The great thing about airports and the towns or cities that they serve is that they are rarely, if ever, in the middle of town: and so it is with Mount Gambier Airport. But its actually more significant than that, because stage 374 finishes just short of the airport but still claims its name as it’s the nearest big feature. In actual fact, you won’t hit Mount Gambier itself until stage 375.
The rollout from the north end of Penola runs straight and downhill for a mile before snaking left/right/left through the town to two miles on its southern perimeter. The Riddoch Highway continues on its meandering way as it begins a gentle five mile climb from the Greenrise Lake Campsite. The climb tops out close to the Penola Golf Course on the other side of the highway from the Nangwarry Forest Reserve at seven miles. Although it’s close to the elevation at the start of the stage, it falls a few feet short because this is generally a downhill stage.
The initial descent off the top of the climb is nine miles long, running to the east/west junctions of Lowan Lane and Pow Lane at sixteen miles: prominent landmarks on the gentle descent are the Muddy Flat Forest Reserve at ten miles, and the township of Nangwarry at thirteen miles. That’s followed by a much shorter, sharper descent to seventeen miles before the Riddoch Highway climbs equally sharply and lumpily to twenty miles, passing through Tarpena along the way.
There’s just enough time left on the stage for one more descent to twenty one miles before a two mile climb kicks in, past the Telford Scrub Conservation Area just short of finish line on the approach to the airport.
Distance: 24 miles / 38 kilometres
Ascent: 522 feet / 159 metres
RGT Magic Road: AlQm43Z11qQ9
Max elevation: 336 ft
Min elevation: -56 ft
Total climbing: 522 ft
Total descent: -749 ft
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