MotoRidez · Roads

Great Alpine Road

VIC · Australia

Great Alpine Road
Photo by Lauri Väin · CC BY 2.0
The road, north up. 14 km end to end.
Climb, 11.5% at its steepestClimb, 12.0% at its steepestDescent, 10.1% at its steepest
Climb along the road — 635 m to 1137 m · 561 m of climbing
Highest
1,137 m
Lowest
635 m
Climb
561 m
Descent
211 m
Start to end
635 → 983 m
Steepest
12.0%
14 kmEnd to end
0h 08m Riding time
Twisty Twistiness
Paved Surface

Australia's highest sealed road, climbing from the Ovens Valley over Mount Hotham and down into Gippsland. A day's ride in one road.

South-bound gives you the climb fresh and the descent into Omeo at the end

SeasonNovember to April — chains or closures in winter

The Harrietville-to-Hotham climb is the piece everyone comes for: tight, relentless, and high enough that the weather changes under you.

It is a genuine alpine road, which means snow and ice closures in winter, and fog that arrives without warning in any season. Check conditions before you commit to the crossing.

Fuel matters more than distance here. Fill at Bright or Omeo, not somewhere in between.

More on this road: The best motorcycle roads in Victoria

Rides that use it

Ocean and Alpine · Day 5 · Morwell to Bright over the Great Alpine Road

372 km
Plan a ride on it More roads

Photos are contributed by riders and reviewed before they appear here. Conditions change — check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.