00 Gravity Pass (flat rate) on top for uplift. No peak/off-peak split on the day Gravity Pass. Uplift runs 8am–2:30pm in peak summer, 9:30am–4pm the rest of the season, dropping to Fri–Sun in winter (Jun–Aug).
The planned HVP timber harvest that would have closed ~11 km of trails including World Cup, Hero and Shred Kelly was postponed to spring 2027 on 16 June 2026. The full network is expected to be open through to at least late 2027.
Best for: Gravity riders after variety, anyone based in Bright, riders on a jump bike looking for a real training ground.
Falls Creek — flow, vertical, and the backcountry traverse
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Falls Creek sits on the Bogong High Plains at around 1,500 m. The lift-served network runs 56 km across 21 trails with 600 m of vertical, shuttled by Blue Dirt from Howman's Gap and the village. Three gravity flow trails added in 2022 — Skyline, Downtown and Heavy Metal — are the first laps every visiting rider wants. Machine-built, long, and shaped to let you carry speed through a 600 m drop.
The trump card isn't in the trail count at all: the Mystic-to-Falls Creek backcountry traverse crosses the Bogong High Plains from Bright to the resort. It's one of the most photographed alpine routes in the country. Do it in April when the high-plains grass turns golden and the route is nearly empty.
Shuttle schedule 2025/26: Fri–Sun until April 29; daily Dec 27–Jan 12; Thurs–Mon Jan 15–26; daily Apr 3–19 (closed Tuesdays in that block). The Village Bike Cafe opens 8am–5pm on shuttle days. MTB de Femme, the women's enduro festival, runs at Falls Creek each March — worth timing a trip around if the dates align.
Best for: Flow riders, the backcountry curious, groups after maximum vertical over multiple days.
Lake Mountain — free entry, one serious descent
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Lake Mountain was built as a Nordic ski venue — no chairlifts, no resort-level infrastructure. What it has is the Cascades: 30 km of descent from the 1,480 m summit all the way to Marysville, through alpine forest, listed as one of Victoria's best long descents. Entry is free. The shuttle from Peppers Hotel in Marysville is paid and runs through to roughly late April each season.
The summit has a Home Trails network: Trigger Track (1.7 km beginner flow), Lenny's Loop (2 km), Lower Granite Grind (5 km intermediate). Use them to warm up your legs before committing to the Cascades. Marysville at the bottom handles the post-ride job properly — a real town with good coffee and food, not just a ski village stuck in summer mode.
Two hours from Melbourne, doable as a day trip without alarm-clock pain. No potable water on the trail, and the summit cafe is closed in green season except on event days — pack accordingly.
Best for: Shuttle day-trippers after a single long descent, riders who don't need lift-pass budget to have a good time.
Dinner Plain — the alpine family option
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Dinner Plain sits at 1,575 m on the road between Mt Hotham and Omeo. Its nine trails covering 26 km are mostly green and blue machine-built flow — no shuttle, no fee, no chairlift. You pedal up and point down. About 90% of the network is descent, which means the climbing is short and the descending is long.
Trail names like Sir Jax Pump A Lot, Jabba-Wookie and Moby's Old Dog, New Tricks tell you the build energy. This is a progression park designed for riders building confidence on flow terrain, and the alpine setting makes even the green loops feel like a proper mountain ride. Repair stations sit at DP Hut and Scrubbers Hut mid-network.
No bike hire on-site — sort that in Bright, Myrtleford, Mt Beauty or Omeo before driving up. Dinner Plain also sits on the Great Alpine Road, so it makes a natural stop on the way to or from Omeo.
Best for: Families with kids, beginner-to-intermediate riders, anyone after a free alpine session without the gravity-park overhead.
Omeo — 114 km and a swimming hole
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The Omeo MTB Park opened 5 December 2025 — the newest network in the High Country and the most comprehensively equipped trailhead in the region. Built by Common Ground Trails on Sam Hill and Mount Mesley above Omeo township, it's a
0 million joint investment from East Gippsland Shire Council, the Victorian State Government and the Federal Government. The 114 km network spans 41+ named trails from family green loops along Livingstone Creek to the double-black
Bangarang freeride descent.
Krank Dog (9.68 km blue) is the longest trail. Flomeo (5.5 km blue) is billed as one of Australia's longest Air Flow trails. Up to 600 m of vertical is accessible via shuttle. Blue Dirt and Gravity Dirt Co. both run shuttles from Livingstone Park trailhead to Sam Hill summit — roughly 18–20 minutes drive, ~$30 for a day pass.
At 700 m elevation, Omeo sits below the snow line. That means it runs year-round — ski Hotham or Dinner Plain in the morning, lap Omeo in the afternoon. The trailhead includes free showers, a bike wash, an asphalt pump track, a gravel skills course, a community bike repair stand and a natural swimming hole in Livingstone Creek. Town is genuinely "ride-in ride-out" — every pub, café and accommodation option in Omeo is within 500 m of the trailhead.
Best for: Riders who want a fresh network without the crowds, groups combining with Dinner Plain or Hotham on the same trip, year-round riding.
Beechworth — granite, history, and the Chain Gang
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Beechworth sits at 570 m — no snow, no lift season. But it's firmly in the High Country and the trail building is among the best in Victoria. The Beechworth Chain Gang (BCG), a volunteer club founded in 2000, built the dedicated MTB park in 2015 on a granite plateau 2 km from town. The granite is the whole point: rock rolls, boulder ladders, pinch climbs, a north-shore freeride section and a double-black Dr Hong's Prune Candy DH line make this one of the most technically interesting compact networks in the state.
Sixteen trails, ~19 km — small but dense. BCG also built the Indigo Epic Trail (56 km, connecting Beechworth and Yackandandah) and the Flame Trees Trail loops nearby. Stack them and you're looking at 80+ km of riding from a town that has proper pubs, a craft brewery and 32 National Trust-listed gold-rush buildings.
A permanent toilet and event space was approved at the Alma Rd trailhead in March 2026 after 14 months of BCG planning. No water on-site — bring your own. No bike hire on-site — The Bike Hire Company operates from town. The Beechworth Granite Classic (gravel/MTB hybrid weekend) runs each April.
Best for: Technical riders, XC enthusiasts, anyone pairing trails with Bright or Wangaratta.
How to string it all together
Three itineraries that work:
The High Country Grand Tour (4–5 days): Base in Bright. Day 1 Mystic. Day 2 Falls Creek (1h15 drive). Day 3 Beechworth (1h drive, different enough to break the pattern). Day 4 Omeo via Dinner Plain on the Great Alpine Road. Optional day 5 back to Bright for a second Mystic session or the Indigo Epic if your legs have recovered.
The Alpine Lift Weekend (2 days): Drive to Mt Buller Friday evening, ride Saturday and Sunday. Chairlift and Mirimbah Shuttle both spin on weekends. Pre-purchase the gravity pass. Use Sunday afternoon's slower pace for the lower XC network.
The Long-Descent Day Trip: Lake Mountain — shuttle up from Peppers Hotel, Cascades down 30 km, coffee in Marysville, drive home. Two hours from Melbourne, done by midday. Nothing complicated.
What alpine riding needs that valley riding doesn't
Mountain weather runs 10–15°C cooler than the valley and flips without warning. A shell jacket and gloves belong in the pack even on a 28°C forecast in Melbourne. Sunscreen is more important at altitude than most riders realise.
Trail bike sweet spot for the High Country: 140–160 mm travel covers 90% of what's worth riding. Full-face is mandatory on Mt Buller's chairlift runs and strongly recommended on Mystic's gravity terrain. A full-suspension trail bike on the Australian Alpine Epic is technically optional, but nobody enjoys that much rough XC on a hardtail. Bring two tubes minimum on any remote alpine descent — Cascades and the Alpine Epic are long ways from a bike shop.
Check VicEmergency and operator social channels on hot days. Total Fire Ban declarations can close or restrict access to parks on DEECA-managed land.
Frequently asked questions
When do the Victorian High Country MTB parks open for the 2026/27 season?
Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Lake Mountain typically open late November. The 2026/27 dates aren't confirmed yet — they finalise in October based on staffing and snowpack clearance. Mystic, Beechworth and Omeo run year-round. Dinner Plain operates a green season from roughly October to May.
Is the Mt Buller chairlift running for MTB in 2026/27?
The Northside Express returned to MTB service in 2025/26 after a seven-year break and is expected to continue in 2026/27. Exact dates and operating schedules go live on mtbuller.com.au from October 2026. Book gravity passes in advance for peak summer dates.
What are the best Victorian High Country MTB trails for beginners?
Dinner Plain is the clearest pick: free, alpine, flow terrain, mostly green and blue, pedal-access only — nothing to navigate except where to point downhill. Mystic in Bright has green and blue options with bike hire on-site. Omeo's Livingstone Creek green loops are purpose-built for families and newer riders stepping up from local paths.
Is Mystic Bike Park open in winter?
Yes, year-round. Uplift drops to Fri–Sun in winter (Jun–Aug) and the park closes on Total Fire Ban days. Annual Mountain Pass holders can ride any time the park is open — check the live calendar at elevationmystic.com.
How does Omeo compare to Mystic or Falls Creek?
Omeo is newer (opened Dec 2025), bigger (114 km vs Mystic's ~45 km or Falls Creek's 56 km), and at a lower elevation so it rides year-round without alpine closure. The riding style is different — less lift-park intensity, more big trail-day energy. If you want 600 m of gravity laps, Falls Creek or Buller. If you want to explore 40+ trails over three days in a quiet town, Omeo.
Can you do the Mystic-to-Falls Creek backcountry traverse without a guide?
Most experienced riders do it independently — the route crosses the Bogong High Plains on a marked trail and is well-documented on Trailforks. Plan for a full day (the traverse is 70+ km with significant climbing before the Falls Creek descent). Go in April when conditions are stable; summer afternoon thunderstorms on the plateau are not where you want to be on a ridge.
Browse every network across the state on the Victoria trail map, or explore the full Victoria parks page. The alpine bike parks guide goes deeper on the lift-served resorts if you're narrowing the search to chairlift-accessible terrain.