Falls Creek Climb
Victorian Alps, VIC
At a Glance
About the Falls Creek Climb
30km alpine ascent from Mount Beauty to Falls Creek village with 1,150m of climbing - a Tour of Bright and Peaks Challenge classic.
The Mount Beauty to Falls Creek climb is one of the three big Victorian alpine ascents and a perennial fixture on the Peaks Challenge and Tour of Bright race calendars. The climb starts gently as the Kiewa Valley Highway leaves Mount Beauty, then steepens noticeably at Bogong Village around the 8km mark. The middle section between Bogong and Howman's Gap is the toughest, with sustained gradients of 7-9% on a road carved into the Kiewa River gorge.
From Howman's Gap the gradient eases as the road climbs through the Rocky Valley dam catchment to Falls Creek alpine village at 1,600m. Total distance is approximately 30km with 1,150m of vertical gain and an average gradient just under 4%. While the average is moderate, the climb's character is split - the final 13km from Bogong delivers most of the difficulty. Strong climbers complete it in around 80 minutes; weekend riders should plan on 2 to 2.5 hours.
Falls Creek is the unofficial home of Australian summer training camps for the WorldTour pros, and on any given December weekend you'll spot national team riders on the climb. The road surface is excellent, traffic is moderate, and there are no truly steep ramps - making it the most rideable of the three big Victorian alpine climbs. Best ridden November through April; the alpine resort road is occasionally closed in winter for snow clearing. Mount Beauty Bakery is the traditional start and finish point.
Gradient profile — Avg gradient: 3.8%, Max gradient: 10%.
Falls Creek Climb Safety & Warnings
Alpine weather; cold descents even in summer; occasional resort road closure for snow clearing.
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Nearby
Campsites(5)
Trails(3)
Attractions(5)
Toilets(3)
Fuel(4)
Dump Points(3)
Mount Beauty Holiday Centre Dump Point
Free · 9.2km
Dinner Plain Dump Point
Free · 24.8km
Scrubbers Lane Car Park
Free · 25km