A popular place among winter sports enthusiasts in the season, Bright is the northern gateway to Victoria's snow ski region. It has carved itself a niche as a great winter base for those who want to be in the area but don't want the expense of staying in an actual ski resort.
Situated on the picturesque Ovens River in North Eastern Victoria, the former goldmining town of Bright is nestled in scenically beautiful country in the shadow of the Australian Alps. It is a centre for a variety of year-round outdoor activities, which include walking, fishing, bush camping, rock climbing, paragliding, abseiling, kayaking, cycling, horse riding, caving, four wheel driving, fossicking and prospecting.
In a clever stroke of foresight, Bright was been planted with European deciduous trees many years ago which shed their leaves in Autumn and turn the town into a red and gold-swaithed fairyland. The annual Autumn Festival, in conjunction with the Wandiligong Nut Festival and the Autumn Art Exhibition, is held every year and has become a major tourist attraction.
The district around Bright produces mixed-farm produce, tobacco, apples and timber from native forests and pine plantations. It is excellent for trout fishing, walking and photography. The vineyards of the Oven Valley wine region produce excellent cool climate wines.
Myrtleford
Nearby Myrtleford is the centre of a progressive agricultural district which produces tobacco, hops, timber, dairy produce, prime beef, wine grapes and walnuts - it boasts the largest walnut grove in the southern hemisphere. Like Bright, Myrtleford is a convenient base for tours of the Victorian snow resorts, the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme and North East Victoria's gourmet foods region.
Location: 314 km north east of Melbourne on the Great Alpine Road. A great circular tour from Melbourne is to travel from Melbourne to Bairnsdale on the Princes Hwy then over the High Country on the Great Alpine Road and then back to Melbourne via the Hume Hwy.
