Great Alpine Road now has an equally great bike trail
Discover STUNNING natural scenes, tasty local TREATS and CHARMING villages on this magnificent route.
VICTORIA’S most iconic cycling route, the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, has finally reached the mountains, and the 27-kilometre section between the beautiful town of Bright and quirky Harrietville at the foot of the Australian Alps has just been opened. It shadows the Great Alpine Road, which winds through spectacular countryside in the leg between Myrtleford and Dinner Plain, but on the trail you’re more often in touch with Ovens River, meandering through forests and pastures.
This section is called the GREAT VALLEY TRAIL, and while the return trip is an easy day ride, we’re taking the cushier option. Having arranged a shuttle to Harrietville, we get fitted out at BIKES. Manager Chris BRIGHT ELECTRIC Hall says it takes around 90 minutes to do the trail but we reckon we’ll double that, because even before we start the trail proper from Tavare Park we take a short detour to the HOLE, a remnant of the TRONOH DREDGE biggest bucket-dredge gold mine in the southern hemisphere that’s now a spectacular swimming hole.
At first the trail shadows the Great Alpine Road, but with the river never far away we must give way to ducks at one point. Crossing Ovens River, we’re soon in farmland.
If you’ve packed a cooler bag, you might pick up fresh or smoked fish from MOUNTAIN FARM. Otherwise, FRESH TROUT AND SALMON you can drop in here, and also at nearby BERRIES, when back in the car GUNNADOO for the Great Alpine Road drive.
This fertile valley is one of the best places for chestnuts in Victoria. They hang distinctively in a grove at a point marked B11 – every kilometre has a post showing the distance, so we know we’re more than halfway to Bright.
Just past the Bright Freeburgh Caravan Park Hotel, a series of tight bends through the forest adds a bit of frisson to the ride, and we need to be alert to the possibility of other cyclists around blind corners. Otherwise there are no hazards to speak of, bar the occasional low-hanging branch or blackberry thorn. With the dredge hole detour and stops for water and photos, we’ve taken three hours to arrive back in Bright.
A sophisticated centre for a Great Alpine Road experience, is where the BRIGHT mountains start closing in. On the morning of our ride we fuel up with a heroic breakfast at CAFE. Its Big Brekky is a sturdy GINGER BAKER affair, although the lighter option of their house-roasted muesli with magnificent Ovens
Valley berries is just as good. Their excellent coffee is produced by another local hero, COFFEE. It shares an outlet with SIXPENCE DISTILLERY, which we later visit REED & CO for flights of their six unique spirits. We eschew the distillery’s tasting menu because the triumph of completing the Great Valley Trail is to be celebrated with a hearty dinner at GRILL, where, no SIR LOIN’S BAR & surprise, steak is the star. Then it’s a short walk back to our luxurious accommodation at PINNACLE, THE GLASS a large two-bedroom apartment with decks on three sides from which we can soak up the mountain air. The Great Alpine Road is special as much for its towns and villages as for scenery. When heading up the valley from the Hume Freeway, is a beautiful place to rest for MYRTLEFORD a while. The many Italian immigrant families who settled here to grow tobacco have pivoted, and now the area specialises in wine, hops, berries, nuts and pumpkin seeds. And see if you can discover all 70 tiny colourful artworks on the town’s TRAIL, which MOSAIC follows Ovens River. is the base for hikers ready HARRIETVILLE to tackle the strenuous walk up to the fabled Mt Feathertop. There are also plenty of gentle short walks around the village, or you can simply do your forest bathing with a lager or latte from the verandahs of the pubs and cafes. Dinner Plain is just beyond Mt Hotham ski resort. No matter the season, the experience of being right in the heart of Alpine National Park takes some beating. It has a range of accommodation, plus a great assortment of hiking, riding and biking adventures. BEAUTY, a side trip off the Great MOUNT Alpine Road through the spectacular Tawonga Gap, sits at the base of Victoria’s highest peak, Mt Bogong. It has rewarding bush trails, from the short loop track linking a pair of swimming holes known as Mermaid Pool and Rockpool, to the WALK, which MOUNT BEAUTY GORGE may involve wading across some shallows to a spectacular canyon. From here, you can also take a day-long or multi-day horse trek.