Shining Bright

The startlingly attractive town of Bright lies at the foothill of the Victorian Alps and can offer visitors a completely different experience, depending on the season they arrive in.
In winter, three major snow resorts – Mt. Buffalo, Falls Creek and Mt. Hotham – can be easily accessed; in spring, the town comes alive with colour as gardens bloom and flowers dazzle; in summer, long days lazy days picnicking at the river beckon; and in autumn … well this could well be the most beautiful array of colours anywhere in Australia. The avenues of magnificent oaks, elms, poplars and Japanese maples that were planted way back in the 1930s paint the town red, orange, gold and yellow. It’s a sight not to be missed.

Bright is situated on the Great Alpine Road about three and a half hours drive from Melbourne. The town itself really came into being when gold was discovered in the surrounding hills and valleys in the mid 1800s.  For those of you who like to try your hand at a bit of treasure hunting, you can still pan the rivers here (and I’m told be quite successful). However, for those more interested in learning about the town’s golden past rather than actually getting their hands wet, the Gold Museum, the Gold Battery and the many gold mining relics in the area should keep you busy.
Bright is a busy, interesting town with plenty of markets, wineries, art galleries and shops. Being a major tourist destination, it also hosts numerous festivals and it’s worth trying to time your stay with the celebrated Spring Festival held in October/November, or the Autumn Festival held in early May.

But, for all its man-made beauty, Bright and surrounds are first and foremost a natural wonderland. The area’s mountains, rivers and national parks will have you reaching for the fishing rod, bushwalking boots, binoculars and camera … and you’ll be itching to get out there amongst it all.

Here in the eucalypt forest at the foothills of the Victorian Alps you can spy king parrots, crimsons rosellas, satin bowerbirds, pied currawongs, scarlet robins and blue wrens. And, somewhere out there lurking, will be sugar gliders, feathertail gliders, brushtail and ringtail possums, long-nosed bandicoots, marsupial mice and bush rats.

A large proportion of this wonderful wildlife can be found at Mt Buffalo National Park, just east of Bright. It’s one of Australia’s oldest parks and is famed for the spectacular boulders of the Mount Buffalo Plateau. It is also renowned for its more than 80 kilometres of marked walking trails which, in the right season, wend their way past cascading streams and tumbling waterfalls.

There’s a fantastic campground set amongst the park’s snow gum woodland at Lake Catani. It’s only open from the beginning of November until the end of April and you’ll need to book during peak times.  Phone: (03) 5756 2328. There are 50 or so unpowered sites available, but be warned not all of them are suitable for caravans.

The Alpine National Park to Bright’s west is Victoria’s largest national park covering some 640,000 hectares! It boasts 10 of the state’s 11 highest mountains, rare fauna and a rich botanical community ranging from alpine herb fields to snow gum woodlands. The park – for all sorts of chilly reasons – is not really suitable for camping during winter but, in the other seasons, there are a number of designated camping areas that offer the use of toilets, picnic tables and fireplaces.

Of course, as well as national park camping, there are numerous commercial camping/caravan parks in the Bright area. Indeed, there are also some excellent walks to take from the town itself. The most popular of these is the Canyon Walk that takes you past a small canyon carved by the Ovens River. Other short walks include the Cherry Walk, Bennett’s Walk and the Wandiligong Walk.

Goodness, you’ll never be short of things to do during your stay here, will you? Just remember to leave time in your busy schedule for happy hour drinks!

•  Your thoughts on this story? Email us