Why this ride
Sustained elevation change, linked bends and open summit views. It also links naturally to Australian Alps National Parks.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Great Alpine Road starting at Wangaratta
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 282 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 32
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check state road reports, fire, flood, fuel range and unsealed-road suitability. Specific flag: snow; seasonal weather.
Seasonal context
Nov-Apr
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Wangaratta
Wangaratta stands where the Ovens and King rivers meet, on the flat plains at the foot of Victoria's north-eastern ranges, and it is the gate to the high country. The Great Alpine Road starts here, and for many riders, the day begins with a coffee on the main street before the long climb into the hills. The town has about eighteen thousand people, a wide central square, and a mix of old brick buildings and newer shops.
Read the complete Wangaratta write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wangaratta sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Bright.
2. Bright
Bright is a town where autumn is a seasonal event. In the Ovens Valley, in northeast Victoria, rows of maples, poplars and oaks that settlers planted turn blazing orange and yellow in late April and May, and the whole valley fills with visitors with cameras. Out of season Bright is a peaceful country town of around two and a half thousand people, with cafes, a brewery, and the Ovens River running through the middle of a park.
Read the complete Bright write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bright comes up 103 km in. Next is Bairnsdale.
3. Bairnsdale
Bairnsdale is the gateway to East Gippsland, a handy market town of about eight thousand people on the Mitchell River flats, and it marks one end of the Great Alpine Road. That road climbs about three hundred kilometres from here to Wangaratta, crossing the Victorian Alps by way of Omeo and Mount Hotham, and in places it is spectacular. At Bairnsdale itself, the scenery is flat and the pace relaxed, so it makes sense as a place to refuel and rest before or after the mountains.
Read the complete Bairnsdale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
282 km in you reach Bairnsdale.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Great Alpine Road · 615 km from Wangaratta · 615 km
- Great Alpine Road · 307 km
- Great Alpine Road: Wangaratta to Bairnsdale · 308 km
- Great Alpine Road: Wangaratta to Omeo · 187 km