RIVER + LEAVES
Bright & High Country
The Ovens Valley, Victoria
- Rail trails
- Bushwalks
- Swimming
- Mountain biking
- Water play
- Snow play & tobogganing
- Country & Rivers
Bright runs at bike pace: the sealed rail trail rolls flat out of the old station, the creek-side path runs down the valley to Wandiligong, and the free splash park and river pool sit on the Ovens in the middle of town. Autumn turns the whole valley red and gold, summer is swimming season, and in winter the town is the log-fire base for Hotham and Falls Creek.
Suited to
- Ages
- All ages
- Stay
- 3–5 nights
Getting there
Good to know
- Festival and peak-colour weeks book out months ahead
- The same colour peaks the week before the festival, quieter and cheaper
- The rail trail is sealed and pram-flat, bike hire is in town
- Food and supplies: Cafes, bakeries and a supermarket in town; the valley drives fill with produce stops and nut farms.
Stays
Bright, on the river
In town the splash park, river pool and the rail trail head are all walkable, so the car stays parked. First to book out in autumn.
Up on Mt Buffalo
Lake Catani's 47 campsites among the snow gums, booked through Parks Victoria; free in winter, but then only by ski, snowshoe or on foot.
Summer to winter only
Porepunkah
Six kilometres down the valley on the rail trail, with a pub, cafe and store: quieter than town, still a flat ride in, and the Buffalo turn-off.
Harrietville
The last town under Mount Feathertop and Hotham, so the snow-day drive is short and the alpine walks start close.