Surrounding Country
The
Surrounding Countryside: |
Visit some of Australia's most attractive and interesting places!
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| Mansfield (population 2,750): |
| Mansfield is one of the best base-towns for Victoria's high country, with a good range of accommodation and eateries. In winter it offers easy access to the snowfields of Mt Buller and Mt Stirling, and at other times it is a good base for horse riding, bush walks and water sports on Lake Eildon. The graves of three police officers killed by Ned Kelly at Tolmie in 1878 are in the Mansfield cemetery, and there is a monument to them in the town. In late October, the Mansfield Mountain Country Festival features the Great Mountain Race, with the country's best brumbies and riders, and other activities. There is a tourist information center (03 5775 1464) in the old railway station on High Street. |
| Mt Buller (altitude 1,806 m): |
| Less than a 3 hour drive from Melbourne and only 246 km distance, Mount Buller is the most popular resort in Victoria, especially on the weekends. It has a network of 26 lifts, including a chair lift that begins in the car park and ends in the middle of the ski runs. Runs are 25% beginners, 45 % intermediate and 30% advanced, and there's night skiing until 10 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Cross-country skiing is possible around Buller and there is access to Mount Stirling, which is a premier resort for cross-country skiing. |
| The
650,000 ha Alpine National Park was proclaimed in 1989. Victoria's
largest national park, covers most of the state's prime 'high country'
stretching from Mansfield northeast to the New South Wales border,
and is contiguous with the Kosciusko National Park in New South Wales. Bush walking and, in winter, cross-country skiing are the main activities within the park as it is largely undeveloped, and plans are to keep it that way. For many years large areas that are now part of the park were used for cattle grazing, but this is now being restricted. |
| The Australian Alps: |
The Victorian Alps are the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, which runs all the way down Australia's east coast through Queensland and New South Wales into Victoria's north-east, finishing at the Grampians in the state's west. The Victorian ski fields are at lower altitudes than those in New South Wales, but they receive as much snow and have similar conditions above and below the snow line. The roads are fully sealed to all ski resorts except Mt Baw Baw, Mount Stirling and Dinner Plain. In winter, snow chains must be carried to all ski resorts and driving conditions can be hazardous. Other roads that crisscross the Great Dividing Range are unsealed for at least part of their way and only usable in summer. The skiing season officially commences on the first weekend of June, and ski able snow usually arrives later in the month. Spring skiing can be good as it is sunny and warm, with no crowds, and there is usually enough snow until the end of September. Snow making facilities are in place on a large part of the mountain to ensure good skiing during the season. In the summer months, especially from December to February, the area is ideal for bush walking; rock climbing, fishing, camping, and observing the native flora and fauna. Other activities include canoeing, rafting, hang-gliding, mountain biking, horse riding and paragliding. This is the season most backpackers head for the hills. Bush walkers should be self-sufficient, with a tent, a fuel stove, warm clothes and sleeping bag, and plenty of water. In the height of summer, you can walk all day in the heat without finding water, and then face temperatures below freezing at night. |
| Lake Eildon: |
| About
20 minutes drive from Mansfield is Lake Eildon, a massive lake created
for hydroelectric power and irrigation purposes. It is a holiday area
and one of Victoria's favourite water-sports playgrounds - water skiing,
fishing, sailing and houseboat trips are all available. The township
of Eildon is the main town on the southern end of the lake, and Bonnie
Doon on one of the lake's northern arms also has some facilities.
The main boat harbour is 2 km north of Eildon township. On the western shores of the lake, the Fraser National Park has some great short walks including a guide yourself nature walk. The 24,000 ha Eildon State Park takes in the southeastern shore area of Lake Eildon. On the eastern side of the lake is the old mining town of Jamieson. |
| 'Wang', as it is commonly known, is at the junction of the King and Ovens Rivers; it is also the turnoff point for the Ovens Highway to Mt Buffalo, Bright and the northern section of the Victorian Alps. The town has some pleasant parks, and bushranger Mad Dog Morgan is buried in the local cemetery. There is a visitor information centre (03 5721 5711) on the corner of the Hume Highway and Hundley Street. A big Jazz and Blues Festival is held on the weekend before the Melbourne Cup horse race, which is on the first Tuesday in November. |
| Glenrowan (population 343): |
| In 1880, the Kelly gang's exploits finally came to an end in a bloody shoot-out at Glenrowan, 230 km north of Melbourne and less than an hours drive from Merrijig Lodge. Ned Kelly was captured alive and eventually hanged in Melbourne. The town has everything about the Kelly gang, from a giant statue of Ned (complete with armoured helmet), colonial style tearooms and souvenir shops, to Kellyland, an impressive animated computerised theater. The ruins of the Kelly family homestead can be seen a few kilometers off the highway at Greta, though little remains of the slab bush hut. |
| Wineries of the North East: |
Some
of Australia's best wines are made in the northeast region of Victoria.
Victoria's oldest established wine-producing region is in and around
Rutherglen but extending to Milawa, Glenrowan and beyond. Another
fine wine-growing area is the Yarra Valley, which you can travel
through on your trip from Melbourne to Merrijig Lodge.
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| Stay at Merrijig Lodge whilst visiting these interesting places. |
