High Country Women’s Cycling Festival is a weekend of rides and events around the Falls Creek Mt Buffalo region to celebrate women’s cycling.

This event has been rebranded as the High Country Womens 3 Peaks Weekend

The High Country Women’s Cycling Festival is a celebration of women’s cycling that is held over three days. The event is based in the town of Bright, on the edge of the Snowy Ranges.

The town of Bright is located on the northern side of the southern Snowy Ranges, just off the Hume Highway (M31) which links Melbourne to Sydney. About 310 km northeast of Melbourne and 85 km south-east of Wangaratta. If you’re not driving, you can take the train to Wangaratta and then a coach to Bright with V/Lines.

The festival starts on the Friday (Day 1) with registration, a briefing and drinks at the Event Hub which is located at Bright Brewery.  That afternoon, there is a 2 hour cycling clinic for those looking to build confidence on the bike,  covering bike handling skills key to enjoying the weekend of riding, including; ascending, descending, cornering & group riding.

Day 2 is the main event with Ride Mount Buffalo.  Mount Buffalo is an iconic mountain which is one of the seven Peaks  in Victoria. The Mount Buffalo National Park is truly unique with the Granite outcrops and towering cliffs and waterfalls. This is an 67km ride with the emphasis being on a social and supportive ride. For the ride starts in Bright, that will take you through the flat lands and then rising up into the National Park and before returning to Bright. The climb starts  just after entering the national park for a distance of 20.4 km with an elevation gain of 1015 m at an average grade of 5% (max grade of 11%). This is an amazing ride with a number of switchbacks and beautiful scenery to look  to take your mind off the climb.

There are a series of other events on this day, including the Lycra Lunch Party, the hot yoga session and the celebration dinner.

Day 3 starts off with Falls with Fondo…. This ride starts from the Mount Beauty Tennis Club and is a 30 km climb to the top of Falls Creek. If you wish to start early, you could ride from Bright over to Mount Beauty via the Tawonga Gap and then the rise up to the Falls Creek Alpine Village. The Climb is over 1100m, winding through a series of early descents and ascents. Then into the main climb which includes twisting and turning through the tall gum forest and small water falls before then breaking through into the eerie burnt-out Grey Gums. You’ll find an average grade at 4% with a max graded 10%.  Easy, some would say! 😉  The Descent off Falls is the same used during the Falls Creek Three Peaks Challenge, but you’ll have to remember that you are now back on open roads which means staying to the left.

To round out High Country Women’s Cycling Festival there is the Cyclepath Mechanics Workshop. Or you can follow the Follow my Wheel Rail Trail Produce Tour and discover local produce and wines with tasting along the way. This is almost a special trip in itself! The festival finishes with a special lunch with matching wines at Feathertop Winery overlooking Mount Buffalo. This time you may not have to cycle up as you have already earned the reward.

The weather in Bright at this time of year is Autumn, which can be cool mornings with warmer days. It is worth remembering that the weather conditions on top of the mountains can be quite different and can change rapidly. You can expect valley temperatures to be between 5 in the morning through to 25, with the top of the mountain to be between 0 and 15 degrees. The best thing you can do, is to remember to layer up. Also have a gilet or light jacket in your back pocket for your descent.

This ride is for any woman that wishes to take on the challenge of climbing and accept that they love to climb.

You’ll find other cycling events, like the High Country Women’s Cycling Festival, in our online Cycling Event Calendar.

Enjoy!