Self-catering properties
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1860 Luxury Lodge
- Style
- Refined rusticity
- Setting
- Historic gold-rush town
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The Kilns
- Style
- Historic tobacco shacks reinvented
- Setting
- Peaks and paddocks surround
The High Country Overview
Victoria
- Countryside
- Vineyards, valley, peaks, produce
- Country Life
- Tree-changers with a taste for the high life
There’s some extraordinary beauty in them there hills. This region of northeast Victoria is visually dominated by alpine peaks – snow-capped for much of the year – and their surrounding national parks.
Each year, as winter arrives, these mountains are overrun by skiers and snowboarders taking to the chairlifts and swishing down the slopes. In the valleys, it’s a completely different story. This is one of Victoria’s most prolific food bowls, with farmers producing vegetables, fruits and livestock year round. Trout come from the mountain streams, and vignerons create some of the country’s great muscats and tokays, alongside pinot noir, chardonnay and Italian varietals. The landscape is lush and the climate mild, with four distinct seasons celebrated by a host of annual festivals. Cyclists are drawn to the Murray to Mountains Trail, 94km of sealed path that winds through the alpine valley villages, while hikers can amble along riverbanks or push themselves on mountain treks.
Typically The High Country
Yackandandah is one of the cutest villages in Victoria, with its heritage-listed main street complete with old-fashioned drapery. Suitably sleepy now, it was once at the centre of Victoria's gold rush. You can still get a taste of what the conditions may have been like back in the mid-1800s with a tour to Karrs Reef Goldmine. Local Greg Porter is something of an expert and takes guests in the back of his troopie through what once would have been fields of tents, where miners panning the creeks lived on the land. At the mine, you can head into the shaft, dug by hand 150 metres into the side of a mountain, and see some of the original equipment that was discarded when the newly wealthy miners headed to fairer pastures.
Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- There are a number of local taxi services in the region: Bright Taxi Service (+61 (0)408 589 370); Myrtleford Taxi (+61 (0)419 512 886); and Feathertop Taxi (+61 (0)418 844 212), operating out of Harrietville.
- Tipping culture
- Most of the time, gratuities are not expected. If, however, you’re very happy with the service and food a tip of up to 10 per cent is always appreciated.
- Siesta and fiesta
- Shops will tend to keep regular hours (10am–5pm) even on the weekends, as will restaurants, pubs and cafes, often opening at noon. Don’t expect kitchens to be open much after 9pm. In many country towns, particularly during winter, shops and restaurants may be closed Monday and/or Tuesday, rather than on the weekend. Although summer is a particularly good time for walking around Hotham and Dinner Plain, very little in the way of shops and restaurants will be open.
- Packing tips
- There are four seasons here, and they've been known to happen in one day, so be prepared for temperatures to drop quickly. An esky for all your gourmet finds.
- Recommended reads
- Written in the style of an autobiography is Peter Carey’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel True History of the Kelly Gang. Ned Kelly and his posse of bushrangers hid from the police throughout northeast Victoria, before he was captured for the final time at Glenrowan. Depending on your outlook, he’s either a murderous thief or a folk hero.
- Cuisine
- Throughout the High Country, you’ll see menus trumpeting the kitchen’s use of local produce. And why shouldn’t they? This region is certainly one of the most fertile, with meat, game, fruit, berries, nuts, cheeses and olives all part of the harvest. Trout are even caught in the mountain streams. You’ll find many of the spoils on sale in local food stores, as well as at the farm gate. After the gold rush, districts like the King Valley saw influxes of Italian settlers and their influence remains today.
- Currency
- Australian dollars (AU$).
- Time zone
- GMT +10 hours.
- Dialling codes
- Country code for Australia: 61; High Country: 03 (drop the zero if calling from overseas).
- Do go/don't go
- It depends on what you’re after. The height of summer can be deathly hot (up to 40°C) in the valleys, although it will always be significantly cooler on the mountains. Spring will see warm days, brilliant green landscapes, and quite chilly evenings. Autumn is serene and beautiful, with the leaves turning and few visitors to contend with. Obviously, ski bunnies will want to come in winter. The high season is from late July to August, but you should still be able to head downhill during June and September.
Don't go home without...
Stopping off at Bright Berry Farms (6300 Great Alpine Road, Eurobin, +61 (0)3 5756 2523; www.brightberryfarms.com.au). From December to February, a whole range of luscious fruits, including raspberries, cherries and lawtonberries, are sold fresh. At other times of year, you can purchase frozen berries, jams, wines and ice-cream.
