Bright & Surrounds
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BRIGHT • MYRTLEFORD • MOUNT BEAUTY • HARRIETVILLE BRIGHT & SURROUNDS A LIFE LIVED OUTSIDE BRIGHT • MYRTLEFORD • MOUNT BEAUTY • HARRIETVILLE visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au INDEX WELCOME A LIFE LIVED OUTSIDE Welcome to Bright & Surrounds, an area of outstanding natural beauty, IN A NUTSHELL 04 of mountains and rivers, lush fertile valleys and picturesque historic GETTING HERE 06 towns. Four distinct seasons make this region a great place to visit ACCOMMODATION 07 all year round. Here lies the stuff of indelible holiday memories. BEFORE NOW 08 • DISCOVER BRIGHT 10 and POREPUNKAH, WANDILIGONG, THE BUCKLAND VALLEY & MOUNT BUFFALO • DISCOVER MYRTLEFORD 12 and GAPSTED, OVENS, HAPPY VALLEY & EUROBIN • DISCOVER MOUNT BEAUTY 14 and FALLS CREEK, DEDERANG, BOGONG VILLAGE, TAWONGA & TAWONGA SOUTH • DISCOVER HARRIETVILLE 16 and SMOKO & FREEBURGH • DINNER PLAIN 18 SNOW BUSINESS 19 ACTIVITIES 20 ALPINE NATIONAL PARK 22 MOUNT BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK 24 TRACKS AND TRAILS 26 LAKES, RIVERS AND WATERFALLS 27 A CYCLING MECCA 28 TAKE A TOUR 30 FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD 32 THIRSTY WORK 34 RETAIL THERAPY 35 EVENTS CALENDAR 36 FAMILY FUN 38 LOCAL MARKETS 40 visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au I 01 REGIONAL MAP SA NSW Sydney Adelaide Canberra ACT VIC Bright Melbourne Bright & Surrounds Visitor Guide I 02 visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au I 03 IN A NUTSHELL THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY BRIGHT, MYRTLEFORD, MOUNT BRIGHT & BEAUTY AND HARRIETVILLE HAVE BEEN FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS SURROUNDS FOR GENERATIONS OF HOLIDAYMAKERS. HERE ARE JUST A FEW … SEE & REALLY GREAT PICTURE PERFECT AUTUMN COLOUR & DO OUTDOORS VALLEYS COOL PLACES TO LAZE Dotted along the Ovens Fertile river flats and the Gracious avenues of poplars, and Kiewa Rivers the four distinct seasons make maples, silver birches, pin BEAUTIFUL CASCADES towns are nestled at the these among the most oaks, golden and claret ashes Fainter Falls very foot of the Mount agriculturally rich areas of and liquid amber, many Falls Creek Falls Australia where prime beef Buffalo and Alpine National planted early last century, Eurobin Falls, Mount Buffalo Parks. Snow-covered in and dairy cattle are raised, cloak the towns and villages Carmichael Falls, Dinner Plain winter creating a haven for fine wines produced and of the area in stunning downhill and cross-country there is an abundance of autumn colours. In summer, Ice Flower Falls, Hotham skiers, snowboarders and fresh food, much available these same trees offer TOP FISHING tobogganers, Mount Buffalo, at farm gates and markets welcome shade and a fine Kiewa River including local walnuts, Mount Hotham, Mount place to lie down and catch Buckland River Bogong, Mount Feathertop chestnuts and hazelnuts, up on some long-overdue Mount Beauty Pondage and Falls Creek are also berries, olives, apples and all reading. fantastic warm season kinds of seasonal veggies. Ovens River escapes. They offer excellent FESTIVAL FUN Lake Buffalo camping areas, lakes and FAB FOOD, FINE WINE A packed year-round AND GREAT BEER GET AIRBORNE waterfalls, bushwalking calendar of festivals and Paragliding over Bright Excellent restaurants and trails, horse-riding, mountain events celebrates all Microflights over Porepunkah biking and even paragliding cafés serve local seasonal things cultural, sporting, Gliding Mount Beauty adventures for thrill produce and offer cosy gastronomic and everything seekers. A photographer’s winter fires and shady in between. GREAT LAKES paradise, the mountains courtyards in summer. Many Lake Buffalo, Myrtleford offer spectacular sunset boutique wineries producing GREAT TOURING Lake Guy, Bogong Village an array of cool climate reds vistas, beautiful wildflower By motorbike, cycle or Rocky Valley Lake, Falls displays and the chance to and whites also offer top car, this area offers some Creek, see Australia’s native birds nosh and lovely views from of Australia’s best on and Lake Catani, Mount Buffalo, and animals in their natural their cellar door cafés and off-road touring including environment. restaurants. Locally grown the Great Alpine Road and Mount Beauty Pondage hops also flavour the area’s the Bogong Alpine Way TEE OFF award-winning artisan beer. touring loop. State forests Enjoy scenic 18 hole golf throughout the area also SUPER CYCLING courses at: offer a myriad of seasonal The area is famous as one of 4WD trails for off-road Mount Beauty Australia’s premier cycling enthusiasts. Myrtleford hubs with the Murray to Bright Mountains Rail Trail the HISTORY TO EXPLORE jewel in the crown. The A fascinating history shaped surrounding peaks offer by pioneering pastoralists, plenty of challenges for fortune-seeking gold miners serious riding enthusiasts and post-war migration. and there is continuous development of trails in the For more information visit mountain bike parks. visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au Bright & Surrounds Visitor Guide I 04 visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au I 05 GETTING HERE FOUR DISTINCT SEASONS MAKE BRIGHT AND SURROUNDS A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT ALL YEAR ROUND. BY ROAD BUSES BY AIR Bright is a 3½-hour drive V/Line runs daily bus Albury airport is about 1¼ from Melbourne via the services to Myrtleford, Bright hours from Mount Beauty M31 Hume Freeway and & Mount Beauty. and about 1½ hours from the Snow Road C522 near vline.com.au Bright. Qantas, REX Regional Glenrowan or the B500 Alps Bus Link offers services Express and Virgin operate (Great Alpine Road) turnoff from Bright to Omeo via several flights each day near Wangaratta. Along the Harrietville, Mount Hotham from Melbourne and Sydney. way, enjoy the panoramic and Dinner Plain. Check airline websites for up views of Mount Buffalo to date flight information to omeobus.com.au towering over the Ovens and from Albury. Cars can be Valley. Myrtleford is about hired at the airport. During 25 minutes from the turnoff TRAINS the snow season Qantas and Bright about 45 minutes. Trains run daily from offers direct Sydney-Hotham ACCOMMODATION Harrietville is a further 20 Melbourne and Sydney via flights and transfers to the minute-drive beyond Bright Wangaratta, an hour’s drive resort. Something on offer for everyone, Bright and Surrounds has a huge selection of from Bright. on the Great Alpine Road. Visit mthotham.com.au accommodation. Cottages, villas, units and holiday homes are designed to suit couples, friends vline.com.au Mount Beauty is about an for more information. or the whole family. There are secluded retreats for romantic getaways, hotels, motels and hour from Myrtleford via beautiful bed and breakfasts. From modern to eco, quirky to cosy, you will find something to the Great Alpine Road and suit. If camping is more your style there are 20 holiday parks to choose from, with camping Happy Valley Road to the sites right on the river, powered sites with views or some sweet cabins. Kiewa Valley Highway. Browse an extensive list of accommodation options at visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au Bright & Surrounds Visitor Guide I 06 visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au I 07 BEFORE NOW HISTORY BEFORE EUROPEAN SETTLERS CAME TO THE REGION IN THE LATE 1820S, THE FIRST AUSTRALIANS HAD FOR MILLENNIA VISITED THE BUFFS’ HIGH COUNTRY DURING THE WARMER MONTHS FOLLOWING THE RIDGELINES FROM THE VALLEYS BELOW. MUST DO The arrival of explorers Hume and Hovell in 1824, and subsequent widespread land clearing of the valleys by the pastoralists who followed, was catastrophic for the original inhabitants whose displacement brought an end to cultural traditions dating back thousands of years. • Explore the Reform Hill gold The High Plains once frequented by traditional owners proved a boon for cattlemen who mining trail at Myrtleford found plentiful summer grazing for their stock. Huts were built for shelter and storage during • Visit historic Buckland mustering and today many remain, offering emergency shelter from the elements for hikers. Valley cemetery and Chinese monument • See Gold Era buildings and visit The Diggings and Chinese Swing Bridge at Wandiligong • Pan for gold in the Ovens River at Harrietville • See water races carved by gold miners on Bright’s Canyon Walk and the five- headed stamp battery on Morse’s Creek • Visit Wallace Hut near Falls Creek, Victoria’s oldest cattlemen’s shelter • Walk the historic Cobungra Ditch trail near Dinner Plain • Visit the Harrietville Tronoh Dredge Hole, final resting place of the Tronoh Dredge, which was one of the largest electric powered mechanical dredges • Talk with local experts to discover more, visit local GOLDEN VALLEYS museums for interesting In the early 1850s rich alluvial gold deposits were discovered in the Buckland Valley bringing artefacts and information: thousands of gold seekers from around the world. By the mid-1850s it was home to several Bright Museum thousand Chinese miners who became the focus of a violent attack in an incident known as Harrietville Museum the Buckland Riot in July 1857, leading to their expulsion from the area. Kiewa Valley Museum Myrtleford then was a remote cattle run known as Myrtle Creek Run, with diggers crossing - Mount Beauty Myrtle Creek on their way to the goldfields. Discoveries were made along the Ovens River to Harrietville and from Morses Creek (re-named Bright after the 19th century political and social Old School Museum reformer, John Bright, in 1862) to Wandiligong (originally known as Growlers Creek). Reef - Myrtleford mining came next, Harrietville was the home of one of the world’s largest electric powered mechanical dredges. Bright & Surrounds Visitor Guide I 08 visitbrightandsurrounds.com.au I 09 BRIGHT MUST DO DISCOVER BRIGHT • See the