bokes

Check this out:
https://www.nationaltrail.com.au/
https://www.nationaltrail.com.au/bikes.html

It's 3312 miles long, whereas the Great Divide is 2,711 miles (including the Canadian portion). Altho it looks like the route is most popular with horseback riders, MTBs are allowed, but the site says some areas are so difficult a rider might need to hit the pavement to ride around the rough areas.
I'm planning on riding the Great Divide soon, I think this trail might have to follow! What do you think?

Saving Hawaii

Hit the pavement? Screw that man, cyclocross that bike on the shoulder and start hiking.

Rowan

There was a guy who rode the national trail in the early 2000s. It was very tough. He put up a journal, but I have long since lost the link. It was very well done. He was a schoolteacher, and the journey was primarily promoted as a school project. I wish I could find the website again, but a search failed to turn up anything about six months ago.

The trail runs close to where I live... in fact, I've just come back from a 40km road ride to where the trail runs through Marysville in the Yarra Ranges. The terrain around here is quite steep and remote, and the offroad tracks similar to the ones on the trail are hard. Even cyclocross people would have trouble sustaining them for more than a day or two.

The guy I refer to above did have to carry his bike -- and his full load -- up the hills. He literally dragged up the bike on some inclines... then went back down and got his gear.

The trail was established, I think, as the Bicentenial Trail back in 1988. So that would mean the Great Divide has been running second for a long time.

Aushiker

G'day

But is it really a mountain bike touring trail ? Here in Western Australia we have a true mountain bike touring trail being built, called the Munda Biddi trail (i.e., one only open to mountain biking or rather bikes of any type as long as you don't mind a bit of pushing and shoving). The first stage is open and the second stage is there but not officially opened yet. I have completed the first stage on a Giant XTC 2 pulling a BOB trailer.

Andrew

Rowan

Yes, it really is a mountain bike touring trail... not a rail-trail. The route has been designed specifically to avoid bitumen surfaces.

Believe me, from what I have seen of the Mundabiddi Trail, it is a super highway compared with the National Trail.

Having said that, the rewards for the hard work in terms of surroundings and scenery are well worth the effort... at least, based on the area around where I live.

DukeArcher 

The bicentennial trail is not new, it has been around for 20 years

SandLizrd

The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is almost completely dirt roads! Still lots of fun - I rode most of it this summer - but don't fool yourself. One big reason is because it bypasses the wilderness areas where bikes aren't allowed. I have the impression that BNT has similar routing. There's mention of parts that can be ridden if you're sadistic enough, and places where you have to bypass.