High Country | OUT OF TOWN
Riding
high
Soak up the scenery at national parks, hit the slopes or indulge in gourmet fare by the fire in Victoria’s picturesque High Country
T
aste your way around the High Country’s inviting villages and receive warm welcomes from a host of family-run gourmet restaurants and boutique wineries. In winter ski the alps, and return in the warmer months for a breathtaking array of adventure activities that will get your adrenaline pumping.
and downhill skiiing. A little closer to Melbourne is Mt Buller, while Hotham is a Victoria’s highest resort, made for serious skiiers, and Mount Buffalo and Dinner Plain are perfect for beginners. DV For more information and to plan your trip, go to victoriashighcountry.com.au
TEXT: CASSY POLIMENI AND VISITVICTORIA.COM
EAT & DRINK Kick back at Bright Brewery and enjoy stunning views, tasty craft brews and live music on Sundays (brightbrewery.com.au), or pop into Billy Button Wines Cellar Door and sample exquisite wines accompanied by cheese, bread and local olive oil (billybuttonwines.com.au), while tiny Tomahawks has killer gourmet burgers and bites to share from noon til late (tomahawksbright.com.au). The brewery, bar and pizza kitchen at Bridge Road Brewers in Beechworth is housed in a 150-year-old Coach House and Stables (bridgeroadbrewers.com.au), or treat yourself to exceptional eating and drinking with a Japanese twist at Provenance (theprovenance.com.au). Mansfield Coffee Merchant takes its coffee as seriously as its Melbourne-based cousins, with single-origin beans roasted in-house, and all-day breakfast and lunch menus to fuel your adventures (mansfieldcoffeemerchant.com.au), The Stanley Pub has you covered for comfort food, with a bistro and accommodation attached (stanleypub.com.au). SEE & DO Discover the secrets of Beechworth Gaol with a guided daytime tour conducted by a costumed prison warden, or turn up the fear factor with night tours on Saturdays (oldbeechworthgaol.com.au). Bogong Horseback Adventures offer everything from two-hour trail rides to week-long packhorse tours in the heart of the Alpine National Park. Tours are led by experienced guides with horses to suit all ability levels (bogonghorse.com.au). In winter there’s a ski resort for every kind of snow bunny. Falls Creek is Victoria’s largest and a great family destination with tobogganing, snow-biking and snow bocce on offer alongside cross-country
FROM TOP: Bright Brewery; Mount Buffalo
destinations VICTORIA | 147
