Victoria is not the biggest state of our island nation but it offers a variety of terrains that are nothing short of amazing. There is something for everyone, from lofty alpine views to dense rainforests. The best part? Victoria’s mountain biking scene is booming and alive, with trails that’ll have you hooting and hollering in any of the quintessential Aussie locations. You can probably find the perfect trail in Victoria on knobby tires.
You can read on to learn about some of the best riding spots in Victoria or visit the destination hub for more information and to start planning your trip.
Best Mountain Bike Tracks In Victoria
Adventure in the Otways
Enter the green room. The trail network in Forrest is a great place to bring the entire family, no matter their skill level or fitness.
Forrest has two impressive trail systems. One is located in the town itself, drinker’s left of the famous Forrest Brewing Company. The other is the Yaugher Trail Network which is just a short drive to the north. Forrest’s trails on the drinker’s left of the town are undergoing a major revamp. But this is just the beginning of the plans for the city.
Forrest, one of Australia’s most popular mountain biking destinations, has undergone a major revamp. In the first stage, township trails were rebuilt as well as some new gravity trails.
The trailhead of the township stretches out over a dozen trails that will either take you through ferns near civilization or to Lake Elizabeth. Roller Coaster is one of the best green trails in the area. It’s a great warm-up trail that will get you excited for what lies ahead. The Red Carpet has long flowing downhills with berms. It also includes the occasional tabletop. The brand-new Barwon Flow Zone is located on this side of town. It features four machine-built descending trails and a mellow ascent to get back up. The trailhead also has a MASSIVE, new pump track — it’s epic and always packed with shredders.
After refueling at the General Store you can explore the Yaugher Trail network. You’ll find a variety of trails, all equally fun. Most of the trails are surrounded by the Yaugher Super Loop. You’ll see several blacks and blues that jut off the loop only to re-join it at some point. This is a simple, easy-to-follow circuit. Your legs will be burning and you will smile. Marriner’s run is our top pick for the best trail in Forrest. Marriner’s run is fun whether you are a first-timer at Forrest or a seasoned Yaugher. It has rock rollovers as well as lung-busting descents, bermed gullies, and a charging descent.
Forrest’s Pump Track is a great alternative to some of the more popular destinations.
Forrest will hook your friends, family, or significant other with a few days of riding. The trails are fun and flowy, with enough technical features to make them interesting. There is also a beautiful scenery from every angle. Forrest is an ideal destination for mountain biking enthusiasts of all levels.
But there is no way around it. Sign up to pedal to experience the Forrest trails. Forrest is a great place to ride anything from an entry-level hardtail bike to a more trail-oriented, downcountry whip. Pro tip? This one is best done without the enduro. Be sure to bring plenty of water as there aren’t any refill points once you reach the ferny forest.
The Yaugher Trails still retain the traditional hand-built feel, even though the trails in the south of the town have been upgraded.
You Yangs | Rock hopping not far from Melbourne
The You Yangs are a group of mountains located less than an hour southwest of Melbourne. They offer a variety of trails that will suit any level of rider.
The park is divided into two distinct zones, Kurrajong Stockyards. The Kurrajong trail is located in the southern part of the park and a short distance from Lara. This is a pure XC area, with a lot of flat green and blue trails on a sand soil base. It’s a great place for beginners to learn about mountain biking.
You Yangs is located close to Melbourne and offers a variety of riding.
Discover the Victorian bush from a new perspective with the many tracks available in the High Country and Great Ocean Road. There are also plenty of tracks to explore the Grampians and Goldfields as well as the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges. All levels of riders can find trails, and you can ride all year round if you have the right equipment. Pack well.
You Yangs Regional Park has purpose-built trails that will allow you to conquer the High Country’s ‘Dirty Dozen’, a hotbed for downhill mountain biking action. Enjoy the Grampians bush trails and the Goldfields Track, or jump off the cliffs at Lysterfield Lake.
Stockyards is a great place for those who want to challenge themselves. The trails range from blue to double-black — technical XC and race-worthy downhill. The northern end of the network has a car park called Drysdale Road. This is where you can access Stockyards. This is the perfect place for rock gardens. This area, unlike the southern side of this hill, is built on huge granite boulders which make for some fun features. This surface is loose on top of the hardpack, which makes for some tricky corners in dry conditions. After a bit of rain, the You Yangs become a grippy heaven.
You can find a black trail that has a little bit of everything. It features technical rock gardens and bridges, as well as huge wooden berms, which are almost wallrides.
You Yangs offers a wide range of trails for all levels of riders and bikes. You can find the You Yangs MTB Club site for trail maps and grades.
Harcourt | The Big Apple
The Harcourt Trail Network is located in La Larr ba Gauwa Park. Harcourt, located an hour and a quarter north-west of Melbourne, is the clear choice for those looking for quality trails that don’t require a full day of riding.
Each of the 11 trails is as exciting as the other. There are 34 km of singletrack, divided into 11 different trails. All the trails have been named in the Dja Dja Werrung language. The terrain is built around and on large granite boulders and is suitable for intermediate and experienced riders. You’ll find a majority of blue trails, with some black trails to challenge you.
Gnarcourt has been a frequent testing ground for our bike reviews.
The northern trail hub is the place to be if you like railing berms, pumping rollers, and boosting jumps. It even has some A-line gnar thrown in for those who want to go big. Take the technical climb to the top of Trail 5 – Werpil for a trail that offers the best of both worlds. You’ll get a panoramic view of the valley from the top. You’ll feel like you are on a roller coaster as you navigate your way through the rocks to the trailhead. After you’ve mastered the technical, head straight to Trail 2 Girra. This is all about airtime and g-forces.
The Southern Trail hub is for you if you prefer to pick your line through a maze of rocks rather than be given a flow. There are plenty of sections that can be ridden without any dab.
Harcourt’s soil is granitic, similar to that of the You Yangs. It can be slippery when dry but becomes a great place for apple growing. Take plenty of water as there aren’t any refill points once you start your journey.
Harcourt, however, has been closed for the past few years, since La Nina slapped Victoria, leaving it in a very bad state. We’ll update the story once La Larr Ba Gawa is open to riders. Click here to see the extent of the damage and for more information about the repairs being made.
For more information about trails and gradings, visit the La Larr Ba Gauwa.
Red Hill | Wicked trails overlooking the bay
You might need a breather. Red Hill is a rider favorite located along the eastern coast of Port Phillip Bay. After a leisurely 1.5-hour drive down the Mornington Peninsula Freeway, you’ll arrive in Dromana. The small beach town is dominated by Red Hill and Arthur’s Seat Lookout.
You can park along the narrow strip of shops and cafés on Boundary Road and see the large dog park directly across the street. You can start your ride in the right direction by scratching a few dogs behind the ears (for luck, of course) as you make your way back to the park. From this point on, the vast Arthur’s Seat MTB network spreads out, with everything from flowy greens, blues, and twisty climbs lined with mushrooms to black diamonds in a pine forest. The climb to the Arthur’s Seat Lookout is a grueling one, but it’s well worth the effort. You’ll get rewarded with an amazing view of the bay from a birds-eye perspective.
Pins and Needles is our favorite trail. This trail has berms and drops, as well as extended sections of off-camber roots, all designed to knock you off your line. This trail is enduro at its core. It’s a challenging, difficult track that you will have a hard time nailing. We guarantee that you will have a great time trying.
Mornington Peninsula also has great local produce. Stock up before you leave so that when you pop an olive from Red Hill, you will have flashbacks to that Highline you pulled off.
Visit the Red Hill Riders Mountain Bike Club site to learn more about what Red Hill has to offer.
If you know where to look, you can find flow on Red Hill.
Lake Mountain | Melbourne’s cascading getaway
Lake Mountain is a gateway to the Victorian Alpine Region. This means that in less than 2 hours from Melbourne, you can be at the base of one of the best MTB destinations in the state.
The 28km Cascades Trail is one of the best trails on Lake Mountain. The singletrack begins amongst the pale, gnarled, snow gum trees at the summit and meanders through lush ferns before dropping you in the town of Marysville.
The Cascades Trail at Lake Mountain offers a unique trail experience in Victoria. It features big, flowing berms and beautiful alpine scenery.
This trail is a grin-inducing descent with 500m of breathtaking climbs between. Imagine this trail on an elevation chart and you’ll get a good idea of what the name means.
A shuttle run by Lake Mountain is the best way to reach the trailhead. The shuttle runs most of the time outside of the winter season when snow takes over.
Be prepared to bring plenty of snacks, water, and extras. This is a rough and long point-to-point hike.
You can camp on the summit if you don’t feel that one day is enough.
Want to know more about Lake Mountain? For key information, maps, and trail grades check out the destination page. Check out the Lake Mountain Weekender for a deeper dive into this resort.
Red Hill, towards the bottom Cascades, has perfectly shaped berms as well as a few moon booters.
Falls Creek | The alpine MTB paradise
Falls Creek is located in the Victorian Alpine Region and boasts a lot of high-alpine shreds. Many of its trails are branching from the 1800m summit.
This destination is a must-visit once your tires hit the dirt.
Falls Creek offers a wide variety of singletrack, with its flow trails providing a great warm-up for the bigger stuff. The green and blue runs are plentiful, while three black runs will test your limits. Whether you are a beginner learning the ropes, or a seasoned shredder who wants to cool off from the gnarlier trails, Eagle Rock and Flowtown will be a blast for everyone.
You’ll be laughing and clapping your hands at the bottom of High Voltage and Thunderbolt if you like janky rock gardens, berms, or jumps. Blue Dirt runs shuttles on weekends outside the winter season, so you can go up again and take on that technical rock slab. You’ll feel like you did 1000 push-ups at the end of your day. You can also climb the trails in acoustic mode or with an e-bike to get pumped up before you reach those descents. Falls has opened the first phase of its expansion plans, opening a few new gravity trails by World Trail.
Falls Creek’s terrain can be described as fast, rough, and technically challenging. You can tackle the terrain with short- to mid-travel trail bikes, as well as enduro bikes.
Falls Creek is a long drive away from Melbourne, just under 5 hours. It’s not a place you can visit for a single day. The resort has a variety of accommodations, cafes, and restaurants open during the non-snow season. It also hosts events like the 3-day Ignition MTB Festival.
Do you want to experience an amazing Victorian Alpine riding adventure? Visit the Destination Page for more information about Falls Creek including maps and trail grades.
Falls Creek offers mountain bikers a variety of alpine adventures.
Mount Beauty | The hand-built classic
Contrary to its name, Big Hill Bike Park is a smaller hill if you compare vertical meters with Falls Creek. Don’t be fooled by this statement. Big Hill Bike Park, Mount Beauty, is home to one of the most extensive and oldest trail networks in Victoria. It’s located at the foot of Mount Bogong, Victoria’s tallest peak.
Big Hill is the home to one of the most popular stops in the Victorian DH Series and Victorian Gravity Enduro Series. Stories have been spread about the quality of the gravity trails available at Big Hill.
Mount Beauty is an anti-flow and you’ll be able to find tight, rough, and hand-cut trails here.
The downhill track is one of the most difficult in the nation. Dean Lucas used the Big Hill DH Track to prepare for the most challenging trails in the world.
The fun does not stop at the extremes. Riders who venture to this small mountain town will find a staggering number of hand-cut, high-quality trails. Green trails are available for those who want to improve their skills. Blue and black trails will satisfy the tech-lovers. They will receive tech. Big Hill is a place where flow is hard to find. It’s only for those who are willing to pay with sweat.
This is a great place for mountain biking. It’s challenging but also rewarding.
Mount Beauty is a charming town. Mount Beauty is close to some of the most popular action-sports destinations in the country. It has a wide range of MTB-friendly facilities to make your stay pleasant. Accommodation, restaurants, supermarkets, and yes, even a brewery, are all available. For those who have over-committed, Mount Beauty offers more medical services than you could shake a crutch.
You want to see the Beauty, but aren’t sure where to begin? Visit the destination page for more information on Mount Beauty’s trails.
Mount Beauty lives up to its name.
Bright | The mystical hero of the Alpine region
What happens when you combine an MTB-mad community with world-class trail builders and the cooperation between local businesses and councils? Mountain bike destinations are like no other.
Mystic Mountain Bike Park, Bright, is an 800m vertical piney canvas that offers 100km of singletrack trails. You can link them up however you like.
Mystic Mountain Bike Park was built on a pine plantation and has roots in rough, rooty hand-built trails. However, the network now includes some epic machine-built downhills.
You’ve heard of the legendary descents, but do you want to earn them? Lower down the hill, there is an XC trail riders’ paradise. Undulating singletracks of all levels of difficulty await those who are willing to turn the cranks. These trails are great for any type of trail bike, from hardtails to mid-travel.
You may be motivated by gravity and want to get to the top as quickly as possible to maximize your time downhill. Blue Dirt provides a shuttle service that operates all year round (weather permitting) and stops at the tops of some of Victoria’s best downhill and flow trails. This top section is best enjoyed on mid-travel trail bikes or full-blown DH rigs.
Bright’s trails are rated from double black to green. The Hero Trail, no matter how you get to the top of the mountain, is a must-ride on your way down. This blue flowy trail is jam-packed with jumps, berms, and rollers. It will keep beginners hooked and experienced pros lined up for more laps.
As this is a very popular trail, you should adhere to the proper trail etiquette to ensure your safety and that of the shredders with whom you share the trail.
Recently, the Alpine Community Plantation introduced a Membership Model to fund the trails. The park requires memberships, which range from day passes to annual access. They can be purchased via the Hive Pass App.
Bright comes alive when the sun shines. If it’s particularly hot, you can cool off in the Ovens River and then end the day with some woodfired pizzas from Bright Brewery.
Want to learn more? Visit the Bright Destination page to find out more about the trails, maps, and gradings.
Mount Buller | Home of the Alpine Epic
Mount Buller, a destination that is well-known in the Victorian Alpine Region, will blow you away with its action sports all year round. Mount Buller becomes a mountain biking mecca in Australia once the snow melts.
Mount Buller, Australia’s very first International Mountain Bike Association-accredited destination, is the perfect destination for mountain bikers of all levels. The mountain bikers can enjoy everything from world-class downhill racing to epic backcountry rides. Mount Buller offers everything from green trails that are easy to navigate, to black-knuckle tracks. After the recent rebuild by Countour Works and Trail Scapes, Buller might look a bit different than the last time you rolled in. While the trail alignments remain the same, they are all essentially new. Click here to learn more.
From wide open vistas to trails through tightly packed, ghost white gum tree skeletons, Buller takes riders through such a range of quintessential alpine landscapes.
For all the gravity fiends out there, shuttles are available to zoom you right back to the top while you give your quads a well-deserved break. With so many top-notch XC trails on offer though, we highly recommend kitting up for an adventure and making your way over to Stonefly or the highly acclaimed Australian Alpine Epic trail. It’s anything but a walk in the park but, your efforts will be rewarded with views every bit as incredible as the trails you’re riding.
Taking just over 3 hours to reach, Mount Buller is no short commute. This drive, paired with the sheer number of must-ride trails, Buller is a location best enjoyed over multiple days. As one of the country’s premier ski resorts, you definitely won’t be left stranded if you decide to stay a night or two. Hotels, lodges, restaurants, and bars will ensure that you swing the leg onto your bike the following day well-fed, rested, and ready for more.
Have we piqued your interest? Head over to the Destination page to find out more info about what lies in store at Mount Buller.
Yackandandah | The ultimate rock-up and ride destination
Although Yackandandah’s mining days are all but over, there’s still plenty of…ahem, gold to be found in this small rural town nestled in the north-east of Victoria.
If the pace of city living is taking its toll, then a bike-enabled getaway to Yack may be just what the doctor ordered. Once the car is packed and the bikes are loaded up, a 3.5-hour drive from Melbourne will see you breathing in that fresh restorative air of the Victorian bushland as you navigate your way through the area’s unique network of XC trails.
Yackandandah puts the mining history of the region front and center, with many of the trails following water races and features in the landscape formed by spades and pickaxes.
Close to 50km of well-signposted singletrack loop out from the trailhead car park, with unique features having been adapted from remaining canyons and channels dug in the area’s bygone mining era. The trailhead map at the parking lot gives you a great insight into the kind of fun you’re about to embark on, with the options being predominantly graded blue. Except for the beginner-friendly green trail, the loops all range upwards of 15km with plenty of gradual climbs and fast-flowing descents for you to pit yourself against.
Compared to many expertly developed trail centers across Victoria, the Yack Tracks have a distinctly natural feeling to them, stripping away man-made obstacles and immersing you in the flow of the land. As for your steed, a short travel trail bike wouldn’t go astray here. Although there is plenty of pedaling to be done, there is also no shortage of rough stuff to keep things interesting. Word to the wise? Think skinny thoughts. There are plenty of tight tree gaps out there to test out your precision.
Once the day is done, your legs are cooked and your smile is wide, you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if you chose to skip the post-ride feed at any of the delectable eateries found in the township of Yackandandah.
If you want to read more about the gem that is Yackandandah, check out the Destination Page.
Don’t let the prospect of unclaimed gold take your eyes off the trail in Yack.
Beechworth | Granite, Granite, and More Granite
Cheese and wine. Ducks and water. Jack Moir and a trailside dad-cam. Some things just pair together perfectly. The same can be said for Yackandandah and the iconic MTB destination of Beechworth. You can’t ride at one without making the 20-minute drive over for a rip around the other — they’re also by the Indigo Epic Trail. Also situated in the High Country 3.5 hours from Melbourne, this trail network is well-deserving of its place on the list of Victoria’s best trails.
Beechworth, while situated so close to Yack, offers its brand of fun. Strewn across the landscape are gigantic granite boulders that are just begging to be ridden over, while technical rock gardens, flowy descents, jumps, berms, and switchbacked climbs are just some of the features you can expect to encounter on your spin.
The geology of Beechworth is a defining feature of the trail network, and you can see why.
Beechworth is another of those locations that cater to a wide range of skill levels. There’s a fun green loop near the car park for those still new to the sport, a diverse mix of intermediate blue trails, all the way through to advanced gravity-fed trails that shoot you directly through the gnarliest terrain in the area. With this in mind, bringing a bike with a bit of squish is going to allow you to squeeze every drop of fun out of the Beechworth trails. A mid-travel trail bike will most definitely allow you to give most things a go while still retaining some pedal-ability for when the trails inevitably point back up. If you’re after a combination that best showcases the personality of the Beechworth trails, the 10km blue XC loop marked out on the trail map makes for a fantastic sampling platter that will have you stoked to get out and try the rest of the trails in the area.
While you’re there don’t forget about Flame Trees. A short pedal from town on the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, this journeys through rolling Australiana, using every gully, dip, and roller to create 10km of flowy goodness.
We here at Flow understand that a day of being awesome on a bike undoubtedly leaves you thirsty. Luckily the good folks at Bridge Road Brewers in town have you covered for that hydrating, locally brewed post-ride nectar.
If Beechworth sounds like your cup of tea, head over to the Destination Page for more information and begin planning your trip.
The Indigo Epic Trail
We mentioned the Indigo Epic Trail in the last section, but this masterpiece through the side country is worthy of its bullet point. Creating a helix loop between Beechworth and Yack, there are 32km of freshly built singletrack that plugs into the existing trail networks in each town.
Winding its way through classic Aussie bush, it’s built to about a blue difficulty throughout, this immaculate flow trail is packed full of fun side pops and huge catch berms. Best of all, the masterminds at Trailscapes have designed the whole thing to be predictable, so even on your first run-through, you can let off the brakes and give it the beans.
Being arranged in a figure-eight, you can either ride from town to town and hitch a ride back, or create extended loops — we love starting in Yack, having lunch at Nine Mile Creek, and finishing off with the Homeward Bound Descent.
Want to know more about the Indigo Epic, check out the shenanigans that Emma, Jono, Lia, and Ben got up to exploring this new trail.
Where can I learn more?
Has this been a lot to take in? Well, believe us when we say that this is a non-exhaustive list, rather than serving as a greatest hits setlist to what is an overwhelmingly diverse and beautiful state. Whether you’re a Victorian resident looking for a new patch of your backyard to explore, or you’re visiting from interstate or overseas and you want to make sure your time on the bike is as memorable as possible; this list is a pretty good place to start. Check out the Destination Hub for the full low-down of each state and territory’s hottest trails, then get out there and ride!
