
The road to Mount Useful, pure adventure
Australia, oceania
100 km
1,436 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, picture this: Mount Useful, rising to a cool 1,436 meters in Victoria's Gippsland region. You'll find it tucked away in the Mount Useful Natural Features and Scenic Reserve.
Heads up, the road to the top is unpaved. But trust me, it’s worth it for the views. Once you're up there by the fire and communications towers, you can see all the way to Bairnsdale and Lake King, like 100 km away!
The road's a bit of a goat track in places. It's narrow, and there are a few spots where it kicks up pretty steeply. The climb from Springs Road is only about 750 meters, with a 40-meter elevation gain. So it's not too bad, and generally open all year, though it might be temporarily closed during winter if the weather turns nasty.
Where is it?
The road to Mount Useful, pure adventure is located in Australia (oceania). Coordinates: -26.2484, 135.8166
Road Details
- Country
- Australia
- Continent
- oceania
- Length
- 100 km
- Max Elevation
- 1,436 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- -26.2484, 135.8166
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