Where to go after Mountain Highway - Dandeong?

[Machoman121]

I've just found my 2nd best road cycling route (1st is Beach Rd - of course) - Mountain Highway - Dandenongs. Duh ! u guys probably think. I love the climb and the scenery!!!

Can someone suggest a good cycling route (safe) around the Dandenongs after going up via Mountain Highway? I'll like to complete a round trip and come down via Mountain Highway if possible. But that's not necessary as long as i can still come back to The Basin where the car is parked.

[rodneycc]

Depends how long you have. You can spend about the whole day up there if you wanted to. But the quickest round trip through the Dandenongs is up the 1 in 20 at the Basin to Sassafras then left into the tourist rd through olinda and Mt Dandenong. If you are feeling fresh you can detour to the sky high observatory up ridge rd or just go straight through continuing along the tourist rd through Kalorama and back down to Montrose to Canterbury Rd along either Liverpool rd or Colchester rd ( which is safer) back to Mountain hwy and up to the Basin again. Usually takes 1hr - 1hr 15min and I'm nowhere near fit. I live nearby so its become my regular haunt recently. Im always at the bottom in strava for the 1 in 20 as a very average climber but there are some very hot times up there..

Edit: coming back along Canterbury rd down the big straight hill you can hit a little bump thats hard to see. I wind up ready to go down at 80km and that bump gets me sometimes and throws you a bit so be careful there. Ive nearly come a cropper a couple of times.

[il padrone]

You need to experience 'The Crucifix'.

[kb]

Try turning right at Sassafras along Tourist Rd, left at the Crescent and left again at the bottom up Perrins Ck road. Quiet and pretty.

Another nice loop is right at Sass, left down Sherbrooke Rd to Kallista (top is pretty rough), right at the roundabout to Belgrave (again, a bit rough but fast), right at the Belgrave roundabout up Terrys Av (beautiful but very tough/steep). When you get back to Tourist Rd you can head right back to Sassafras, do the loop again (!) or extend it slightly by heading left down Tourist Rd and then right up Churchill Dr / One Tree Hill - a lovely little climb and one of the few places I regularly see Wallabies.

I've posted this route before but it's one of my favourite crucifix variations. Good bang for buck with a little bit of rolling hills as well as straight climbs. You'll need 3 - 7 hours depending on your fitness though http://www.strava.com/routes/59781" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good resources are The Climbing Cyclist website and the Strava Dandenong Ranges club.

[rodneycc]

That's one hell of an impress ride there kb. 100km in the hills. Wow. Think I'll stick to little bits at a time...

[djw47]

Once you've experienced the hills, you'll never want to go back to the tedium of Beach Road. There are dozens of climbs in the Dandenongs ranging from the easy (Basin to Sassafras) to brutal (Terrys Avenue, Mast Gully Road) and everything in between. As others have mentioned, the Crucifix is probably the best big ride to aim for but it's a long ride and there are some steep bits in there and a lot of up so build up to it if you're not used to climbing.
From Sassafras, follow the main road left (in the direction of Olinda) and you'll pass Perrins Creek Road, Olinda Crescent, Everest Crescent, The Wall, Range Road, Ridge Road to Skyhigh, Falls Road and Inverness Road. Follow the main road to the right and you'll pass The Crescent, One Tree Hill, Belgrave-Ferny Creek Road (aka Terrys Avenue), Sherbrooke Road, Mast Gully Road, Hughes Street. Not to mention the climbs back up the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road from Upper Ferntree Gully, or at the other end from Montrose. There's also heaps of great riding around Monbulk, The Patch, Kallista and out towards Emerald, and heaps of short, steep climbs around Tecoma and Upwey that would challenge even the best climbers.

The roads in the Dandenongs are generally safe, just keep your wits about you and be considerate if you're holding up the traffic.

[rodneycc]

+1 to what the other guys have mentioned. I'd just like to add that weekends are getting busier and busier packed with cyclists and tourists. Its heaps better imo on the weekdays if you can swing it... Nice and peaceful...

[il padrone]

Saturdays are good, Sunday mornings before noon are OK.

[djw47]

If you can get up there in the evenings, the roads are generally quiet after about 6pm, so between now and daylight savings ending you can get an hour or two of riding in before it gets dark, with the bonus that when the heat really kicks in, it's generally cooler by that time. Saturday mornings seem to be the most popular time for riding, there are usually hundreds of riders going up and down the 1 in 20 on a Saturday before 9am.

[djw47]

You need to experience 'The Crucifix'.

That's the "easy" version, you need to include Inverness Road for full effect. Or even worse, top off each of the four ascents with a visit to Skyhigh, which will easily clock up over 100km.

[rodneycc]

Hey does anyone know if they charge for bikes up at Skyhigh entry in the car park. Haven't been up there in a while and remember they started charging for cars on weekends and think maybe weekdays too now as well. Last time I was up there was a while ago on a weekday and wasn't charged but just seeing if thats changed.

[BJL]

No charge for cyclists at Skyhigh. Just make sure you take it easy on the exit (loose material on the road). They can get grumpy if you ride the wrong way out the entry gate but I see plenty do it.

[Machoman121]

Great suggestions - any roads I should avoid?

[il padrone]

Main road from Belgrave to Monbulk can be a bit dicey on a weekday at school start & end times with the buses, same may apply for the Belgrave-Emerald Rd. Most of the higher Dandenongs ridge and roads to it are 'traffic city' on a Sunday esp. PM. The Monbulk to Mt Evelyn Rd through Silvan, Wellington Rd up to Clematis, and the Emerald-Beaconsfield Rd all tend to be higher speed roads with occasionally rather arrogant drivers.

[BJL]

I don't think it's a case of which roads to avoid, but more as others have suggested as being certain times to avoid. Best to go either early mornings on the weekends or during the week. Waburton Hwy is one to avoid as much as possible if you head out that way.

[antigee]

might just be me but find that the light trucks that deliver to the restaurants are frequent and very forceful at passing at inappropriate places and times irrespective of road position so if you see one coming up behind be prepared, having said that vehicle speeds are generally lower than in other areas

edit "No charge for cyclists at Skyhigh. Just make sure you take it easy on the exit (loose material on the road)." .......and a downhill approach to one of those vehicle tyre ripping sticky up spike things!

[Machoman121]

We (family) frequent the Dandenongs quite a bit and I often thought it was a hell of a dangerous place for a cyclist - narrow single lane twisty roads. Especially going up and then down Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd (Kokoda trail) - it's very steep and windy there. We often arrive later in the day - and the few cyclist's I've seen around Olinda/Sassafras I thought were either very brave or silly to ride in the Dandenongs. And now Mountain Highway was an eye opener for me! I've become one of you guys.

I agree - timing is important - as early as possible. Otherwise you run the gauntlet of tourists and sightseers going up there too. But then these same twisty roads could be life savers - drivers are more alert and stay off their phones!!!!!

[il padrone]

The roads in the Dandenongs proper are fairly narrow, winding with blind corners. These are (contrary to motorists' thoughts on this) the safer roads for cycling on. The roads that I mentioned as dangerous with faster arrogant traffic are dangerous because the more open sightlines and wider bends allow cars to thrash along at 100kmh and buzz a cyclist. Also their grades are just as steep and you find the climbs gruelling with resultant very high closing speeds.

Touring in many other parts of the country I have had locals (motorists) advise me to avoid such & such road "too dangerous to ride a bike, too narrow, I wouldn't ride along it" and invariably these are the roads we have taken and they have been a joy to ride. Down the coast much of the Great Ocean Road falls into this category. Experienced Melbourne riders will know that the Kinglake climb is the same.

[djw47]

The roads in the Dandenongs proper are fairly narrow, winding with blind corners. These are (contrary to motorists' thoughts on this) the safer roads for cycling on. The roads that I mentioned as dangerous with faster arrogant traffic are dangerous because the more open sightlines and wider bends allow cars to thrash along at 100kmh and buzz a cyclist. Also their grades are just as steep and you find the climbs gruelling with resultant very high closing speeds.

Touring in many other parts of the country I have had locals (motorists) advise me to avoid such & such road "too dangerous to ride a bike, too narrow, I wouldn't ride along it" and invariably these are the roads we have taken and they have been a joy to ride. Down the coast much of the Great Ocean Road falls into this category. Experienced Melbourne riders will know that the Kinglake climb is the same.

I completely agree on this, I've never felt in any danger in the Dandenongs from other road users and I live there so it's where I do 99% of my riding. The windy roads force drivers to slow down and wait to overtake. In fact it's not unusual for cars to go slower than bikes on some of the descents given the cautious nature of some of the drivers not used to these kinds of roads. The only roads I actively avoid are the Burwood Highway from Upper Ferntree Gully to Upwey (affectionately known locally as the mad mile), Wellington Road and the road out of Belgrave towards Hallam/Narre Warren, as each of those are fast, wide and straight so drivers go too fast on them. I also try and avoid Monbulk Road between Kallista and Monbulk as it's relatively busy and there's few places for cars to pass safely.

[djw47]

We (family) frequent the Dandenongs quite a bit and I often thought it was a hell of a dangerous place for a cyclist - narrow single lane twisty roads. Especially going up and then down Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd (Kokoda trail) - it's very steep and windy there. We often arrive later in the day - and the few cyclist's I've seen around Olinda/Sassafras I thought were either very brave or silly to ride in the Dandenongs. And now Mountain Highway was an eye opener for me! I've become one of you guys.

I agree - timing is important - as early as possible. Otherwise you run the gauntlet of tourists and sightseers going up there too. But then these same twisty roads could be life savers - drivers are more alert and stay off their phones!!!!!

At the weekend you can go out anytime of the day and the roads are fine, most cyclists seem to prefer early mornings but I've been out in the mornings, afternoons and evenings on weekends and never found the traffic to be any more dangerous at one time than another. During the week if you avoid the school/work run times the roads are fairly quiet and safe as well.

[djw47]

.......and a downhill approach to one of those vehicle tyre ripping sticky up spike things!

That appears to have been removed in the past couple of weeks, not sure if permanently or not though.

[BJL]

.......and a downhill approach to one of those vehicle tyre ripping sticky up spike things!

That appears to have been removed in the past couple of weeks, not sure if permanently or not though.

I made a complaint to BNV regarding this following an accident up there early in 2013(long story). The result is that they now keep a couple of the spikes down but from what I've seen, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't and in any case, it's far from a satisfactory solution. I rarely ride to Skyhigh anymore as a result of this. They haven't heard the last of this yet.

[Machoman121]

avoid Monbulk Road between Kallista and Monbulk as it's relatively busy and there's few places for cars to pass safely.

This is good stuff....i've already planned a route to avoid Monbulk road.....thanks.

[kb]

Kallista to Monbulk or Kallista to Belgrave are not too bad as they're largely downhill (~50kph). Going the other way, toward Kallista can be a bit unpleasant though.

[djw47]

Kallista to Monbulk or Kallista to Belgrave are not too bad as they're largely downhill (~50kph). Going the other way, toward Kallista can be a bit unpleasant though.

The best way to ride between Monbulk and Kallista (and vice versa) is to go via The Patch, the roads are quieter and there's a few different routes you can take, with some nice climbs and great views.