The best motorcycle roads in the Victorian High Country and Gippsland

Victoria is in its riding season now, and the best of it is in the mountains. The High Country and Gippsland between them have more twisty road than almost anywhere else in Australia, and the roads are at their best between spring and autumn.

The High Country: Bright, Mount Beauty and Mount Buffalo

Mount Buffalo Road climbs from Porepunkah into Mount Buffalo National Park, through forest and out onto granite country near the top. It is the one to ride for the views, and the best of the High Country roads for a relaxed pace.

Tawonga Gap Road is short and tight, crossing between Bright and Tawonga. Linked bends, trees, and very little straight road.

Bogong High Plains Road is the long climb from Mount Beauty up to Falls Creek, switching back and forth up the face of the range and finishing in alpine country. It is a sustained climb, and a summer road: snow can close it outside the warmer months.

Ride them together from Bright and you have a full day.

Gippsland and the ranges

Mount Baw Baw Tourist Road climbs steeply from Noojee, with a lot of corners packed into the upper half. It is quiet outside ski season, but weather changes fast near the top.

Walhalla Road drops into the old gold-mining town of Walhalla, narrow, tight and worth a slow ride. Eildon–Jamieson Road is a long, quiet back road through the lake and river valleys, and Tarra Valley Road is a tight, shaded detour in South Gippsland.

What to know before you go

• Fuel. There is none on the climbs. Fill up before you set out.
• Weather. Layers matter at altitude, and conditions change quickly.
• Surface. Leaf litter and washed gravel collect on the corners, and edges on the quieter back roads can be rough.
• Wildlife. Dawn and dusk are risky on every one of these roads.

Plan it

Drop pins in the app, choose curvy routing, and it builds a loop along the twistiest roads it can find. Download the offline map pack before you leave, because signal drops out in the mountains.