MOUNTAINS, rolling hills, valleys, vineyards and sparkling waterways – there’s no wonder The Great Alpine Road is one of Australia’s classic touring routes.
Starting at Wangaratta near the Murray River, the 339km route stretches south-east through the high country via the Australian Alps before reaching the coast at the lovely Gippsland Lakes.
And with the state’s snow season having officially finished at the end of September, spring is the perfect time to hop in the car and explore the region.
You can start (or finish) the Great Alpine Road in Wangaratta, 67km south-west of Albury-Wodonga. (Don’t forget that in November the town hosts its annual jazz festival.)
This northern leg of the route is characterised by spectacular scenery and crisp mountain air. If you’re a food and wine lover, call in at the Brown Brothers Winery in Milawa or sample the offerings at Milawa Cheese Factory.
A good detour is to Beechworth, Victoria’s best-preserved gold rush town. Here you can explore the historic buildings including the courthouse where Ned Kelly was committed for trial in Melbourne. In November there’s also the annual Beechworth Celtic Festival.
Back on the Great Alpine Road, travel on to Mount Buffalo National Park with its unique rock formations and good walking tracks. At Porepunkah you can turn off to the top of Mount Buffalo Gorge for fine views of the high country and the alps.
This leg ends at the picturesque town of Bright on the Ovens River. This is the start of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail hiking and cycling path and a good base for exploring the peaks of MountBuffaloNational Park and Alpine National Park.
From Bright the road snakes through the valley via the alpine ski resort of MountHotham (look out for the fields of spring wildflowers) to the historic Gippsland gold town of Omeo.
From Omeo, you can take a short side trip to Benambra, a small farming township settled on the Omeo High Plains and on the edge of the only-sometimes-full Lake Omeo. Benambra is the gateway to the wilderness and Alpine National Park and is popular with fishers and campers.
Soon after Harrietville the road begins to climb into the alps with spectacular views of the valley below.
From Omeo, site of one of the state’s richest goldfields, it’s about two hours to Metung in East Gippsland, a good base for exploring the GippslandLakes. Bust-ling Bairnsdale is along the way.
The lakes are a network of waterways, marshes and lagoons covering more than 600sq km. Famed for their evening bioluminescence caused by the growth of algae, the lakes are separated from the ocean by coastal dunes known as Ninety Mile Beach.
Lakes Entrance, on the edge of Ninety Mile Beach where the lakes meet the ocean, is a popular holiday spot.
www.visitvictoria.com and search for The Great Alpine Road.