BRIGHT, HARRIETVILLE, POREPUNKAH, WANDILIGONG
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Bright, Harrietville, Porepunkah and Wandiligong have a rich gold mining history dating back to the 1850’s and relics of these days can still be found throughout the area, along with many historic buildings that create a characterful streetscape.
Like most towns in the High Country, those of the Upper Ovens Valley have four distinct seasons, with Autumn being the season they are most famous for. Visitors are attracted year round, to enjoy these picturesque towns below alpine peaks and the variety of festivals, events and outdoor activities on offer.
Visitors and locals, are spoilt for choice when it comes to the area’s eateries, from cafes, bakeries and country pubs, to quality restaurants. A variety of regional produce can be found in local stores and at nearby Farm Gates.
Around a 4 hour drive North East of Melbourne and 5 hours from Canberra, these towns are accessed via the Great Alpine Road, one of the most popular High Country touring routes and offer easy access to the alpine resorts of Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and Mt Buffalo National Park. Bright, Harrietville, Porepunkah and Wandiligong offer a range of accommodation with many featuring views of the surrounding mountains.
These towns are a popular base for road cycling and mountain biking, from the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail and its extension, the Great Valley Trail (Bright – Harrietville) to the Mystic Mountain Bike Park with over 45kms of trails to suit all abilities. There are a huge variety of walks to enjoy across the district, from short town strolls to alpine hikes. An extensive guide book covering all the walks in detail around these towns and also including Myrtleford, Mt Beauty and the nearby alps is available here
The Great Valley Trail is an extension to the Murray To Mountains Rail Trail and adds a further 27km of sealed, family-friendly cycling path, connecting Bright with Harrietville. The trail follows and crosses the Ovens River through forests and the edge of farmland and at times affords spectacular views of Mt Feathertop and the surrounding alps. With less than 200 metres altitude gain between Bright and Harrietville, it’s also only gradually uphill, in parts, so you won’t really notice it over 27km!
Bright, named after British politician John Bright, was originally known as Morses Creek, which flows through Wandiligong and into the Ovens River at Bright, is the central and largest of these towns. Although still a small village with just over 2000 residents, it has a large range of accommodation options, boutique retail stores, supermarkets and many services. During the warmer months, the gold mining themed Bright Splash Park caters for everyone from toddlers to grown-ups and along with the Rotary Club Water Slide, both are family favourites. Each of these towns have shady riverside parks providing an ideal setting for lazy Summer days. Bright and Porepunkah both have natural river swimming pools created during Summer and Porepunkah also has a paddling pool for toddlers.
Harrietville sits at the top of the Ovens Valley, where the Great Alpine Road starts to climb up to Mt Hotham. Back in 1883, the Bright to Omeo horse drawn coach service commenced and a pub called The Star Hotel was one of the stops. One of the many reasons visitors come to Harrietville is for climbing Mt Feathertop, the 2nd highest peak in Victoria, at 1922m and known as the only true alpine peak on mainland Australia. The Bungalow Spur is the main route up the mountain from Harrietville. Hikers often choose to camp at Federation Hut, under an hour from the summit, while some choose to return to Harrietville on the same day.
The town also has a fascinating gold history, including the Rose, Thistle and Shamrock Mine which operated between 1860 and 1934 yielding about 2.5 tonnes of gold. These days, historic relics including machinery and batteries can be found around Harrietville’s surrounding hills. The Tronoh Dredge operated for a short period, from 1942, closing for World War 2 and reopened in 1946 until closing in 1954, yielding over 1.5 tonnes of gold. It was the largest dredge in the Southern Hemisphere, weighing 5000 tonnes and today, the subsequent Tronoh Dredge Hole is a favourite swimming and fishing spot for visitors and locals alike.
The Harrietville Historical Society museum is open weekends 12 – 3pm Dec – April and other times by appointment and is well worth a visit. Contact them on 03 5759 2530 or [email protected]
One of the most picturesque valleys in the High Country is Wandiligong, near Bright, in Victoria, a National Trust Classified Landscape. It has a rich gold mining history dating back to the 1850’s and relics of these days can still be found, along with many historic buildings, some that are now accommodation properties. Wandi, as it is affectionately known as, has Morses Creek and Growlers Creek running through it, Growlers feeding into Morses before Morses enters the Ovens River in Bright. Wandiligong was known as Growlers Creek until the 1870’s. The original pastoral run in the 1840’s was called ‘Wondillegong’.
The gold history in the valley is fascinating and the names of some of the mines from the ‘old days’ are just as interesting, like ‘Never-Too-Late’, ‘Shouldn’t Wonder’, ‘Mongrel’, ‘Mystery’ and ‘Lord Of The Hills’. This valley is renowned for wonderful produce, being famous for its apples and nut growing (the annual Wandi Nut Festival in Autumn is a highlight) and farm gate stalls are a popular place to visit to source seasonal delights.
Follow this link for more information on the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail
