KING VALLEY & DISTRICT: CHESHUNT, EVERTON, MILAWA, MOYHU, MYRRHEE, OXLEY, WHITFIELD, WHOROULY
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
The 126km King River starts flowing through the alpine region of the High Country of Victoria at an altitude of over 1000 metres, just east of the iconic Craig’s Hut near Mt Buller. It flows down through rugged terrain of the High Country into Lake William Hovell before entering farmland in the Upper King Valley. Here it continues on through mostly open landscape as the King Valley spreads out as the river wanders down to Wangaratta, providing sustenance to one of Victoria’s most renowned wine growing valleys.
The King Valley is around a 3 hour drive north-east of Melbourne. Access can be found via Mansfield and Tolmie, (don’t miss Powers Lookout, about 45kms north of Mansfield, for views over the Upper King Valley and the Victorian Alps) or via the Hume Highway, turning off just before Wangaratta onto the Snow Road for the lower valley towns including Milawa.
Travelling the 60kms or so through the King Valley, takes you through beautiful, undulating scenery and small, picturesque towns with a mountainous backdrop and vineyards that seem to have been delicately draped across the hillsides and valley floor. From country pubs and cafes, to superb restaurants, all serving the King Valley’s best food and wine, this really is a foodie haven.
The King Valley offers a wide variety of High Country food experiences and cellar doors aren’t the only highlight. Depending on the season, you can find yourself stopping regularly at farm gates and other local produce stores offering everything from local honey, organically grown fruit, veg, nuts, meat and a range of dairy and bakery products.
There’s also a range of annual events to enjoy, including the ‘Weekend Fit For a King’ over the June long weekend and ‘La Dolce Vita’, in November. These events showcase the food, wine and lifestyle of the King Valley and feature live music, kids activities, markets, long lunches and so much more, at wineries throughout the valley.
Prosecco Road is a food and wine trail that showcases Prosecco, a sparkling Italian white wine and the food that is served with this popular variety. A group of King Valley wineries, that grow Prosecco, have created this trail, that gives visitors another reason to tour right through the King Valley and experience Italian wine varieties at their best.
The towns discussed here, apart from Whorouly and Everton, are within the King Valley, with Myrrhee being just next door and to the west of the King Valley. Whorouly and Everton are officially part of the Ovens Valley which runs from Harrietville, through Bright and Myrtleford, before these valleys both end up as the same fairly open plains as their rivers meet at Wangaratta. These towns started being established around the 1860’s, although Europeans have farmed the King Valley and district since the late 1830’s.
Cheshunt is the furthest town up the King Valley and consists of nearby wineries and a general store, perfect for gathering supplies for a day fishing and picnicking at Lake William Hovell, 18kms south of Cheshunt via the Upper King River Rd. Paradise Falls, a 30 metre cascade is best viewed after rain, found via Rose River Rd and Paradise Falls Rd about 13kms south of Cheshunt. A large number of steps take you down the 500 metre track to access them, which could be difficult for some.
A complete guide to Lake William Hovell can be found here
Whitfield is just over 5kms north of Cheshunt and has nearby wineries, like all King Valley towns and a 9 hole, sand green golf course, accommodation options, a country pub and stores. The Upper King Valley offers access to the Alpine National Park and these towns are popular setting off points. Powers Lookout overlooks the Upper King Valley and is about 20kms from Whitfield, on the road to Tolmie and Mansfield. Spectacular views and history about the bushranger, Harry Power, can be found here along with two great vantage points to take in the alpine views.
Around halfway between Whitfield and Moyhu is a free campground, spread along 2kms of the King River, called Edi Cutting. There’s ample space and shady areas for tents and caravans, all with the delightful King River running beside the campground. Basic facilities include pit toilets and fireplaces.
Myrrhee is about 15kms drive north-west of Whitfield, via the Benalla – Whitfield Rd, or about the same distance from Moyhu, via Boggy Creek Rd. Although Myrrhee doesn’t have a store or pub like most towns, it offers accommodation, a popular maze with café and is a lovely, short side trip to enjoy views of vineyards and mountains in a beautiful setting.
Moyhu is a small town about 15kms south of Oxley and the Snow Rd and features nearby wineries, accommodation, a country pub, café, store and a dairy creating a range of local dairy products available to purchase from stores throughout the district. The King Valley generally has lush pastures year-round, providing superb dairy products to enjoy.
The town has a monument to explorers Hume and Hovell, who passed through the area on 26 Nov and 30 Dec, 1824. Moyhu has some historic buildings on display, including the Old Moyhu Police Cell and Federation Hall, both located at a playground and picnic area with toilets and BBQ facilities.
The Snow Rd runs from the Hume Highway, near Glenrowan, about 40kms across to just north of Myrtleford where it meets the Great Alpine Road. This popular touring route takes visitors right through the renowned Milawa Gourmet Region. Where the main road in and out of the King Valley (from the northern end) meets the Snow Rd, is Oxley, situated about 10kms south of Wangaratta.
The King River flows through this small, historic town that was originally a main stopping point to and from the goldfields of the Ovens Valley and Beechworth. Wineries, cafes, a store, a playground with BBQ facilities and seasonal farm gate stalls await visitors to Oxley. The annual Oxley Bush Market (check events list for dates), at the Oxley Shire Hall (built 1875), delights visitors with over 150 stalls, kids entertainment, music and a wonderful atmosphere.
Only 4kms east of Oxley is the famous and ever popular small town of Milawa. Known for its array of local produce on offer, from honey, cheese, mustards and wineries, including the iconic Brown Brothers with its Chef Hat awarded restaurant and history dating back to 1885, when the first vines were planted.
Historic buildings, accommodation, from a caravan park right through to a luxury boutique hotel, a country pub, bakery, unique retail stores and cafes, make Milawa a highlight of this part of the High Country. Visitors to Milawa, like all King Valley towns, enjoy cycling to see the sights at a slower pace, tasting wine, honey, sampling cheeses and other local produce and stocking up on their favourites, before lazing the afternoon away in a produce store or café.
The Old Emu Inn, on the intersection in Milawa, built in 1861, is home to Redbank Cellar Door and Milawa Providore today, but was originally a hotel, then a court house and public hall from 1880. Beside the building, near the carpark, is an old police lock up.
Between Oxley and Milawa is an old steam driven flour mill built in the 1860’s from local bricks. A well-maintained trail, running alongside the Snow Rd, between the two towns, is popular with cyclists and those out for a stroll or a jog and takes you right past this Victorian Heritage Listed old mill.
The towns of Everton and Whorouly are a little over 10kms east of Milawa. Everton is on the Great Alpine Road about 23kms south east of Wangaratta and Whorouly is just off the Snow Rd. They are both actually in the Ovens Valley, but the King and Ovens Valleys are quite open across this district and form fairly open plains here as their rivers eventually meet in Wangaratta.
Everton is a small town, established in the 1870’s and had a railway station a few kms north of the town, at Everton Upper. Here there was a junction where passengers could go north-east to Beechworth, south-east to Myrtleford and Bright or west to Wangaratta. The station is now part of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail and cyclists can choose to take either of the old railway line routes to these towns.
Everton has a caravan park, pub, general store and rural supplies outlet with fuel. About 2.5kms south-west of the town, on the Markwood-Everton Rd, there’s a large, free campground beside the Ovens River with basic facilities including pit toilets. It has space for large vehicles under beautifully shady trees.
Whorouly, a couple of kilometres off the Snow Rd and about halfway between Milawa and Myrtleford, lies close to the Ovens River and was established around 1870. This small town has accommodation options, a country pub, café, seasonal farm gate stalls and recreation reserve with playground.