The new website will give visitors to the region a one-stop-shop for all things cycling, covering road, mountain biking and recreational rail trails.

The site will inspire riders to travel to the High Country and also provide detailed information for seamless trip planning with suggested cycling routes, comprehensive trail mapping, cycle friendly accommodation options, transport providers, bike hire and cycle touring companies.This will ensure that all of their cycle tourism needs are catered for by one easy to use portal.

 The High Country is one of Australia's leading cycling hotspots, offering fantastic experiences for all interests and levels. There are more than 250 km of safe, sealed off-road rail trails through vineyards, farmland and picturesque villages and for beginners to experienced riders, five fantastic mountain bike hubs at Bright, Mount Beauty, Beechworth/Yackandandah, Falls Creek and Mount Buller. For road warriors there are seven challenging alpine peaks to climb up, and coast down.

 “The High Country has long been acknowledged as having the strongest cycle tourism credentials in the State, featuring three signature rail trails, the only internationally recognised mountain bike trails in the Southern Hemisphere, and the toughest and most popular road cycling rides in the country,” said Amber Gardner, CEO of Tourism North East. “We're now looking to unify this significant offering under a new regional Ride High Country brand that will lead marketing efforts to establish the High Country as the premier bike destination in Victoria,” she said.

 In line with this new strategic direction, a $310,000 State Government grant was announced late last year for the development of a North East Victoria Cycling Optimisation master plan to develop a coordinated regional approach to cycle tourism in the High Country taking into account infrastructure investment, marketing and private sector involvement.

RideHighCountry.com.au