Drysdale Road MTB
Overview
Drysdale Road MTB is the Stockyards trailhead of the You Yangs Mountain Bike Park, the gravity-leaning northern half of the You Yangs Regional Park network. Set in a natural granite amphitheatre below the You Yangs' tors and quarry walls, it concentrates the harder cross-country and downhill riding into roughly 14 numbered tracks with heavy rock features — natural rock ramps, slabs, gardens and rollovers, plus three purpose-built downhill descents. The wider You Yangs MTB network (Stockyards + Kurrajong Plantation) totals 50+ km of purpose-built singletrack, all volunteer-built and maintained by You Yangs MTB Inc. in partnership with Parks Victoria and the Geelong Mountain Bike Club.
What makes Stockyards distinct from most Victorian XC parks is the rock. The granite was emplaced in the Devonian (~365 Ma) and sits as exposed slabs and tors above the Werribee Plain, so trails ride more like a coastal rock garden than the loamy forest singletrack riders see at Lysterfield or Forrest. The same Drysdale Road carpark is the staging point for the club's monthly shuttle days (track 13, "Cressy Descent", drops back into the carpark) — those are the days when the area gets ridden as a gravity park rather than as XC.
Free park entry; the club runs paid shuttle days approximately monthly. The park sits on Wadawurrung Country.
Location & Access
- Address: Drysdale Road, Little River, VIC 3211 (Stockyards / Drysdale Road carpark — northern end of You Yangs Regional Park)
- Region (proposed): Geelong / Greater Melbourne West (current "Geelong / Werribee" is fine but inconsistent with the two duplicate rows — see duplication note below)
- Drive times: ~55 km (45 min) from Melbourne CBD via Princes Fwy / Little River exit; ~30 km (25 min) from Geelong; ~25 min from Werribee
- Public transport: Little River station (V/Line Geelong line) is ~7 km away; no scheduled bus to the carpark. Practically car-only.
- Parking: Sealed Drysdale Road carpark (Parks Vic). Capacity expanded as part of the 2025–26 upgrade. No fee.
- Coords (DB): -37.92576, 144.44258 — sits at the Drysdale Road carpark / Stockyards trailhead. Verified against Google Maps.
Best Season & Conditions
- Peak riding season: Autumn–early spring (May–Sep). Parks Vic and Trail Voyage both flag autumn/winter as ideal — firmer soil, cooler temps for the exposed granite slopes.
- Wet-weather impact: Trails can become muddy and slippery; some trails may close briefly for erosion repair. The volunteer crew posts closures on the YYMBI Facebook page rather than the website.
- Fire-danger / TFB impact: Sits on a fire-prone granite hill in dry country. Park can close on Code Red / Catastrophic fire-danger days under Parks Victoria policy; check Parks Vic alerts.
- Snow / alpine season: N/A (sea-level granite; never snows).
- School-holiday surge: Summer weekends busy; arrive early. Shuttle days fill up fast — book via the club site form.
Managing Body & Trail Builders
- Land manager: Parks Victoria
- Trail builder / maintainer: You Yangs MTB Inc. (volunteer, not-for-profit) in partnership with Geelong Mountain Bike Club
- Volunteer / dig days: Listed via volunteersignup.org and the club's Facebook page; contact youyangsmtbinc@yahoo.com.au
- Donations / membership: Membership / donations via youyangsmtbinc.com.au; AusCycling licence required to ride event/shuttle days
History & Background
- Geological / cultural: The You Yangs are Devonian granite tors (~365 Ma) on Wadawurrung Country, rising above the Werribee Plain. Name derives from "Wurdi Youang" / "Ude Youang" — "big mountain in the middle of a plain". Matthew Flinders climbed and named "Station Peak" (later Flinders Peak) in 1802.
- Quarry: Stockyards trails wind around a historic granite quarry — visible rock walls and rubble are integral to the trail character.
- Club: You Yangs MTB Inc. is a 100% volunteer-powered not-for-profit; trail building at the modern Stockyards network commenced in the mid-2000s, with the club formally established to support trail building/maintenance and run events. Receives no government funding — operates on volunteers, donations, and membership.
- Cultural site nearby: Bunjil Geoglyph (Andrew Rogers, 2006) — 100 m wingspan, 1500 t of rock — is in the wider You Yangs Regional Park.
- Race heritage: Cressy Descent has hosted DH races; the All-Mountain Gravity Enduro ran here in earlier years.
Recent News & Updates (last 12 months)