HIGH ROAD DRIVING
Extending 310km between Wangaratta in Victoria’s north-east to Bairnsdale near the Gippsland Lakes, the Great Alpine Road takes in some of Australia’s loveliest panoramas, from rolling vineyards, lush pasturelands and dense forests to some of the country’s grandest alpine vistas.
Meandering through Myrtleford, Bright, Harrietville, Mount Hotham, Dinner Plain, Omeo, and on to Bairnsdale, the drive has numerous side trips to gems such as Milawa, King Valley with its fine wines and prosecco, the charming streets of towns like Beechworth, and rugged beauty of mountain retreats such as Mount Buffalo, Mount Beauty, and Falls Creek.
WANGARATTA TO BRIGHT, 83KM
The regional city of Wangaratta, 250km north-east of Melbourne and 626km southwest of Sydney, is the starting point of the Great Alpine Road, or the B500. Although the route is rural highway standard, it gets very windy through the mountainous regions it passes through.
Sections of the road were formerly known as the Ovens Highway between Bright and Wangaratta, and Omeo Highway between Lucknow and Omeo. The name Great Alpine Road came into use in 1998 when the final section between Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain was sealed.
Summer, autumn, and spring are ideal seasons
