The single vehicle smash occurred shortly before ten when the rider lost control on the winding Raglan to Elmhurst Road.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullens said a man in his 40’s struck a tree after coming off his bike and sustained significant injuries to the right side of his body. 

Paramedics were assessing the extent of his hip injury and stabilising him at the scene before the air ambulance transport him to a Melbourne hospital shortly after 11am.

Beaufort police temporarily closed the road. 

Police are also investigating a fatal crash in Macarthur, west of Warrnambool, on Saturday which claimed the life of a motorcyclist.

The man was found by a passer-by at about 3pm off Ardonachie School Road.

It is unknown exactly when the crash happened.

Investigators believe the rider was travelling east and lost control around a sweeping bend, with the bike veering off road into a culvert.

The rider is yet to be formally identified.

With a fatal car crash in Pyramid Hill, north of Bendigo, just after 5pm on Saturday the state's road toll is now 255, down from 288 last year. 

More to come.