Use the #1 Australian hotel
booking centre for all your ski resort accommodation
Victoria
North East Tours And Holidays
This is Australia's
high country, home of the Man From Snowy River, the high country
horsemen, bushrangers of Australian folklore and aboriginal
dreamtime legends.
It's a region of
rugged countryside, winter snows, white water streams in the spring,
preserved heritage towns and reminders of the gold rush era.
The region
stretches from the high alpine country in the east to the Goulburn
River in the west and north to the Murray
River and New South Wales border.
This is a beautiful region with plenty of water activities in the
summer.
The high country is
one of Australia's most popular playgrounds and not just for the
winter ski season. It's a place of
ski resorts and lots of visitor activities. Armchair visitors
will find cross-country treks and bushwalking, riding trails, trout
fishing, eco tours, alpine wildflowers and hot air balloons.
Those looking for
adrenalin rush adventures are catered for with abseiling, white water
activities, rock climbing and caving, hang-gliding, skydiving, para-sailing
and world class gliding sites.
Once away from the high
country, waterways level out as they flow west into the Murray and Goulburn
Rivers and their lake systems. The region is one of the major fruit
producing areas in Australia with paddlewheel steamers on the Murray and
landmarks from the gold rush era in the towns.
Water based activities
predominate with houseboats, cruisers, water skiing, canoeing and fishing.
There is plenty of golf, lawn bowls, horse riding, bushwalking, eco tours,
trout farms, festivals and many craftspeople, art galleries and antique
dealers.
Places To Go &
Things To See In The North East
The Snow Fields
Mt Hotham
is at an elevation of 1750m with good skiing and slopes for beginners,
intermediate and advanced. This is generally considered to be the leading
ski resort in Victoria with skiing direct from lodge to lift. There are 30
km of trails and good cross country skiing.
Mt Beauty
is a
popular skiing, tour and adventure centre for the region. Experienced
skiers can try to master one of Victoria's highest peaks at
Mt Bogong.
Mt Buffalo
is
at an elevation of 1750m and located further north. This is an excellent National Park with a small
resort catering for beginner and intermediate with some testing cross-country
trails.
The season is usually shorter here than at the other fields.
Mt Buller
at 1600m is a very popular resort within a 3 hour drive of Melbourne. It has a good mix of slopes for all skill levels.
The resort is more dependant on snow
making equipment in low snow conditions.
Mt Baw Baw
at 1480m is the most southerly of the Victorian ski resorts. This resort is popular with
novices and family groups, being a relaxed resort without the crowds of
the other more popular locations. Cross country trails ate available.
Dinner Plain
is located in the Alpine National Park, just 11km from Mt Hotham.
Enjoy hill and cross
country skiing, the toboggan slope and downhill run at
Mt Hotham. Summer offers bushwalking, trail rides, mountain biking and a
trek with llamas carrying the packs.
Omeo is an historic
town with
150 years of settlement history located in the foothills of Mt Hotham on the southern tip of the
Alpine National Park. The town has a gold rush
history and several historic buildings. Local activities include skiing, white water rafting,
4WD tours and fishing.
Bright is
close to Mt Buffalo and located in the Ovens Valley. The town has a
reputation for high country adventure activities and is known for it's
colourful foliage displays in autumn and spring.
Beechworth
dates from the gold rush era and is a popular tourist destination.
There are several historical
buildings classified by the National Trust.
The Burke
Museum has replicas and relics of that period and the Chinese Burning
Towers and the Chinese graves attest to the influence of the Chinese on the
gold fields.
Yackandandah is an entire
village that has been classified by the National Trust for its historical value
and many fine period buildings serve as reminders of its wealth in the gold rush days.
Albury-Wodonga are twin towns in the New
South Wales border.
Albury is on the NSW side of the Murray River and
Wodonga is on the Victorian side. These are a popular gateway for access
to the high
country. There are wineries
nearby and historic gold mining towns in the area. See some colourful characters at the Ettamogah pub
and take a ride on a
paddlewheel steamer.
Wangaratta is the burial
place of the bushranger "Mad
Dog Morgan" and also the turn off from the Hume Highway to the northern
ski fields. There is a vintage aircraft display at the local airport. A Jazz
Festival is held each year in late October.
Glenrowan
is
a small village where the famous shoot-out took place in 1880 between
Ned
Kelly and the police. Ned was captured alive in the shoot-out and was later
tried, convicted and hanged in Melbourne
gaol.
Mansfield is a
popular town that provides access to the Mt Buller winter snow fields
and
Lake Eildon in summer. Visitors will find all types of water recreation on the lake.
The Mansfield Mountain Country Festival is held in October and there is a hot air balloon festival in
April. The 3 policemen killed by Ned Kelly and his outlaws gang are
buried here.
Shepparton is the
major centre of the fruit and vegetable producing farms of the area.
There are tours of the Shepparton Preserving Company and various harvest festivals in
February and March.
Places To Go &
Things To See In The North East