1 km on the busy Great Alpine Rd it’s on quiet back roads, with some gravel short cuts available (see map) to Milawa. The Milawa and Whitfield trails will get you back to town.

Great Valley Trail (27km): A pleasant shared path between Bright and Harrietville. The trail follows the Ovens River and explores the beautiful valley between Bright and Harrietville. The trail is flat and fully sealed, suitable for both road bikes and mountain bikes. Follow the rail trail from the centre of Bright towards the Tawonga Gap turnoff and then wind your way through eucalypts and a spectacular valley to arrive in Harrietville where you can find refreshments (here)

Bennetts Trail (5.5km): Another pleasant trail extending from Bright, past the Mystic MTB Park, to the old mining town of Wandiligong. This easy 11 km-return ride follows Morses Creek alongside farmland and over bridges. Watch paragliders float to the ground as you pass the landing paddock (here)

Yackandandah to Osbornes Flat (6.5km): This 13 km-return trip follows picturesque Yackandandah Creek down to the Osbornes Flat area. For the keen rider wanting to connect with other rail trails this shared path brings you closer to the High Country Rail Trail (here)

Rutherglen Loops (various distances): Explore this famous wine region on 48 km of trails linking cellar doors, the Murray River and Lake Moodemere using the rail trail  here