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Bright & Upper Ovens Valley
BRIGHT
Bright by name and brilliant by nature. In autumn, Bright’s famous avenues of huge deciduous trees – oaks, elms, poplars and Japanese maples – many of which are now more than 70 years old, paint the town red, orange, gold and yellow.
Bright’s first settlers arrived after the exploration of Hume and Hovell in 1824, and the cattlemen began summer grazing their beasts in the High Country in the middle of the 19th century. The gold rush hit about the same time, with the nearby Buckland Valley producing rich finds. A new railway line was opened to Bright in 1890, and now forms part of the 98-kilometre Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail bike path.
Bright is a bustling village full of wonderful things to do and myriad places to stay. You’ll find markets, boutique shopping, a funky brewery, liquor distillery, fine dining, wineries, an art gallery and a host of festivals such as the Bright Autumn Festival, Bright Rod Run and Bright Spring Festival. There are plenty of popular outdoor activities too. You may like to try your hand at fishing, canoeing, rafting, cycling, bushwalking, 4WD adventure, tandem microlighting, hang gliding or paragliding. There are many walking tracks in and around Bright too, and you can have a dip in the Ovens River along the way. If golf’s your game, a great setting is guaranteed at the Bright Country Golf Club, which hosts significant annual tournaments.
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BUCKLAND VALLEY
Just minutes from Bright, The Buckland Valley is quickly establishing itself as an important part of any Alpine High Country itinerary. With boutique accommodation and food including the stylish Buckland Cafe, an alpaca farm, apple orchards, Chinese diggings from the gold rush days and chestnut orchards, this picturesque valley is nestled at the base of Mount Buffalo, just outside Porepunkah.
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EUROBIN
A tiny hamlet that’s in the heart of horticulture land, Eurobin features roses, berries, walnuts and chestnuts. With an old railway station site, it’s also one of the scenic stops for cyclists on the historic Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail. Eurobin is also home to the Red Stag Deer and Emu Complex, featuring majestic deer, ostrich, emus and goats.
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FREEBURGH AND SMOKO
Situated between Bright and Harrietville, these two little towns along the Great Alpine Road are home to some of the region’s most diverse horticultural products. Here you’ll find a berry and nut farm plus orchards of chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts.
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HARRIETVILLE
The last town before Mount Hotham, Harrietville is an historic goldmining town that was settled in 1852. Its history is captured in a riverside park that celebrates the local pioneers, and is a pleasant spot to picnic or stretch your legs. There are lots of great places for lunch or a leisurely afternoon tea. Take time to visit the lavender and trout farms, blueberry and tree farms, ice creamery, pubs and jam maker while you’re here. If you’re properly equipped and fit, you can take the walking tracks to Mount Hotham or Mount Feathertop, which are challenging but spectacular.
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POREPUNKAH
A small town at the junction of the Ovens and Buckland Rivers, with idyllic picnic spots along the river banks, Porepunkah is also right on the Murray to the Mountains rail trail. It is the nearest town to Mount Buffalo, and its airfield offers flights and the thrill of microlighting. Canoeing and rafting on the river is also popular as is swimming in the refreshing water hole.
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WANDILIGONG
While in Bright, take the beautiful river walk to the preserved village of Wandiligong. Once buoyed by agriculture and the gold rush, the whole of Wandiligong is now registered with the National Trust. Wandiligong is full of quaint little buildings, including miners’ cottages, the Manchester Unity Hall of 1874 and the town’s century-old
general store.
A drink at the local pub is recommended, and so is a walk through the historic Diggings where you can discover the Chinese swing bridge. And if traveling with kids, make sure you visit the Wandi Maze, Australia’s largest living hedge maze, for hours of fun and the tallest slice of cake you’ll ever see.
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