Kia Ora Parade (Ferntree Gully) climbing review

Distance: 400 metres
Average Gradient: 15%
Elevation gain: 65 metres
Traffic: Light traffic
Terrain: Residential
Road Surface: Average


Kia Ora Parade backs onto the Dandenong Ranges National Park, and is an area renown for its incredible hikes, which link up to the 1,000 steps.  This climb is short and brutal peaking at 24%.

Here is a link to the Strava segment here:

https://www.strava.com/segments/1401735

The climb starts at the intersection of the Glen & Kia Ora Parade

It is a brutal climb & you'll need to use your granny gear the whole way

The steep part of the climb finishes at the corner of Heatherly Grove (there is approximately 200 more metres of climbing up Heatherly Grove before you reach the gates for the National Park)

There are two seperate ascents you can take to get to this climb:

1.  Butlers and Kia Ora Parade:

https://www.strava.com/segments/2085799

1.2km's @ 10%

The climb starts at the intersection of Forest Road & Butlers Road

Butlers is a pretty straight 400 metres with a consistent 8% gradient

Butlers Road

 You turn left into Kia Ora Parade

Turn left into Kia Ora Parade

And the road will ramp up to 12% over the next couple of hundred metres.  There is a short descent before you hit the main climb.

2.  The Beast (The Glen & Kia Ora Parade)

https://www.strava.com/segments/1401732

900 metres @ 11%

This climb starts from the intersection of Forest Road & The Glen.  Over the first 400 metres the gradient steadily increases peaking at 13%, with an 8% average.  When you reach the corner of Kia Ora Parade you turn left and the climb almost immediately hits a 24% pinch.  This is considered the more difficult of the two climbs as there is no respite before you reach Kia Ora Parade.

Additional photos