Cycling

There's a certain romance to the idea of cycling along the Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges' volcanic plains and along clear mineral springs, deviating down country lanes to fill your basket with farm-fresh produce and stopping in high streets to browse provedores and boutiques.

Cruising the back roads

Take advantage of the lack of road traffic, cool climate, and easy access to cycle around towns like Daylesford, Clunes and Kyneton, Macedon or Woodend, or venture further afield along the Goldfields Track and the Domino Trail.

Constructed by locals during the gold rush some 150 years ago, the 210 kilometre track stretches from Ballarat to Bendigo, passing through Creswick, Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Choose a length that suits your fitness and hit the trail. Popular sections of the Goldfields Track include the Wallaby Track (90 km), Mt Buninyong to Ballarat (20 km), and Wombat Station to Daylesford (19 km).

Take the family on the easy eight-kilometre trail between Romsey and Lancefield, cut off from road traffic and featuring conveniently situated park benches to rest with the little ones.

Back where we started

Ride down leafy country lanes through pastoral landscapes on the Three Town Scenic Route, which takes in the charming villages of Woodend, Trentham and Kyneton. Choose a starting point and head off in either direction.

Casual mountain bikers will love the Wombat Loop, an 18-kilometre trail through the Great Dividing Range that follows a number of old timber workers' tracks.

White-knuckle riding

The region also sees its fair share of more energetic bike action, with the bushland perfect for mountain biking. There are hundreds of tracks with awesome downhillers and jumps in Wombat State Park, and some fast paced riding down the dirt tracks and paths winding down from the Memorial Cross park in Macedon Regional Park.

For those with kids in tow, trails around the Macedon Scout Camp area in Macedon Regional Park are great for teaching kids the ropes, while Barber's Chute Track is for more experienced riders.