Oxley Highway — Wauchope to Walcha RidgeRun.
Distance
165 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
1,700 m
Oxley Highway — Wauchope to Walcha Ridge Run.
The Oxley Highway from Wauchope to Walcha is widely regarded as Australia's finest single-day motorcycle road — 163km of relentless corners climbing 1,000m from subtropical coastal rainforest at the Hastings River to the Northern Tablelands plateau. The Cottan-Bimbang National Park section has hundreds of cambered corners through dense forest. World MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner trained here. Police enforce strictly — ride within yourself.
Quick facts
SurfacePaved
Distance165 km
Days1
Total climb1,700 m
DifficultyModerate
Loading map...
The route.
WauchopeStart · Start in Wauchope on the Hastings River, 19km west of Port Macquarie. Last reliable fuel before the climb. Coffee at the Hastings Co-op. Oxley Highway heads west on the south bank.
Long Flat PubRestaurant · The Long Flat Pub is the legendary biker rendezvous on the Oxley. Coffee, hot breakfast, and the Wall of Wheels gallery of crashed bikes — a sober reminder before the corners begin.
Cottan-Bimbang Rainforest ClimbScenic Point · The serious climb begins — hundreds of cambered corners through Cottan-Bimbang National Park subtropical rainforest. Dense canopy can block GPS. Read the road, not the map.
Oxley Tops PlateauMountain Pass · Top of the climb above 1,000m. The forest opens to Northern Tablelands grass country. Cool air at altitude — pack a layer even on warm coastal mornings.
Apsley FallsScenic Point · Apsley Falls — an 85m two-stage waterfall in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, 20km east of Walcha. Picnic platform with gorge views. Excellent quick stop.
WalchaEnd · End in Walcha at the Thunderbolts Way junction. The town's open-air sculpture gallery (41 sculptures, 30 carved verandah posts) is unmissable. Pub dinner at the Apsley Hotel.
More routes in AU NSW
Jenolan Caves & Oberon Loop — LithgowAU NSW · 130 kmThe Alpine Way — Khancoban to Jindabyne via ThredboAU NSW · 121 kmMount Panorama & the Gold Country — Bathurst LoopAU NSW · 175 kmBarrington Tops Forest Road — Gloucester to SconeAU NSW · 210 kmBrown Mountain & the Snowy Mountains Highway — Bega to CoomaAU NSW · 120 kmGrand Pacific Drive — Bald Hill to Kiama via Sea Cliff BridgeAU NSW · 85 km
Save this ride. Open the app.
Clone it to your planner, customize dates and stops, then ride. All free.
Open in MotoVault
Navigate this route with GPS