Explore the charming villages and scenic views of the Victorian High Country, perfect for RV camping.
Bogong Horseback Adventures
A Relaxing Getaway to Victoria’s High Country
Victoria’s High Country is all pretty mountains and pristine views, but it’s the quaint villages that steal hearts.
Crisp air, golden leaves, fabulous food and heart-lifting mountain scenes – Victoria’s High Country is my mental screensaver when I need time out.
And, just over three hours from Melbourne, it’s not simply a beautiful daydream … but close enough for me to be a repeat offender in the region. This time I’m with my tween daughter, driving an Ultima two-berth motorhome rented through Maui. Picking it up in Melbourne’s western suburbs, it’s a short hop onto the M80 and up the Hume Highway (M31).
It’s 320 kilometres from Melbourne to Wodonga on the Victorian border, where we’ll turn right into the High Country. But the Hume is ho-hum, and I love Victoria’s villages – so we skip on and off the highway for the slow roads and townships on its sides, choosing a route via Myrtleford and the Snow Road (C522).
Exploring the Charming High Country Villages
Benalla is a favourite town for its enormous murals, which culminate in a street art festival every March-April featuring some of Australia’s top artists. At Fowles Wines, 90 minutes from Melbourne on the highway at Avenel, we stretch our legs and grab coffee and hot chocolate to enjoy beneath its big umbrellas. Even if you’re not wine tasting, stop to shop up the local cheeses and condiments that will spruce up even the most lacklustre picnic. And because I can’t resist a history hit, we pull in an hour later at Glenrowan – where bushranger Ned Kelly’s story is told in a visitor centre modelled on his home-made helmet, worn at the infamous last stand, here in 1880.
From Glenrowan, it’s just five kilometres until you turn right onto the C522 – dubbed ‘the Snow Road as it leads to the snow playfields of Mt Buffalo, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek. If, like us, you’re playing ‘I Spy’, you’ll start seeing the peaks of the Victorian High Country to your left. That’s ‘m’ for mountain and, occasionally, ‘s’ for snow.
Bike riding along the Bright Rail Trail
High Country’s Alpine National Park and Horseback Rides
At Ebden’s Discovery Parks caravan park, we find a site right on the edge of Lake Hume, which is great for summer water sports, and take a morning drive to Tallangatta, whose mid-century main street is chock-full of bakeries, cafes and curio shops. Fans of 1950s architecture will love this welcoming little town, and we find a picnic spot with lake views where we open the doors for a cuppa and sandwiches while watching the birdlife.
Our next stop is the Alpine National Park – but to enter, we have to change transport. It’s less than an hour’s drive south to the village of Tawonga, where the family-run Spring Spur has been leading horseback rides into the High Country for decades. While they run week- long pack rides deep into the mountains, our two-hour trail ride is a great start (especially with kids or occasional riders). After several nights of heavy rain, there are giant, muddy puddles everywhere … and we all squeal as our steady steeds wade through the water, our feet pulled up to keep dry.
From Tawonga, it’s 48 kilometres of winding roads to Harrietville. It’s a slow, careful drive, made longer as we pull over to admire the forest-clad mountainsides falling from the road’s shoulders.
Outdoor Adventures and Cycling Trails in the High Country
Set on the banks of the snow-fed Ovens River, little Harrietville is 23 kilometres from busy Bright on the way to Mt Hotham, on the Great Alpine Road. It’s our next base and also the end of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, which runs all the way back to Wangaratta on the Hume Highway.
We’re not carrying bikes, so at Bright we hire two hybrid bikes to cycle the 27-kilometre cycle path along the Ovens River from Bright to Harrietville – rewarding ourselves with lunch and live music in the Harrietville Hotel’s beer garden before an easy downhill run back to the bike shop.
From Harrietville, keen walkers can hike to Mt Feathertop; but the village is also laced with shorter walks, and we follow the river … eyes open for eagles, kangaroos and even deer.
While winter gets all the glory in the High Country, spring and autumn are the ideal times to explore. The region’s filled with great campsites, mountain walks and cycling rail trails, and it’s easy to justify a weekend getaway or a longer stay. Safe to say I’ll continue to be a repeat offender.
Cycling through High Country. Credit Ride High Country
Practical Tips for Visiting Victoria’s High Country
● Mobile phone coverage is spotty and often non-existent in north-eastern Victoria, especially if you’re not on the Telstra network; plan accordingly with offline maps.
● For more travel planning tips, visit victoriashighcountry.com.au.
Journey Planner: Where to Stay in Victoria’s High Country
Find holiday parks catering for RVs right across Victoria’s High Country with ease using the CMCA Traveller App. Locations range from Ebden on Lake Hume, Harrietville on the Ovens River for mountain views to well-equipped parks in the busy towns of Bright and Rutherglen.
