The onset of 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the Hume and Hovell expedition, the first to travel overland from the then colony of New South Wales, to what is today Victoria.
To commemorate one of the most significant expeditions in Australian history, cyclists Mike Frey and Jim Brodie kicked off the new year by retracing the 620km journey from Albury to Werribee.
Departing on New Year’s Day, the pair of retirees arrived in Werribee on January 7, their journey on two wheels much quicker than the two and a half months it took Hume and Hovell on bullock drawn carts.
However, Mike Frey said it still gave them an appreciation for what the original exploration party went through.
“We rode on dirt tracks and thought it was tough, they went through the bush,” said Mr Frey who along with Mr Brodie followed a route set out by their friend and Albury and District Historical Society committee member Peter Harper.
Mr Harper established Explorers Bike Ride 2024 to mark the bicentenary of the expedition by creating a journey based on monuments erected to mark its centenary.
As Mike Frey explained, this made it much tougher than just peddling down the Hume Highway.
“There’s probably on 20km that has to be on a highway, but that’s the joy of it because it took us to many places we never would’ve thought about going to.”
Among those places were Whorouly and Tatong in northern Victoria and Mt Disappointment near Melbourne, along with other places where even their bikes couldn’t carry them.
“The challenge comes from some of the bush tracks being quite rocky and some can be quite steep to the point where you need to push your bike up in places.”
Despite these challenges, Mr Frey and Mr Brodie still finished the route a day ahead of schedule.
Both are experienced cyclists and did the trip in one go, carrying their own camping gear while picking up food and other supplies on the way.
Mr Frey said this needn’t deter others though.
“It’s not a one time event, it’s something people can do at their leisure throughout the year,” he said while resting back home in Albury.
Unlike Hume and Hovell, Mr Frey and Mr Brodie didn’t have to travel back the way they came.
“No we caught the train.”
More information: https://www.hhride.net/home
