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Asian man bicycling on gravel road. He brakes the wheels, causing the soil to spread.
Bright, Mansfield and Beechworth are among the destinations of the most popular gravel riding trails in North East Victoria, according to Google Trends data.
Over the past five years Bright has consistently drawn the most interest of aspiring gravel riders in the region, but Mansfield and Beechworth are closing in.
Bright has traditionally held sway in the middle of each summer and in April when the weather has cooled off slightly.
In the cooler months Mansfield, Beechworth and Myrtleford become more popular searches, although not as prevalent as Bright.
In recent months, searches via Google have become more balanced across the region as gravel riding hot spots continue to appear.
Gravel riding in the Indigo Shire has seen substantial growth in recent years, fueled by infrastructure investments and expanding trail networks.
Most notable enhancements have come in the form of Beechworth to Yackandandah Rail Trail, the Rutherglen Loop which opened in 2024 and the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail.
The North East is home to one of the best gravel riding networks in the country, the Ride High Country Gravel Network, which incorporates tracks, trails and unpaved roads within key tourism destinations from the King Valley to the soaring mountain peaks of Falls Creek.
Beechworth and surrounding villages on the way to Yackandandah offer some of the High Country's most rewarding roads and loops filled with smooth gravel roads, undulating countryside and climbs to challenge every level of rider.
On top of world-class wines, Rutherglen offers smooth gravel cycling winding through farmland and native bush from the Rutherglen to Chiltern ride to the Cornishtown Loop.
One of Victoria's favourite holiday spots, Bright is loaded with spring biking adventures for every style of rider, whether it’s conquering a mountain climb or cruising quiet country roads.
Gravel riding has drastically risen in popularity as the niche between road cycling and mountain biking.
Gravel bikes have a similar look to road bikes, but slightly thicker tyres help reduce punctures on the rougher roads; they can also vary from a lightweight faster bike to a bike that has similar features to a mountain bike.
This article was produced as part of a Google Trends licensing initiative. It uses Google Trends data to explore search interest in best gravel cycling in North East Victoria. Google Trends data is aggregated and anonymous. Search interest is measured on a relative scale and does not represent total search volume.
