Club history

The Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club has a proud history, having run continuously since 1973. 

50 year anniversary 

In November 2023 we proudly celebrated our 50th anniversary with a gathering of past and present members at the Furlong Club in Thornbury.  

Visit our blog for some words and photos about the celebrations.   

The First Thirty Years’ booklet 

Members interested to get a taste of the club’s history can check out this illustrated booklet produced by Ron Shepherd to mark the club’s 30th anniversary.  

There are photos, illustrations, anecdotes and a timeline of key milestones. Ron presented this as a paper to an international bicycle conference in Osaka in 2000.  

Here’s an excerpt from the cover page: 

The Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club has been gracing the by-ways of Melbourne for just on thirty years. It’s time to look back at what we’ve done and where we’ve been … and perhaps gain some insight into where we might go from here. 
It’s not intended to be a history in the purest sense. Rather, it’s a pictorial and verbal anthology of the collective experience of the club. A part of each of us is in every photograph and story. It’s a rich heritage to share and to revisit. Enjoy. 

Download The First Thirty Years (18 MB pdf)