20 all up. Lower-mountain uplift covers the mid-zone trails separately if you're not after the summit bus every run. The annual Mountain Pass, the Elevation Club, runs
65 child.
At the base village: two restaurants, a full-service bike shop, full-suspension hire, an asphalt pump track, skills park, and — uncommon for any Australian MTB park — a wood-fired sauna and cold plunge. The facilities match the scale of the operation.
Maydena is 1 hr 15 min from Hobart, 2 hr from Launceston via Lake St Clair. Budget two or three nights in the village or Westerway — it's not a day trip from anywhere.
Best for: Gravity riders who want the deepest single descent in the country. Every difficulty level has something worth shuttling for.
2. Thredbo MTB Park (NSW) — Four lifts and 600 m of Kosciuszko vertical
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Thredbo runs four lifts through the summer — the Kosciuszko, Cruiser and Gunbarrel chairlifts plus the Merritts Gondola, Australia's only alpine gondola — with lifts spinning 9am–4pm during the season (mid-November to late April). Thredbo hasn't published its 2026/27 MTB day-pass pricing yet, so check the lift pass page before you budget a trip.
The headline is Cannonball Run: 600 m of vertical, the course for the Australian Open Downhill, and the foundation of the long-running Cannonball Festival. Several distinct lift zones means a different menu each morning — flow and jumps on the Cruiser side, technical on Kosciuszko, freeride on the Gunbarrel park. The 2025/26 season added Slayground (intermediate jumps from the Cruiser chairlift) and Ricochet (rebuilt from Gunbarrel, drops directly from the top), alongside Home Run on the lower mountain. Two more are coming: an intermediate jump trail from the Cruiser area down to the Merritts Gondola mid-station opens with the park in November 2026, and a race-grade downhill line dropping from beneath the Merritts Gondola to Friday Flat follows in early 2027.
Thredbo is 6 hr from Sydney and 2.5 hr from Canberra — a real drive from any capital. The upside is the village itself: it's a functioning alpine settlement with accommodation, restaurants, and a Specialized rental fleet that covers Stumpjumpers and Status bikes. The lift infrastructure is what makes this the most lift-served MTB park in the country.
Best for: Chairlift laps, gravity variety across multiple zones, or timing a trip around the Cannonball Festival.
3. Omeo MTB Park (VIC) — 114 km, year-round, just opened
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The full 114 km network at Omeo opened on 5 December 2025. Built by Common Ground Trails on Sam Hill and Mount Mesley above the town, it's a
0 million federal and state investment that turned a High Country stopover into a destination in its own right.
Blue Dirt and Gravity Dirt Co. both operate shuttles from the Livingstone Park trailhead to the Sam Hill summit, covering up to 590 m of vertical — Blue Dirt sells walk-in single uplift tickets at $30 on Fridays, with day rates through the booking page. Because Omeo sits below the snow line, the trails run year-round. Blue Dirt's shuttle timetable is weekend-based — Saturdays and Sundays 10am–4pm plus public holidays, with Fridays from midday — scaling up over peak periods.
The trail menu covers every level: Flomeo runs 5.5 km of blue Air Flow trail, described by the operator as one of Australia's longest. Boundary Rider is an 8.68 km XC epic. At the hard end, Bangarang is 800 m of double-black freeride descent. If you'd rather earn a lap, Krank Dog is a 9.68 km climb trail back to the Sam Hill summit. In total, 41+ named trails across a difficulty spread that gives both families and gravity riders a full day.
Trailhead facilities at Livingstone Park set a high bar: free showers, change rooms, bike wash, BBQ, asphalt pump track, skills course, and a natural swimming hole in Livingstone Creek. Food is a five-minute walk into town.
Omeo is 5 hr from Melbourne via Bairnsdale, or 1.5 hr from Bright — which makes a High Country road trip (Bright, Falls Creek, Dinner Plain, Omeo) the most logical way to string it together.
Best for: Year-round shuttle access, High Country road trips, anyone who wants a complete week of Victorian trails without repeating terrain.
4. Falls Creek (VIC) — Blue Dirt and 600 m of World Trail flow
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Falls Creek runs no chairlift during the summer MTB season — all uplift is via Blue Dirt shuttle from Howman's Gap and the village to the summit. For 2025/26 the schedule ran Fridays–Sundays through most of the season, with daily operations during the Christmas peak (Dec 27–Jan 12) and Easter (April 3–19, closed Tuesdays).
At 600 m of vertical with three purpose-built flow trails at the top, the individual shuttle run at Falls Creek is different in character to a chairlift park. Skyline, Downtown and Heavy Metal — all 2022 World Trail builds — are the most consistently constructed blue-grade gravity trails in Victoria. They're rated blue but ride fast: proper banked corners, long rhythm sections, very little of the loose chunder that still turns up on older alpine trails. Riders who've done both parks consistently rate the Falls Creek flow trails as the more repeatable, better-finished build.
Blue Dirt packages cover single runs, half-day, and full-day options, with a gravity shuttle season pass also available covering both Falls Creek and Omeo. Falls Creek sits 4.5 hr from Melbourne and 1 hr 15 min from Bright — easy to fold in if you're already in the High Country.
For the full Buller-vs-Falls Creek comparison, the Mt Buller vs Falls Creek guide covers the head-to-head in detail.
Best for: Flow-focused riders, repeatable shuttle laps, combining with a Bright base.
5. Mt Buller (VIC) — Chairlift back in action
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Mt Buller's Northside Express chairlift returned to MTB duty in the 2025/26 season after a seven-year gap. It runs 10am–4pm on operating days, with the Gravity Shuttle on Mondays and Fridays — and the shuttles now run on until 7pm on Fridays as a twilight session ($30 adult /
5 child). A Gravity Uplift Pass runs $82/day adult pre-purchased, covering both the chairlift and the Gravity Shuttle. The Mirimbah Shuttle runs at $30 per transfer from early December, returning riders to the village from the base of the Alpine Epic.
Copperhead, ABOM, Outlaw Express and International make up the gravity park menu. The XC spine — the 46 km Australian Alpine Epic — runs from the summit village to Mirimbah, packs in around 1,000 m of climbing along the way, and carries IMBA Epic designation, the first Australian trail to get that status. Note that the Klingsporn Bridle Track, which comes up often in conversation about Buller, is listed by the resort as a 6.7 km one-way walking trail down to Mirimbah — not part of the bike park.
Three hours from Melbourne, Buller is the most accessible lift-access alpine park on the Victorian mainland. The 2025/26 season added 10 km of new trail and a pump track at the village.
Best for: Lift laps without the Thredbo drive, XC epic days, mixed groups who want both gravity and cross-country.
Two new arrivals worth knowing about
Two parks added or significantly expanded shuttle access in 2026, and both are on a trajectory that will put them on everyone's must-ride list before long.
Warburton Bike Park (VIC) launched shuttle uplift from 4 April 2026, giving access to 650 m of vertical from the summit of Mt Tugwell. The trail network pushed past 70 km at launch and now has over 80 km open, with more trails releasing in September 2026 and the full 125 km Southern Network due for completion in 2027. Shuttles run daily during school holidays and weekends outside of peak periods, with pick-up from Warburton township and Wesburn Park Trailhead. An all-day shuttle pass is
00 in peak season, from $80 off-peak, with half-day morning and afternoon passes from $50. At roughly 1.5 hr east of Melbourne, Warburton is now the closest shuttle-accessible gravity park to the city — significantly shorter than Buller's three-hour drive. The full network isn't built yet, but 650 m of purpose-built vertical at that proximity is already a good reason to go.
Gravity Eden (NSW) operates in Nullica State Forest outside Eden on the Sapphire Coast, about 3.5 hr from Canberra and roughly halfway between Sydney and Melbourne. The 58 km+ network descends 300 m from the summit to the shores of Twofold Bay — a genuine summit-to-sea line through coastal rainforest. Three zones (Gravity, Flow, Adventure) cover different objectives: the Gravity zone runs the biggest and most technical descents, with sizable rock features and jumps; Flow and Adventure cater to the middle ground. Eden Shuttles operate any day of the week if a minimum rider number is met. The park operates under a Forestry Corporation permit with support from the Eden Mountain Bike Club, which hosted Round 2 of the NSW/ACT Gravity State Series on 4–5 July 2026.
Honourable mentions
Blue Derby (TAS) isn't primarily a shuttle park, but the Blue Tier descents are shuttle-accessed: The Blue Tier trail runs 22 km point-to-point from the summit of the Blue Tier plateau through ancient rainforest, finishing at the Weldborough Pub. Vertigo MTB and Bark Off Biking both run shuttles. Trail access is free — which makes the Blue Tier descent the best-value gravity day in Tasmania if you're not committing to a full Maydena pass.
Ourimbah MTB Park (NSW Central Coast) runs uplift sessions Friday to Sunday, less than an hour from Sydney. It won't deliver Maydena-scale descents, but for a local gravity hit it's a reliable option that doesn't require a six-hour drive.
For a wider view of Tasmanian parks including Blue Derby and Maydena, the Top 5 MTB Parks in Tasmania guide covers the full island rundown. For the national trails map, the Australia trails view covers Victoria in detail.
FAQ
Which shuttle bike park in Australia has the most vertical?
Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania — 820 m from the summit of Abbotts Peak to the base village, served by a gravity bus running from 9:30am in spring and summer (9am in autumn). Thredbo and Falls Creek each reach approximately 600 m, and Omeo up to 590 m. Warburton Bike Park launched in 2026 with 650 m from Mt Tugwell, which technically puts it between Maydena and the 600 m parks.
How much does a shuttle or uplift pass cost at Australian bike parks?
Ranges from about $30 for a single uplift at Omeo (via Blue Dirt or Gravity Dirt Co.) to
20/day at Maydena, where a $95 Summit Uplift and a
5 Mountain Pass are bought separately. Thredbo hasn't published 2026/27 MTB day-pass pricing yet; Mt Buller's Gravity Uplift Pass is $82. Falls Creek pricing varies by Blue Dirt package type — single runs, half-day, or full-day. Blue Derby's trail access is free; you pay separately for a commercial shuttle operator.
Do I need to book shuttle tickets in advance?
At most parks, yes. Maydena and Omeo both fill during school holidays and peak summer weekends. Mt Buller prices lower for advance bookings, saving roughly
0 on the gate price, and Thredbo also discounts passes bought ahead of the season. Gravity Eden runs on a minimum-rider model, so advance booking is effectively essential to guarantee a run.
When are Australian shuttle bike parks open?
Maydena runs September to late June with a winter break. Omeo's trails are rideable year-round, though the shuttle runs to a weekend-based timetable outside peak periods. The alpine parks — Thredbo, Falls Creek, Mt Buller — operate green seasons roughly November to April, closing when ski operations begin. Warburton and Gravity Eden both appear to run year-round, with shuttle schedules scaling back outside peak periods.
Can intermediate riders enjoy shuttle parks?
All of the parks listed here have accessible trails at every level. The shuttle takes you up, not into terrain you can't handle on the way down. Maydena has dedicated green flow runs. Omeo's Flomeo is a 5.5 km blue Air Flow trail. Falls Creek's Skyline, Downtown and Heavy Metal are all blue-grade builds that intermediate riders finish with big grins. The main risk isn't difficulty — it's fatigue. Shuttle parks make it easy to lap far more descents than a typical day, and tired riders make more mistakes.
Plan your trip
For Victoria's shuttle parks, booking uplift well ahead of school holidays is the single most useful piece of advice. Blue Dirt runs the shuttles at Falls Creek and Omeo, and also sells a season pass covering both. Maydena passes are through maydenabikepark.com. Thredbo summer passes are at thredbo.com.au.
A High Country road trip from Melbourne — Bright base, Falls Creek, Dinner Plain, Omeo — can fill five days without repeating a trail. Add Warburton as a warm-up day on the drive home and the whole loop closes neatly.
Tasmania is its own trip. Fly into Hobart for Maydena; fly into Launceston for Blue Derby. Between the two parks there's enough riding for a fortnight, and the Top 5 MTB Parks in Tasmania guide covers how to sequence it.
The gravity bus waits for no one.