11 minute read
HIGH COUNTRY
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
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Taste 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.
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 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
For all
seasons
Victoria’s High Country delivers breathtaking views, gourmet fare and warm village welcomes all year round, Sue Gough Henly writes
Whether you go skiing or boarding amid mystical snow gum trees, enjoy a hike near the top of Australia, pedal casually along a bucolic rail trail, challenge yourself to some of the toughest road cycling in Australia or simply explore a host of character-laden country towns, Victoria’s High Country promises clean mountain air, unforgettable scenery, and a kaleidoscope of gourmet treats.
DRIVE THE GREAT ALPINE ROAD Wind your way along Victoria’s Great Alpine Road, from Wangaratta in the northeast to Metung on the beautiful Gippsland Lakes. The 339-kilometre adventure along Australia’s highest year-round accessible sealed road takes you right up close to Victoria’s diverse landscapes. Travel through lofty mountain ranges, down plunging valleys into lush forests, and past rolling vineyards and fertile farmland to the sparkling waterways on Gippsland’s coast. The trip will take about five hours without stops, but you’ll want to pause along the way to explore historic townships, get out in the wilderness, and taste fresh local produce, craft beers and cool climate wines.
GET ACTIVE The 10-kilometre trail between Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham is a lovely way to enjoy the summer wildflowers or go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in winter (visitdinnerplain.com.au/ attractions). Go for a leisurely stroll, a day hike or a multi-day trek in the Alpine National Park (Victoria’s
largest) and Mount Buffalo National Park, or saddle up for a guided horse ride through Man from Snowy River country and see places such as Mount Stirling and Craig’s Hut from the iconic Australian film set. Enjoy a casual cycle on several converted rail trails, challenge yourself on Victoria’s 7 Peaks Ride (the toughest in Australia) or ride The Dirty Dozen, 12 iconic mountain bike trails through the Australian bush. Go rock climbing, abseiling and caving at Mount Buffalo, or try fly fishing on the upper reaches of the Murray River in the heart of one of Australia’s blue ribbon trout locales (anglingadventures.net.au).
EXPLORE QUAINT COUNTRY TOWNS Discover a host of fascinating country towns, each with its own personality. There’s Beechworth, one of Australia’s best preserved gold rush-era towns with wide streets, superb shopping, great food and wine, and fascinating gold rush and bushranger history. Bright is filled with fabulous restaurants and cafes and offers terrific access to the mountains. Then there’s Myrtleford, surrounded by rich farmland and wine country; Mount Beauty, gateway to excellent adrenaline adventures; perfectly preserved Chiltern with its many antique shops and Glenrowan with its Ned Kelly stories.
DISCOVER BEER & WINE TRAILS Taste some of Australia’s most interesting and distinctive wines. From Rutherglen’s famous fortifieds (muscat, port, topaque) and hearty red durif wines to the mineral-laden, cool-climate chardonnay grown on the hills around Beechworth, and the King Valley’s sangiovese, pinot grigio and nebbiolo wines crafted by
winemakers with a proud Italian heritage, you’ll enjoy a real sense of discovery as you explore the High Country’s diverse wine regions. If you are a beer lover, follow the High Country Brewery Trail to see how pure mountain water is transformed into some of the country’s finest craft brews. There are even a couple of cider makers who transform the local apples into another form of gold.
GO SKIING OR BOARDING Victoria’s High Country offers something to suit all tastes and styles, whether it’s a peaceful cross-country ski or downhill skiing and snowboarding. With the largest lift network in the state, three terrain parks and two toboggan parks just 3.5 hours’ drive from Melbourne, Mount Buller is the closest downhill resort (mtbuller.com.au). Pretty Falls Creek is Victoria’s largest alpine resort (fallscreek.com.au), while the highest is Mount Hotham, known as the serious skier’s mountain (mthotham.com.au). For cross-country skiitng, head to Dinner Plain, nestled among the towering snow gums (visitdinnerplain.com.au). DV
MAIN IMAGE: Exploring Mount Stirling on horseback. INSET: Craig’s Hut.
Getting there
The national parks, towns and ski slopes of Victoria’s High Country are between 2.5 and 4.5 hours’ drive from Melbourne, with access from the Hume Highway. You can also take a one-hour flight to Albury from Melbourne or Sydney, to visit various High Country destinations within one to two hours’ drive.
GREAT ALPINE ROAD Roadtripping
Open year round, Great Alpine Road encompasses the diverse landscapes of the Victorian High Country – from historic Beechworth to the King Valley and Rutherglen wine regions. Hike Mount Buffalo National Park, ski Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain, and finish up in Gippsland, renowned for its lakes, ocean beaches and national parks.
DAY 1: WANGARATTA TO BEECHWORTH Morning The starting point for this journey is Wangaratta, two-and-a-half hours north of Melbourne on the Hume Highway and best known for its history, hospitality and popular jazz and blues festival. The first day of driving is through undulating farmland and vineyards, and it’s well worth taking a few gourmet detours. Nearby Milawa is Australia’s first designated gourmet region, and home to Milawa Cheese Co, great for picnic supplies (milawacheese.com.au), taste wines at Brown Brothers (brownbrothers.com.au), or head 53 kilometres south on the Wangaratta-Whitfield Road to the cool climate King Valley to visit wineries such as Sam Miranda (sammiranda.com.au), Pizzini (pizzini.com.au), and Dal Zotto (dalzotto.com.au). For a classic Aussie farm experience take a two-hour horseback ride from Forge’s Farm to the King River, where you’ll enjoy a prosecco and Milawa cheese picnic.
Afternoon Drive 96 kilometres north to Rutherglen, the epicentre of Australia’s fortified wine industry. The region produces muscat, port, and topaque as well as hearty red table wines. In the classic country town of Rutherglen, grab an Aussie pie from Parker Pies (parkerpies.com.au), enjoy craft beer and a bite at Taste at Rutherglen (taste-at-rutherglen.com), or a glass of wine at the 1000 Pound Wine Bar (thousandpound.com.au). Drive 43 kilometres south to Beechworth, one of Australia’s best-preserved goldmining towns. Taste the craft beers at Bridge Road Brewers (bridgeroadbrewers.com.au), before a dinner of Japanese-inspired local delicacies at Provenance restaurant, located in a heritage-listed bank building (theprovenance.com.au), and spend the night at The Stone Cottage (stonecottagebeechworth.com.au).
DAY 2: BEECHWORTH TO DINNER PLAIN Morning Take a guided walking tour to learn about Beechworth’s gold rush history and the infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, who was locked in the Beechworth jail. Or just explore the town’s wide boulevards lined with Victorian shopfronts now home to fashion and homeware boutiques and gourmet restaurants. Drive 62 kilometres south through pretty Ovens Valley to Bright, which is spectacular in autumn (March-May). Rent bikes and cycle part of the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail to Porepunkah, where you can toast the magnificent view of Mount Buffalo and Mount Feathertop with a glass of wine at Ringer Reef Winery (ringerreef.com.au).
Afternoon Enjoy lunch at the retro Coral Lee café (8 Barnard Street, Bright), before detouring 50 kilometres into Mount Buffalo National Park where you can hike among snow gum trees and button grass plains, and see waterfalls and an alpine lake. Back on the Great Alpine Drive, climb through the snow gum forests of Victoria’s High Country, stopping at Danny’s Lookout at Mount Feathertop to get sweeping views over the Alpine National Park. You can tackle Mount Hotham’s downhill and cross-country ski trails in winter (June-August) or hike to historic mountain huts and mountain peaks in summer (December-February). Spend the night in the pretty alpine village of Dinner Plain.
DAY 3: DINNER PLAIN TO METUNG Morning Walk the 10-kilometre trail between Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham to enjoy the summer
BEECHWORTH
WANGARATTA
BEECHWORTH
DINNER PLAIN
METUNG
WANGARATTA
DINNER PLAIN
METUNG
wildflowers, or go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in winter (June-August). Start the gradual decline from the High Country by driving 45 kilometres to the pioneering goldmining town of Omeo, stopping at Mount Kosciuszko Lookout along the way to view Australia’s highest peak, and wander around the town to see its many 19th century buildings. Detour 30 kilometres to Anglers Rest to enjoy a two-hour horse ride with Packer’s High Country Horseriding (horsetreks.com).
Afternoon Enjoy lunch with the locals at the historic Blue Duck Inn in Anglers Rest (blueduckinn.com.au). Returning to the Great Alpine Road, head down to the small gold rush town of Swifts Creek, where the road snakes alongside the Tambo River in a narrow forested valley before weaving through farm country all the way to Metung at the gateway to the Gippsland Lakes, the largest lake system in the southern hemisphere. Hire a boat to explore this remarkable network of lakes and lagoons, keeping an eye out for birdlife and native animals along the shoreline. DV
Time: Three days
Distance: 500 kilometres
Highlights: Food and wine in Rutherglen and King Valley wine regions, High Country flora, historic townships including Beechworth, Bright and Omeo.
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