Best motorcycle roads around Phillip Island and the Bass Coast

Phillip Island is the reason you are here, but it is not where the bends are. We ran the roads around the circuit through our road data, and the answer is clear: nothing on the island turns much, and the good riding starts about half an hour off it.

If you are riding down for the 2026 MotoGP on 23 to 25 October, the weather and ride plan for the weekend tells you which of these are worth riding on which day.

How we measured it

Every named sealed road in our data has a length and a turning figure: the total angle it turns, divided by its length, in degrees per kilometre. Higher means more turning. The distances below are straight-line from the circuit, so the actual ride is longer.

For scale, the Phillip Island GP circuit scores 442. That is the benchmark for the chart below: a road to the right of the dashed line turns more, per kilometre, than the track.

On the island: scenery, not bends

Nothing on Phillip Island over 5 km, other than the circuit, turns enough to register. The next highest things near the circuit are a go-kart track and a handful of short suburban streets.

That is not a criticism. It is a good island for an easy lap: through Cowes, out to Cape Woolamai and round to the Nobbies at the western end. Just do not expect to be leaning on the pegs.

Within 45 km: the closest real roads

• Dalyston-Glen Forbes Road, 17.5 km, 373 degrees per kilometre, 27 km from the circuit. The nearest road of any length that bends properly, and a natural first leg off the island.
• Sheepways Road, 9.1 km, 558. Short and tight, with more turning per kilometre than the circuit. Take it slowly.
• Bena-Kongwak Road, 17.3 km, 382. A back road with steady, linked bends rather than any one hard corner.
• Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road, 12.2 km, 254. Gentler, coastal, and the one to pick in the wet.

50 to 75 km: the Strzelecki Ranges

This is where the riding gets serious.

• Yarragon-Leongatha Road, 13.5 km, 771. The tightest road in this set. Treat it as a slow road.
• Grand Ridge Road, western section, 16.9 km, 706. Our guide to Grand Ridge Road describes it as a ridge-top run through the Strzelecki Ranges with long views. The eastern sections continue towards Mirboo North and are less tight at about 413 degrees per kilometre.
• Korumburra-Warragul Road, 11.8 km, 460, and Main South Road, 11.3 km, 387. Steady and rhythmic rather than tight.
• Gembrook-Launching Place Road, 18.4 km, 410. The longest in this group, on the Melbourne side of the ranges, so a good one for the ride home.

Further north, on the way back to the east of Melbourne, Mount Dandenong Tourist Road is 22.4 km at 490 degrees per kilometre, if you want one more on the way home.

If the Strzelecki Ranges appeal, our guide to the Victorian High Country and Gippsland covers the bigger loops further east.

Linking them into a day

A simple pattern from the island, in good weather:

1. Cross the bridge at San Remo and take Dalyston-Glen Forbes Road as the first bend of the day.
2. Add Bena-Kongwak Road, then head north-east into the ranges.
3. Ride Yarragon-Leongatha Road and the western end of Grand Ridge Road with a fuel stop before the climb.
4. Return through the farmland on Korumburra-Warragul Road and the Bass Highway.

We have not measured the riding distance of that loop, so check it in the planner. A planned ride shows road closures along the route and lets you switch any leg between a curvy and a fast version if the day is running late.

Wet or windy

The forecast for race weekend is cold and showery from Saturday. Range roads are shaded and slow to dry, with leaf litter and washed gravel. On a wet day take the coast option, Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road, and leave Yarragon-Leongatha and Grand Ridge for a dry day. On the wind: the open farmland between the island and the ranges is exposed, and gusts are strongest on the day after the cold change.

For the ride home after the race, where to stop between Traralgon and Omeo is the one to read.

Plan it in the app

Drop the island, Dalyston, Yarragon and the ranges into the planner as stops and let it find the roads in between. Save the ride and it works offline once you are out of signal in the hills.

Lengths and turning figures come from MotoRidez road data, read on 20 October 2026. Distances are straight-line from the circuit. Check conditions, closures and the weather before you ride.