A Locals High Country: Falls Creek

Words: Chris Panozzo                                                                         Photos: Tim Bardsley-Smith

If only Australians celebrated mountain biking like they do surfing. I remember every news bulletin growing up would finish with the latest results from the World-Tour, here in the middle of the Aussie Alps I was painted a nightly picture of what Australian sport was if you weren’t that into footy, and that it was surfing. Sweet, surfing it was then, except for one problem, I was at least a five hour drive from my local break.

Now every kid in Australia has access to more mountain bike highlights on their phone than there are minutes in the day. Kids are telling their parents they want to go mountain biking, or maybe parents are telling their kids it’s time to go mountain biking, either way the next question is, how do I get to the Victorian High Country, and who do I know that can tell me where to ride?

Part 1 – A Locals High Country: Bright

Part 3 – Mt Beauty  

Where to Begin
When arriving during summer, make your way to the shipping container situated in the main carpark which saddles up just to left of the main road, it’s easy to find as it’s the only thing to the left of the main road bringing you into Falls from Beauty, apart from those endless views.

There are trail maps, a coffee machine, bike hire and shuttles available from this reliable pop up summer setting, with further café’s sprinkled throughout the village, the opening times vary at these cafés as locals toss a coin on whether to open or not each day, apart from QT, which runs 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch, opposite the pop up shipping container.

What to Expect
The outlook from this hydro scheme turned ski village is breathtaking. 180-degree view of the valley floor 1500m meters below brings your normal pre ride routine to a halt. When pulling up to the main carpark, a simple look out the car window immediately takes you away from your worries and leaves a sense of wonder.

Pack for the day, with all the commercial built trails in a clover leaf pattern surrounding the village, there is always a way back to your base, but you will find yourself stretching your legs as the endless vistas call you away from the village. The cool temps even during peak summer are fantastic, but don’t let that fool you, pack sunscreen, it burns hot up here.

Rocks. Yes there is a lot of them, and the trail builders haven’t helped the situation by hunting them out during construction of the trails, but there is now a good mix of trails that have less rock and more packed in ground ready for wheels to make their mark.

A Locals Loop

Track Names
Jumpstart > Lakeview > Bogong High Plains Road > Big River Fire Trail > Kelly Track > Langfords East aqueduct > Bogong High Plains Road > Turbine > Generator > Lorna’s Link > Summit Access Road > Big Fella

Loops can get long up here, so here is my pick for a half day explore and shred. This location isn’t something you might get to do often, so jump out of your comfort zone, enjoy what our alpine playground has to offer and load up on sunscreen, water and food.

Leaving from the main carpark, head out onto Jumpstart, a short climbing track heading out under the tree canopy, half way up switch onto Lakeview which rolls you down to the edge of the Rocky Valley Dam. Sorry for this next bit, but you have to ride the tarmac road out across the wall and for a couple of kilometres until you get to Watchbed Creek. Back onto the dirt from here, and away from the tree canopies. You will be out above the tree line as you climb on the Big River Fire Trail, it’s less a fire road and more like two singletracks side by side.

Next is a right onto Kelly’s Track, which quickly transitions from a 2-lane track, to a mix of single and double, this feels much more like mountain biking, and you are out along a shallow ridgeline, it’s here that you really start to get a feeling for this expansive alpine area. With a cattlemen’s hut fast approaching swing down and check it out, it’s a good spot for a snack, it even has drop dunny should the need arise. Keep traversing along Kelly’s track, keep right should the track have any junctions, as you don’t want to head left down the wrong side of the valley. The right will take you down a short descent onto Langfords East aqueduct, it’s only short but it’s a fun way to break up the pedalling that’s been happening so far.

Once you’re down onto the aqueduct, follow it as it skirts the side of the mountains, it’s going to bring you along with the water back towards the main dam we were at earlier. It’s an easy pedal, one that without too much effort gives back 10-fold with a unique sense of adventure and achievement. If you’re chasing aggressive singletrack, this first half of the ride isn’t going to suit you, the same if you’re time limited. A sense of accomplishment in alpine terrain doesn’t need to rely solely on technically feats or suffering under endless hills, it is rare you can appreciate your surroundings while riding your mountain bike, normally a quick glance away from the trail means a quick trip to the hospital. Here on this loop you can still have fun riding and take in everything around you.

After you reach Langford’s Hut and campground, it’s possible to head off on a longer loop back to Falls, but we still have some proper singletrack to cover, so for this loop, after another quick snack, its back on the tarmac for approximately 3.5k across the dam wall and into the MTB park. Back into singletrack, head up Turbine, then left into Generator for only half the trail, this is so you can take Lorna’s Link. These trails deliver you to the Summit ridgeline, follow the access road which goes to the top of the Summit. You’ve made it! It’s all downhill from here!

Big Fella was once a DH track, then a walking track, now back to a MTB track again. This trail is just like that mate who throws you the keys to his fast car, you want to jump in and stomp the go pedal, but as soon as you do you’re literally terrified stiff and want to stop immediately, only the second you pull over you want to floor it again. That’s the exact relationship you’ll find here. It’s a great way to finish the ride, and as you roll back through town to the carpark it won’t take long looking out at the view before you’re out doing all over again!