This stage might give you hope that the climbing is over (for now) and that you’re perhaps about to start the long descent down to Port Augusta. However without checking the coming stages, I somehow doubt it because it won’t be until the end of stage 346 at Kyancutta where the road splits north east to Port Augusta and south to Coffin Bay that the elevation profile will become clearer.
In terms of elevation, the stage resembles a squashed normal distribution curve: it’s lumpy and uphill for the first eleven miles, then lumpy and downhill for the remaining eleven miles. There’s not a lot to say about the first eight miles except that the road provides a straight, lumpy climb to Eyre Park where the Eyre Highway meanders gently right then left to Minnipa at ten miles, after which a more pronounced right hander swings the road south briefly to Yarrowie Downs at fourteen miles followed by Poldinna at sixteen miles.
At Poldinna, the highway re-establishes a south easterly trajectory for the remaining six miles: the road is straight, descending the whole way except for a short and rapid down/up at Yaninee at nineteen miles: once that climb’s out of the way, it’s all downhill to the finish just north east of Lake Yaninee.
Distance: 22 miles / 35 kilometres
Ascent: 295 feet / 90 metres
RGT Magic Road: MvCrtlsuKWYJ
Max elevation: 647 ft
Min elevation: 425 ft
Total climbing: 294 ft
Total descent: -399 ft
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