Why this ride
615 km from Wangaratta to Wangaratta, about 9 h 12 of riding. The stops in between: Bright, Mount Hotham, Omeo and Bairnsdale. The highest point is about 1,850 m. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Great Alpine Road · 615 km from Wangaratta
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 615 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 12
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
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.
Road summary
A alpine grand route from Wangaratta, Victoria to Bairnsdale, Victoria, via Bright. Key character: high country; mountain pass; valleys. Surface: paved.
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 is where the day begins. 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 71 km in. Next is Mount Hotham.
3. Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham stands 1,845 metres above sea level, and the Great Alpine Road crosses its shoulder, making this one of the highest sealed roads in Australia. The terrain is a rolling, wind-bent alpine plateau of snow gums, heath and rock, quite unlike the stereotype of the Australian outback. In winter it is a major ski resort, buried in snow from June to September, and in summer the high meadows burst into wildflowers in December and January.
Read the complete Mount Hotham write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
141 km in you reach Mount Hotham. Next is Omeo.
4. Omeo
Omeo sits at the end of a long, empty road in the high country of Victoria, and for a long time it was a place people passed through on their way to somewhere else. In the 1850s, that somewhere else was gold. Prospectors poured in, and for a while Omeo was a rough, bustling frontier town, with a reputation for lawlessness that earned it the nickname of the Wild West of Victoria. Then the gold ran out, and the town settled into a quieter life as a service centre for cattle farmers and, later, for skiers heading for the mountains.
Read the complete Omeo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Omeo, about halfway. Next is Bairnsdale.
5. 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
Bairnsdale sits at 283 km, about halfway. Next is back through Omeo.
6. back through Omeo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Omeo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Omeo comes up 353 km in. Next is back through Mount Hotham.
7. back through Mount Hotham
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mount Hotham write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
424 km in you reach back through Mount Hotham. Next is back through Bright.
8. back through Bright
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Bright, late in the day. Next is Wangaratta.
9. Wangaratta
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
The route ends here after 615 km.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Great Alpine Road: Wangaratta to Bairnsdale · 308 km
- Great Alpine Road · 307 km
- Great Alpine Road starting at Wangaratta · 282 km
- Great Alpine Road: Wangaratta to Omeo · 187 km