10 great motorcycling roads in Victoria

You can’t really talk about great motorcycling roads in Victoria without mentioning the Great Ocean Road, but while the way it snakes around the coastline and its amazing scenery makes it a good road in theory, the sheer number of tourists and slow-moving coaches, caravans and motorhomes these days makes it one best ridden in off-peak times during the week. A good way to drop onto the Great Ocean Road – or a detour well worth doing – is the road that runs north from Lorne called the Lorne-Deans Marsh Road (C151), which snakes up the mountain ranges in a beaut series of slow-to-medium speed corners through to Deans Marsh. You can turn around and do it in the other direction or follow your nose to back onto the M1 and head east back into Melbourne.

Another wonderful riding road that heads north off the Great Ocean Road is Skenes Creek Road (C119), which joins Skenes Creek and the beaut little town of Forrest. It’s 30km of well-maintained twisties through the Otway ranges that lands you in Forrest, which has great accommodation and a particularly good local brewery. A popular spot for mountain biking, Forrest is a small town with plenty of services, which makes it a top spot to base yourself for a few days so you can explore the region and its many great twisty roads.

Although great enough roads to warrant their own headings, the Reefton and Black Spurs’ proximity to Melbourne makes them popular jaunts for motorcyclists and really heavily policed as a result. The Reefton Spur (C511) is a beaut 20km run from Reefton up the T-intersection just before Cambarville. Turn left here for another nice run over to Marysville, where you can head south back towards Melbourne on the 24km Black Spur, which runs from Narbethong to Healesville. The scenery and high-quality food and drink offerings in this part of regional Victoria all but make up for the drawbacks of these roads’ popularity, especially if you opt for a weekday run over the busy (and highly policed) weekends.

Not strictly a Victorian Road as it straddles the New South Wales border at its northern end, the Bonang Road (C612) one of those routes that make it onto many road riders’ bucket lists. Nigh on 100 clicks of continuous 45km/h corners, it’s narrow, unforgiving, and not for the faint-hearted, due in no small part to the sudden appearance of the occasional logging truck, which often seem to take up a good portion of your side of the road. It stretches between Orbost in Victoria’s east and Delegate in New South Wales’ south, while a 10km section of very average dirt near the top means there’s very little traffic other than the odd truck. Be sure to fill up before you leave Orbost, as there’s 130km before the next fuel opportunity in Delegate.

A great alternative for anyone looking for an alternate route to the doom and gloom of the Hume Highway, the Granya Road (C546) is a deserted 20km stretch of twisties joining Bullioh in northern Victoria and the Murray River Road, which runs along the border of Victoria and New South Wales. From Tallangatta, head east for 14km before turning left on the Granya Road, where you’ll find a fun, smooth and positive-cambered stretch through the mountains of Mount Granya State Park. There’s not very much to see or do at the top, which means you often have the road to yourself. If you don’t mind a bit of dirt and are looking for a spot to spend the night, turn left on to the Murray River Road and you’ll find Wymah Ferry Road on your right. Ride the small vehicle ferry over to New South Wales and follow the well-maintained hard-packed gravel road east along the Murray River until you reach Jingellic – the pub has great meals and cabin-style accommodation.

The Omeo Highway (C543) stretching between Tallangatta and Omeo in Victoria is one of the most memorable and scenic 170km sections of road you’ll find in Victoria. Joining the state’s northeast with Gippsland via the alpine region, it’s important to choose your time of year carefully, however, or it’ll be memorable for all the wrong reasons. Sealed completely in 2014, the southern end of the 170km stretch is the most engaging. There’s not a lot of opportunities for fuel between Mitta Mitta and Omeo, but a break (and clean toilets) can be had on the picnic tables by the river at Angler’s Rest, where you’ll find a great little campsite and the hospitable Blue Duck Inn nearby.

Another great option is the Great Alpine Road (B500), which begins in Wangaratta and loosely follows the Ovens Rivers down through many a scenic little down to Mount Hotham, and then continues over Hotham to Dinner Plain and down to Omeo, before picking up the Tambo River for the run south to Bruthen, before ending at Bairnsdale. It’s a nearly 100km stretch up and over the mountains and the ski fields, so again you’ll need to be careful with your timing, but it’s well maintained and a heap of fun. The road can be closed in winter and the weather up here can change quickly at any time, so check the forecasts before you go and pack some warmer gear. The other great thing about doing the run from north to south is you’re met at the bottom by the very welcoming Bruthen Hotel, which offers great food, clean rooms, and is two doors down from a BP servo.

Since we’re in the area, the Dargo Road (C601) is a beauty for anyone on an adventure bike wanting to do some off-road exploration. The Dargo Road runs from Bairnsdale in Victoria’s Gippsland region to the hamlet of Dargo. From there it becomes the Dargo High Plains Road, which is largely dirt and winds its way through the picturesque High Country and on into Alpine National Park, where it finally meets the Great Alpine Road (B500) at Hotham Heights, 50km west of Omeo. While the mainly unsealed Dargo High Plains Road is unsuitable for sportsbikes, and subject to seasonal closure from early June to early November, for those with even moderate off-road capability it is a brilliant ride through some of the area’s awesome alpine scenery. Link it up to any of the above two roads for a brilliant day on the bike.

Beverleys Road is certainly not a destination ride you’d seek out, but if you’re in the area and looking for a distraction off the oh-so-dreary Princes Highway, it’s worth a detour. A short 15km stretch between Stockdale and the Bairnsdale-Dargo road, what it lacks in twisties it more than makes up for in belly-dropping elevation.

One of south Gippsland’s finest roads, the full length of the Grand Ridge Road (C458) is just over 130km long, but only about half of it is sealed, though the unsealed sections are easy going. The popular biking town of Mirboo North is situated about halfway along so there’s plenty of other great motorcycling roads in the area to explore if you’re keen to stick to the tarmac. Narrow in places, as the name suggests the road runs along a ridge. It’s heavily wooded in some areas, which means there’s plenty of active wildlife at dawn and dusk, so pick your times wisely.

Related reading:
Advice: Top 10 Melbourne road rides
Eight of Australia's best motorcycling roads
Advice: Ten tips for riding on country roads

This article was originally published on May 13, 2022.