Type Highway Length 18 km | Route number(s) State Route 28 Major cities Bayswater, Wantirna | |
West end Burwood Highway
Wantirna/Wantirna South East end Mount Dandenong Tourist Road
Sassafras Via Wantirna, Bayswater, The Basin Major settlements Wantirna, Bayswater, The Basin | ||
Mountain Highway (also known as Wantirna - Sassafras Road) is an 18 km west–east highway located in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Mountain Highway starts from Burwood Highway on the border of Wantirna/Wantirna South and runs eastward through Wantirna, Bayswater and The Basin, then uphill to Sassafras.
Map of Mountain Hwy, Victoria, Australia
Between Burwood Highway and Dorset Road, the road is a fairly straight dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction and minor inclines and declines, with the section between Stud Road and Scoresby/Bayswater Road having three in each direction. From Dorset Road to Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, the road is a two-lane single carriageway, with the section of road through the Dandenong Ranges National Park (Forest Road - Mount Dandenong Tourist Road) being steep and windy and with an approximate 1 in 20 (5%) grade, which is especially popular with motorcyclists and cyclists, and is busiest on the weekends. The climb is winding, and the road narrow, so care must be taken when travelling the road..
Speed limits range from 80 km/h from Burwood Highway through to Bayswater, with the limit dropping to 60 km/h between Bayswater town centre and Sassafras. The previous 70 km/h speed limit was removed in 2014 as part of the VicRoads initiative to eliminate 70 km/h and 90 km/h zones, and the drop in speed limit is presumed to be attributable to the presence of cyclists and lack of road shoulder or bicycle lane. In The Basin, a 60 km/h limit applies through the residential area east of Forest Road and a 50 km/h limit applies within the centre of the town. The approach to Mount Dandenong Tourist Road in Sassafras is also 60 km/h.