Ride 300km Between Country NSW Bakeries on the Attack of the Buns Bikepacking Route

Mattie and friends took on one of Australia’s best-known bikepacking routes, Attack of the Buns, stopping at every bakery they could find on the 320km route between Bungendore and Bundanoon.

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place, who have occupied and cared for these lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Quick Overview

The Attack of the Buns is a 320km bikepacking route in the Southern Tablelands and Southern Highlands of NSW. You can travel in either direction, but the recommended route is from Bungendore to Bundanoon. It’s possible to catch a train to the start/finish from Canberra and Sydney, but as NSW Trains require you to box your bike for the journey this can actually be quite tricky logistically.

Attack of the Buns Facts

Distance: 323.3km
Duration: 3 days (recommended, but could be done faster or slower)
Elevation gain: 4,692m
Start: Bungendore
End: Bundanoon
Navigation: Full route of the Attack of the Buns

Shoutout to my buddy Adam @endless_cycle for creating the route!

About Attack of the Buns

The Attack of the Buns begins in Bungendore, NSW, about 30 minutes from Canberra. From here, it follows country roads through Braidwood before heading into the wild landscape of the Budawangs.

With options to stay in cabins at the pub in Nerriga, or camp in the Budawang Range itself, riders then continue onto Nowra and Kangaroo Valley for night two, and then finish the ride with a massive climb out of the valley and into the Southern Highlands towns of Moss Vale and Bundanoon.

While three days seems to be the typical choice for attacking the buns, I know people who’ve completed the whole route in one massive day, or taken it slower and enjoyed an easier five days on the trail. You can choose to treat this route as a flashpacking ride, staying in accommodation in Braidwood, Nerriga, Nowra, or Kangaroo Valley. If you prefer camping, there are many options along the route depending on how far you ride each day.

It’s possible to use public transport, catching the train from Sydney or Canberra, but it’s much easier if you’re able to organise a car at the start and the finish, as both Bundanoon and Bungendore Stations are generally unmanned and don’t stock bike boxes.

Read more: Packing Your Bicycle for a Flight – Everything You Need To Know

How to Get to the Attack of the Buns

By Car

From Canberra, it’s about 30 minutes by car to the start of the route at Bungendore, following the B52. The finish at Bundanoon is a bit further, taking about 1.5 hours along the Hume Highway.

From central Sydney, it’s about an hour and 40 minutes to Bundanoon heading south on the Hume Highway, and more like three hours to Bungendore following the Hume Highway, M23 and Bungendore Road. Another option for Sydneysiders is to drive to Moss Vale, leave the car there and catch the train to Bungendore.

Please note that there are limited train services and your bike must be boxed for the journey.

By Train

From Sydney’s Central Station, it takes about four hours to get to Bungendore by train, following the Southern Highlands or Canberra lines. As previously mentioned, your bike needs to be boxed for the journey. Bike boxes are available from Central Station and it’s possible to reserve a box if you call ahead when booking your ticket.

From Canberra, it takes around 30-40 minutes to Bungendore on a NSW Trainlink service. The same rules about boxing your bike apply.

At the end of your ride, it’s possible to arrange a bike box to be delivered by NSW Trains to the station at Bundanoon, but you need to be there to meet it at the station. There’s then a lengthy wait for the next train. Moss Vale Station is a ‘manned station’ and I recommend finishing the ride in Moss Vale (which is near the route anyway) if you’re planning on catching the train at the end of your ride.

Where to Stay Along the Attack of the Buns

Despite being a remote and challenging ride, there are actually plenty of places to stay along the Attack of the Buns Route. Here are a few choice spots with their distance from the start of the route in Bungendore.

• Royal Hotel Bungendore: 0km
• Mulloon Creek Campground: 32km
• Bombay Campground: 51km
• Royal Mail Hotel, Braidwood: 60km
• Wog Wog Campground: 97km
• Nerriga Hotel: 118km
• Piercys Clearing Campsite: 134km
• Sassafras Campground: 149km
• The Nowra Motor Inn: 216km
• Holiday Haven Kangaroo Valley: 251km
• Griffins Farm Campsite: 269km

Read more: How to Poo in the Bush

Skill Level

Intermediate-Advanced

There are some long stretches of the Attack of the Buns route which are within national parks and behind locked gates, this means long periods without resupply or the chance of help. There are also sections without reliable phone service, not to mention some steep climbs and many rocky sections of trail.

Essential Gear for Attack of the Buns

Bike choice for most bikepacking routes comes down to personal preference, but at the very least I’d suggest that you need knobbly tyres that are suited to off-road riding. Most people choose to use a gravel bike or mountain bike for cycling the Attack of the Buns.

In addition to your bike, essential gear for Attack of the Buns includes:

• Helmet
• Inner tubes, pump, and bike tools
• First aid kit, including snake bandage
• Satellite messenger such as a Garmin InReach
• At least 2L of water and water purification method
• Plenty of snacks
• Camping gear (if camping)

Read more: How to Purify Water in the Bush

What It’s Like to Ride the Attack of the Buns

After years of thinking about it, some pals and I decided to ride the Attack of the Buns during a long weekend in September. With four of us coming down from Sydney, and one from Canberra, we used a combination of trains and public transport to get to the start line in Bungendore.

With some complicated train-based logistics to navigate, we chose to spend the night before the ride at the Royal Hotel in Bungendore. This meant we could fuel up on chicken schnittys the night before and get our bikes ready for an early start the next day.

Day 1 – Bungendore to Piercys Creek Campground

Distance: 136km
Duration: 7 hours 15 minutes riding (10 hours total)

Day one started nice and early as there was nearly 140km ahead of us. But first, a visit to the first bakery of the ride, just down the street from the Royal Hotel in Bungendore.

After some quiet roads out of town, we hit the dirt and some long gentle climbs within Tallaganda State Forest. Spirits were high as we enjoyed the reward of our climbing with some fun, slightly rocky descents.

Unfortunately, just 30km into our ride, disaster struck as one of our party heard a sickening crunch as his rim was destroyed by one too many rocky encounters. Sadly, the damage was irreparable and he was faced with the prospect of a long walk to Braidwood.

Read more: What Should You Carry In Your Bike Repair Kit?

As soon as we emerged into some phone reception, we were able to organise a lift for him – his ride was over early on day one.

The rest of us continued to Braidwood and at the 60km mark, hit our second bakery for the day – Dojo Bread. I highly recommend this stop as the coffee and pies were excellent.

We continued out of Braidwood along more quiet roads, before hitting the dirt again. The gravel was smooth and fast, with some undulation as we passed through the farmland outside Braidwood. 100km in, our legs were feeling the efforts of the day and we were quite grateful to turn back onto the bitumen.

The next 15km or so were on a fairly busy road, so we rode single file and put our heads down to get through it as fast as possible. The reward? Arriving at Nerriga Hotel for cold lemonades and cheese toasties.

From Nerriga, the ride got into the good stuff as we pedalled towards the Budawangs. This is probably the toughest section of the trail and also the most beautiful.

Heavily rock-strewn trails wind through true wilderness and there are magic cliff views that were lit up by the evening light as we passed. There are several creek crossings to add to the challenge, along with short pinchy climbs which were definitely punishing at this stage of the day! We were all glad to arrive at Piercys Clearing Campsite before dark, and enjoyed a wash in the nearby creek and a good feed before bed.

Day 2 – Piercys Creek Campground to Kangaroo Valley

Distance: 114.5km
Duration: 6 hours riding (10 hours total)

Day two started early, but unfortunately no bakery stops in the deep wilderness of the Budawangs. The morning began as the day before had finished, with some rocky, pinchy trails making the first 10km slow going.

As with the night before, the challenging terrain rewarded us with some wide and far-reaching views as the trail crested its high point. We stopped for water at Sassafras Campground, which has a water tank and drop toilet. From here, there’s a quick whizz down the main road to Tianjara Falls before turning back onto a remote sandy trail and entering Morton National Park.

I found the next 30km amongst the most challenging of the weekend, despite the overall trend of elevation being downhill. The day was hot, the track sandy, and the speeds fast as we motored along.

If I’d been on my own I definitely would’ve taken this section a little slower. After smashing my emergency Red Bull and struggling to keep up with my friends, we emerged in the valley beside Yarramunmun Creek. We gratefully filled our water and dunked our heads in an effort to cool off, before climbing back up and out of the valley.

From here, there were some pleasant climbs and descents along quiet roads before we reached Nowra and our first (and sadly only) bakery of the day. From Nowra, it’s a gravelly and hilly 35km to Kangaroo Valley. We’d booked into the Holiday Haven Tourist Park and were grateful for the hot showers and a chance to clean up after two days on the bikes. Dinner at the pub and another chicken schnitty didn’t go amiss either.

Day 3 – Kangaroo Valley to Bundanoon

Distance: 57.2km
Duration: 3 hours 15 minutes riding (4.5 hours total)

With only 60km ahead of us for the day, we had a slightly more relaxed start and stopped off for coffee and bacon rolls in Kangaroo Valley in the morning.

Stocking up on a few snacks and cans of Coke, we pedalled out of town across a delightfully old suspension bridge and headed back towards our last stretch of wilderness. With Morton National Park in our sights, we were struck with the imposing image of the cliffs of the escarpment and the scale of the climb ahead.

Entering the gravel trails, there’s plenty of fun to be had on the rolling trails and steep water-barred descents. There are also plenty of interesting boulders and rock formations to admire.

The trail drops down to Yarrunga Creek and an easy creek crossing before rolling past Griffins Farm (a great place to camp).

After Griffins Farm, it’s uphill for 6km and 560 vertical metres of punishing climbing. Thankfully, the morning was still cool as we climbed, but we were all sweating heavily by the time we reached the top. Cans of Coke were enjoyed at the top as we celebrated the climb (apart from Ken whose can had inexplicably burst somewhere along the route).

Once reaching the top, most of the hard work for the weekend was behind us and we chose to skip the waterfall detours and head straight for the country roads and the fastest way to Bundanoon. We ripped into a single-file formation and streamlined our way amongst the weekend traffic towards the finish line at Bundanoon. After finishing photos beside the station, it was straight to a bakery for a final feed of the weekend.

Tips for Bikepacking Attack of the Buns

• Book your boxes and train tickets early if you’re planning on taking public transport
• There’s a fair amount of water on the route, but you’ll need to be able to treat it before filling bottles
• Make the most of every supply stop to keep topped up on snacks and energy high
• Slow down (if you have time) in the Budawangs and enjoy the scenery
• If I did it again, I’d either take four days to ride the route and really enjoy myself, or ditch all the luggage and go hard and fast over two days
• The Nerriga Hotel has limited opening hours, so check ahead if you’re hoping for a feed there

Don’t forget to fill out a Trip Intention Form before heading out!

Read more: Remember to Leave No Trace

FAQs Attack of the Buns

Is Attack of the Buns a good route for beginners?

No, Attack of the Buns is more suited to intermediate-advanced riders with previous bikepacking experience, as there’s a combination of different track surfaces, river crossings, steep inclines, and some navigation.

How long is the Attack of the Buns route?

The route is 323km long and takes most riders around three days to complete. However, if you pack light and fast you could ride it in two, or take your time to enjoy the surroundings and space it out over four days.

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