Come and live in Victoria Australia

[Mike Ayling]

And enjoy very cheap rail travel.

Recently the Gummint which runs the trains via a Statutory Aulthority called VLine slashed all long distance fares in the State to the same as a single fare on the Melbourne Metropolitan system currently about AUD 10 PER DAY and half that for Seniors. This resulted in increased traffic on the lines from the three major commuter towns, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo because $10 is a lot less the cost of running a motor vehicle and parking in Melbourne. These commuter trains are very crowded ATM because they don't have enough rolling stock to put on extra trains.
However if you wish to visit far flung areas of the State with your bike and travel off peak it's an offer you can't go past.No prize for guessing which side of the political spectrum the current Gummint represents.

 

[FrankCrank]

And enjoy very cheap rail travel.

Recently the Gummint which runs the trains via a Statutory Aulthority called VLine slashed all long distance fares in the State to the same as a single fare on the Melbourne Metropolitan system currently about AUD 10 PER DAY and half that for Seniors. This resulted in increased traffic on the lines from the three major commuter towns, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo because $10 is a lot less the cost of running a motor vehicle and parking in Melbourne. These commuter trains are very crowded ATM because they don't have enough rolling stock to put on extra trains.
However if you wish to visit far flung areas of the State with your bike and travel off peak it's an offer you can't go past.No prize for guessing which side of the political spectrum the current Gummint represents.

Just thought I'd mention, as well as being an Aus city, Bendigo is also the brand of baccy that was smoked by my grandpa back in Ireland

Would they let you smoke some in a pipe as you entered the city by train?

 

[Slick]

And enjoy very cheap rail travel.

Recently the Gummint which runs the trains via a Statutory Aulthority called VLine slashed all long distance fares in the State to the same as a single fare on the Melbourne Metropolitan system currently about AUD 10 PER DAY and half that for Seniors. This resulted in increased traffic on the lines from the three major commuter towns, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo because $10 is a lot less the cost of running a motor vehicle and parking in Melbourne. These commuter trains are very crowded ATM because they don't have enough rolling stock to put on extra trains.
However if you wish to visit far flung areas of the State with your bike and travel off peak it's an offer you can't go past.No prize for guessing which side of the political spectrum the current Gummint represents.

Have you visited many of the far flung destinations with your bike on the train?

Mrs Slick had some interesting mewsings on the way down on our train journey like much reduced ticket prices for those completing their journey by bike.

 

[Slick]

And free cake.........obvs

 

[Mike Ayling]

Have you visited many of the far flung destinations with your bike on the train?

Mrs Slick had some interesting mewsings on the way down on our train journey like much reduced ticket prices for those completing their journey by bike.

Find a map of Victoria
East - we rode the tandem to Bairnsdale and got the train home.
North East -train to Albury, rode along the Murray River to Echuca, followed the rails to Elmore then train home.
West - train to Ararat then rode to Waarnambool and train home.
Train to Waarnambool, rode to Port Fairy and return to Waarnambool then train back to Melbourne.

Look us up at Cycle Blaze.

Mike

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Australia is about as hostile to cycling as it gets. No thanks

 

[AndyRM]

You wait ages for two political train travel threads and then...

 

[ianrauk]

Australia is about as hostile to cycling as it gets. No thanks

You beat me to it.
Its sad to say but after reading @frank9755 blog about his IndiPac experience and other reports about cycling in Australia I thoroughly agree with you.
Unless others can put us right.

 

[Mike Ayling]

Australia is about as hostile to cycling as it gets. No thanks

Not my experience.
In the tours that I listed we only had one incident of concern where a car passing us with a 1.5 metre clearance suddenly noticed an approaching vehicle and cut in front of us too closely for my liking. The rest of the time the motorists behaviour was exemplary.
I own the lane and ride assertively.

 

[AndyRM]

The first country to introduce mandatory helmet laws isn't hostile to cyclists, where much of the consensus free evidence around them stems from?

That's a good one.

 

[matticus]

I own the lane and ride assertively.

Sadly that won't help with the road-trains that killed Mike Hall, and this rider https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-23/indian-pacific-race-cyclist-death-charge/103624026

 

[Dogtrousers]

And enjoy very cheap rail travel.

Recently the Gummint which runs the trains via a Statutory Aulthority called VLine slashed all long distance fares in the State to the same as a single fare on the Melbourne Metropolitan system currently about AUD 10 PER DAY and half that for Seniors. This resulted in increased traffic on the lines from the three major commuter towns, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo because $10 is a lot less the cost of running a motor vehicle and parking in Melbourne. These commuter trains are very crowded ATM because they don't have enough rolling stock to put on extra trains.
However if you wish to visit far flung areas of the State with your bike and travel off peak it's an offer you can't go past.No prize for guessing which side of the political spectrum the current Gummint represents.

Sounds good. And very climate friendly too, encouraging use of rail transport. I think I'll fly out there and give it a go.

Hang on ...

 

[ianrauk]

Sadly that won't help with the road-trains that killed Mike Hall, and this rider https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-23/indian-pacific-race-cyclist-death-charge/103624026

Wasn't it a car driver that killed Mike Hall?

 

[numbnuts]

Funny it's the only state I didn't like, best being Perth

 

[Mike Ayling]

Wasn't it a car driver that killed Mike Hall?

Yes, near Canberra, afaicr a shift worker going to or from work.