WANGARATTA, GLENROWAN, TARRAWINGEE
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
Wangaratta is a large regional centre in North East Victoria, around 250kms from Melbourne, just off the Hume Highway, which runs between Melbourne and Sydney and is at the top end of the renowned touring route, the 308km Great Alpine Road. Wangaratta was first established by Europeans in 1838, after explorers Hume and Hovell travelled through the area just south of the town in 1824.
Today, with a population of around 18,000, Wangaratta has a large variety of retail and services, many accommodation options, a superb food and wine scene and is within an hour of many notable High Country towns and the wine regions this district is known for. The Wangaratta Jazz Festival, 2 golf courses, a performing arts centre, indoor sports & aquatic centre, delightful parks and gardens and direct access to the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail await visitors to Wangaratta.
The King River flows into the Ovens River at Wangaratta and both of these rivers have their headwaters up in the alpine region of the High Country. Fishing is popular in the many waterways throughout the region, but also right in the heart of Wangaratta, with Trout and also Murray Cod able to be caught.
The Milawa Gourmet Region and King Valley can be accessed in a little over a 10 minute drive from the town and the alpine resorts of Mt Hotham and Falls Creek are about a 2 hour drive away. The Warby-Ovens National Park is about 10 minutes west of the town with the Jubilee Golf Club situated alongside the edge of the National Park.
A punt had been used for crossing the Ovens River until it sunk and in 1855 a bridge was opened that required a toll to be paid in order to cross. The same restored toll gates can be seen today near the Bickerton St footbridge over the Ovens River at the western side of Apex Park. Wangaratta caters well to cyclists, whether they’re exploring the town or about to embark on the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. There’s a bicycle hub at Merriwa Park, offering bicycle lockers, showers, toilets and change room facilities.
The small, yet well-known tourist town of Glenrowan is about a 10 minute drive south west of Wangaratta. It’s well worth a stop, a minute off the Hume Highway, to discover its wineries, historic attractions, souvenir shops and quiet pace. Glenrowan is about 240kms north east of Melbourne and has direct access to the King Valley Wine Region. One of Glenrowan’s wineries has grapevines planted in 1904 that are still producing wine today!
Glenrowan became a town in the 1860’s and is most famous for where the gang of bushrangers, The Kelly Gang, led by Ned Kelly, were captured in June 1880 after a shootout with Police in and around Ann Jones Inn. Today, an informative, signposted easy walking trail can be followed to the key locations that were part of the siege and where the capture of Ned Kelly took place.
The siege site has been preserved and offers an insight into the events that took place in June 1880. The Greta Police Cell that once housed Ned Kelly is generally open daily for visitors to see inside and the original railway platform is also part of the siege site along with many other historical locations.
Glenrowan features a huge statue of Ned Kelly in his armour that has become a popular spot for tourists to pose for photos before wandering the variety of interesting and unique shops along Gladstone Street. The town also has accommodation options, a country pub, nearby wineries, is close to Winton Wetlands and is a great place to recharge before heading further into the High Country of this part of Victoria.
Tarrawingee is a small town about a 10 minute drive east of Wangaratta along the Great Alpine Road. It is at the turn off to Beechworth, which is about 20 minutes east of Tarrawingee and also only around 10 minutes north of the renowned Milawa Gourmet Region. The town has a golf course, camping ground along the nearby Ovens River, recreation reserve and a couple of wonderful Heritage Listed buildings to admire from the 1860’s.
The 1864 built, Victorian Heritage Listed, Plough Inn is a classic country pub with historic stables still standing, that used to be a stop for horse drawn coaches along the road from Beechworth to Wangaratta. Accommodation is available within the district and in the large regional centre of nearby Wangaratta and 20 minutes east of Tarrawingee, in Beechworth.
Wangaratta, Glenrowan and Tarrawingee are on the north western edge of the High Country and are often the first towns visitors experience when they’re starting their trip into the High Country from the top end of the Great Alpine Road. Alternatively, a trip from the bottom of the Great Alpine Road around Bairnsdale, will finish up ending here with these popular towns and a High Country favourite, Bright, being within an hour of each of these towns.
