High Country

Snow-capped mountains at Mount Feathertop

The High Country is a region of the state of Victoria. It extends down from the wine regions in the mid north-east of the state to the alpine regions to their south.

Cities

• 1 Albury-Wodonga – the northern regional centre.
• 2 Beechworth
• 3 Bright
• 4 Chiltern
• 5 Dinner Plain
• 6 Harrietville – small village above the snowline.
• 7 Mansfield
• 8 Rutherglen
• 9 Tallangatta
• 10 Tawonga-Mount Beauty
• 11 Wangaratta

Other destinations

• Mt Bogong is located close to Falls Creek.
• 1 Alpine National Park – Victoria's largest national park

Ski resorts

The High Country contains Victoria's ski fields:

• 2 Falls Creek
• 3 Mount Hotham
• 4 Mount Buffalo
• 5 Mount Buller
• 6 Mount Stirling

Understand

Victoria's High Country is the southernmost part of the Great Dividing Range; a large mountain range that spans all the way up to southeast Queensland. This mountain range is responsible for the relatively high levels of rainfall in south-eastern Australia compared to inland areas, which makes intensive agriculture possible.

Just like every other part of what is now Victoria, the first inhabitants of the High Country were the Indigenous Australians. Some groups that continue to inhabit this area include the Taungurung, Yorta Yorta, Pangerang, Minjambuta, Duduroa and Jaimathang.

Get in

The only places where V/line runs trains to are to Wangaratta and Albury-Wodonga. These towns are on the same railway line that connects Melbourne and Sydney. The train to Wodonga railway station from Melbourne Southern Cross takes around 3.5 hours. The train then crosses the border and arrives in Albury 15 minutes later. Greyhound and Firefly long-distance buses between Sydney and Melbourne stop in Albury too. Albury Airport (ABX ^IATA) has flights to and from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, but these tend to be expensive.

V/line runs buses to some locations in the high country, most notably from Wangaratta to Mount Beauty via Bright. Check the destination articles for more information. The train from Melbourne to Wangaratta takes a little over two and a half hours.

Other than that, your only options are to get in by car, in which there are numerous northeast roads heading out from Melbourne.

Get around

	Rental car restrictions: Many rental car companies forbid you from taking your car above the snow line during winter between June and September (inclusive). If you are renting a car, make sure your rental car company allows you to take your rental car (with or without chains) on those roads.

See

Australia's high country is home to spectacular peaks, clear mountain streams and a plethora of accessible natural attractions for lovers of the outdoors. Walking and horse riding are two great ways to explore the alpine landscape and take in some of the country's most impressive scenery in the warmer months.

While the mountains may not be as high nor a high level of cultural significance on the NSW side of Kosciuszko National Park and the Snowy Mountains in general, there are more snowy mountains on the Victorian side, and hence more ski resorts, which also only take two hours from Melbourne at best.

Do

• Bogong Horseback Adventures, 52 Fredas Lane. Tawonga, ☏ +61 3 5754 4849. by appointment. Award winning horse tour operator offering rides from 2 hours to Multi-day packhorse expeditions into the Alpine National Park. Home of Spring Spur Australian Stock Horse stud, all expedition horses are bred and trained on the property. Clinics in Natural Horsemanship available. from $90. 

Sleep

Alpine Valley Getaways. This website lists holiday homes available in the Bright and Harrietville areas and surrounds (updated Oct 2024)

Eat

here are many places to eat and drink and there are cafes scattered all around the towns, including the mountain resorts such as Mount Hotham. High quality food is available but expect to find a fair amount of low quality but expensive food. In particular the cheap foods, like pizza, can be on the expensive side in the mountains with less competition.

Drink

There are heaps of wineries, breweries and distilleries in this region.

Go next

If you don't have your own car, the only real transport hub in the area is Albury-Wodonga. Otherwise, you'll have to go to Melbourne before you can head out to other parts of the state.