Great Alpine Road Tips

Hi All,

Just planning a loop of the Great Alpine Rd & would be VERY grateful of any tips from anyone who has done it.

Planning on going sometime in Nov/Dec with some blokes from work. We will have 2 nights/3 Days....

Setting out from Melb & Planning overnights around 1. Bairnsdale  2. Moyhu ????

Any tips on, 1. Must Do roads, 2. Must NOT Do roads, 3. Pubs to stay overnight, 4. Things to look out for, 5.  Is it best going North to South Or South to North

At this stage we are planning leaving home Sat Lunch (We are all working Fri Night),

Home to Bairnsdale = 260 K's (Night 1),
Bairnsdale to Moyhu = 320 K's (Night 2),
Moyhu to Home VIA Mt Buller = 330 k's

Total Klms = 910 Approx

http://www.whereis.com/?id=250B99CF525960&intref=emailmap

  

Cheers for any ideas forthcoming!!!!

910km in 3 days?? You must drink a lot.

Look out for cops.  Particularly around Omeo and north of Bairnsdale. The run over the Hotham Heights is sublime, massive sweepers.  You can do a loop around Orbost Omeo using the C531 Bogong High Plains Road (provided it is clear of snow, which it will be by then).  Enjoy!

rolls wrote:910km in 3 days?? You must drink a lot.

 It's not exactly highway km's.

The best part of that area for me is the run up to Falls Creek. Nobody around during the off season and relatively good surface.

Snow Chains perhaps?

There are two routes you can take, both bringing you out at Omeo and then Bruthen and Bairnsdale.  
Mt Beauty - Fall Creek - Omeo or Bright - Hotham - Omeo  I prefer the latter as it has a much better road from the top to the Omeo road.  The Falls Creek to Angler's rest is quite narrow and a strange sort of white sealing which looks like loose white gravel and its hard to enjoy because you keep thinking you're gonig to slide off.  But road up to Falls Creek is good (so is the road up to Hotham).  

In the past I've stayed at Bright (the Oriental Boutique hotel but it has since changed its name).  It's well located (2 minutes walk to the pub) and biker friendly.  Great multi-rooms that sleep up to 6.  But it doesn't seem that you'll be staying there.

In any event - have fun.  I'll be doing it in November with Jim.

Chief, ewok, baz and myself plus some others are travelling from merimbula to anglers rest over to bright, then on to jinjellic and then back to merimbula on the 30 nov 1 and 2 of dec so if your riding that same week we migth see you around

rolls wrote:910km in 3 days?? You must drink a lot.

Its up to over 1000 klms now with side runs up Mt Beauty, Mt Buffalo & Mt Buller while we are there. Max of around 400klms/Day is comfortable I reckon.

Dekenai wrote:Look out for cops.  Particularly around Omeo and north of Bairnsdale. The run over the Hotham Heights is sublime, massive sweepers.  You can do a loop around Orbost Omeo using the C531 Bogong High Plains Road (provided it is clear of snow, which it will be by then).  Enjoy!

Cheers Dekenai. Always looking out for the Cash Converters...Over Hotham Heights it is.

Sloth_27 wrote:

rolls wrote:910km in 3 days?? You must drink a lot.

 It's not exactly highway km's.

The best part of that area for me is the run up to Falls Creek. Nobody around during the off season and relatively good surface.

Falls creek would be C531 that Dekenai is talking about. Might have to take that one next time...

Kaupy1962 wrote:Snow Chains perhaps?

Nov/Dec????

Ewok1958 wrote:There are two routes you can take, both bringing you out at Omeo and then Bruthen and Bairnsdale.  
Mt Beauty - Fall Creek - Omeo or Bright - Hotham - Omeo  I prefer the latter as it has a much better road from the top to the Omeo road.  The Falls Creek to Angler's rest is quite narrow and a strange sort of white sealing which looks like loose white gravel and its hard to enjoy because you keep thinking you're gonig to slide off.  But road up to Falls Creek is good (so is the road up to Hotham).  

In the past I've stayed at Bright (the Oriental Boutique hotel but it has since changed its name).  It's well located (2 minutes walk to the pub) and biker friendly.  Great multi-rooms that sleep up to 6.  But it doesn't seem that you'll be staying there.

In any event - have fun.  I'll be doing it in November with Jim.

Thanks Ewok. Going to do Hotham. Falls Creek next time. May look at Bright for a room. If so, I will look up Oriental.

Jimcoleman wrote:Chief, ewok, baz and myself plus some others are travelling from merimbula to anglers rest over to bright, then on to jinjellic and then back to merimbula on the 30 nov 1 and 2 of dec so if your riding that same week we migth see you around

Wont see you that weekend Jim. Bloody work. I'll probably be going 13-14 Dec??? Not sure yet

  

Mount buffalo at it finest 

http://vimeo.com/53251647

Fantastic Jim....

Cant wait for it now.

Looks like those other things on two wheels ( the ones with no engine ) are heavy users of the road.

Mount buffalo looked like heart attack hill or a stairway to heaven, try go early morning less traffic, as you can see we had a really clear run, but had heaps of traffic on the way down, i must admit i really gassed it up the mountain and it was awesome but becareful of cyclists on blind corners you know how those guys think they own the road being good payers of rego and insurance as they are

Jimcoleman wrote:but becareful of cyclists on blind corners you know how those guys think they own the road being good payers of rego and insurance as they are

 I know you aren't trying to start something here.... I own and pay rego on one motorcar and two motorbikes, and if anyone wants to make me pay rego on my bicycles I'm going to start shooting.... 

Sleep easy stu, talking more about bicycle nazis that ride in a group in the middle of the road and won't move.

Jimcoleman wrote:Sleep easy stu, talking more about bicycle nazis that ride in a group in the middle of the road and won't move.

 I will... they kinda get my goat too....