Ride Summary

This ride is 25 kilometres long, with a 21 kilometre section from Germantown to Kiewa Valley Highway, and an extra 4 kilometres to Mount Beauty, and has a corner ratio of 95%. Corner speeds may be slow, fair, medium, or fast. You are likely to encounter a car every two minutes on this route. The bitumen is grippy and the road surface is smooth and bump-free.

Ride Description

The Tawonga Gap ride is a splendid motorcycling experience and should not be missed if you are riding in Victoria. Coming from Germantown and Bright, you will first be on an open, fast section of road. As this ascends the mountain flank, it becomes tighter and you will encounter a long series of extremely enjoyable sweeping curves. Since there is very good visibility and fairly light traffic, as well as many places where you can overtake, other motorists will not be a problem.

There are also two lookouts where you can stop and enjoy the landscape spread out below you – one at the summit, and a second at the mid point of the descent to Mount Beauty. There are no intersections or cross roads along this ride, allowing you to relax and focus on the road itself. The ride is very exciting and is even better if you have some good company along.

Directions

This ride is in central Victoria, on the Harrietville-Mt. Hotham road, about 6 kilometres south of Bright. It is reached by taking the Hume Highway or King Valley Highway, passing through Whitfield, then taking the Oxley Highway through Myrtlefield, Bright, and 6 kilometres further to Germantown.

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Best Thing About This Ride

The return ride from Mount Beauty to Bright is even more enjoyable than the excellent ride in the other direction. The ascent from Mount Beauty is much more enjoyable uphill (see “Things to Watch Out For,” below), and descending from the top lookout to Bright is a very satisfying experience, as the road unwinds and you can steadily increase your speed as the corners get wider and faster.

What Else To Look Out For

Descending towards Mount Beauty is a challenging, difficult ride. The roadway is steep and you will encounter cuttings, many blind corners, and a trio of hairpin turns.