Guide to High Country Victoria Australia

The high country is both natural, rugged, and beautiful, the highest point being Mount Buller with an elevation of 5.922 ft. If you are visiting Mount Buller you can walk right to the top, and take in the magnificent view of the surrounding countryside.

The area is covered in snow during the Australian winter, and visitors go there to ski the slopes between June and September. Then the snow melts away making it a beautiful area to walk through.

Take the Klingsporn walking track that was once a bridle trail when farmers climbed to the summit with their horses, driving the sheep or cattle ahead of them to graze on the pastures over summer. If driving to Mt. Buller the distance from Melbourne is 257.3 km or a three-and-a-half-hour drive from the capital.

Discover and Explore Victoria’s High Country

Although you can visit the high country any time of the year, to me it is most beautiful in late spring and summer when you can walk the trails and see the bush at its best. Start your trip in Rutherglen, and visit the Indigenous Gallery opened in 2017. Rutherglen is also the home of several wineries that you may want to visit to taste the distinctive local wines at Campbells and Stantons Wineries.

Benalla is the gateway to the high country and was where, in 1877 Ned Kelly, infamous Bushranger, stole horses to commit his final crimes and become Australia’s most famous Bush Ranger. Benalla is a historic town with many old buildings.

Visit Wangaratta a pretty farming area where kids and dogs are welcomed, and explore the surrounding countryside. Not far from Wangaratta at the Northern end of the King Valley, you will find Milawa, This is where you can visit Brown Brothers vineyards that were originally established in 1889. Another local business is the Milawa Cheese Company well situated in the middle of a thriving dairy industry region one of the biggest in Australia. Milawa is an Aboriginal word, and the town is also famous for mustard.

Falls Creek is an Alpine resort, not far from Mount Buller, and is the original ski resort in the area. The first chairlifts in Australia were built there in 1957, and the area is now administered by the government of Victoria. Snow does not always fall in the area so the main source of tourism is domestic. Visiting Falls Creek in Summer is an absolute delight allowing tourists to explore the National Park surrounding the resort. Some of the accommodation at Falls Creek is privately owned, and people travel from Melbourne to spend their holidays there.

Mountain Bike cycling events are held in the area, including the popular 3 Peaks Challenge. The skiing terrain for beginners is good, and snowboarding is even more popular, especially with the young. There is a mix of restaurants and bars in the area during the skiing season there is plenty of nightlife. This makes Falls Creek a great place to holiday in all seasons, sitting around the log fire in Winter sipping mulled wine is just too tempting, and the trails in Summer
attract tourists from all over the world to see the rugged natural scenery.

When you go skiing in the high country, snow is a lot more certain than it once was. Mt. Buller. Mt Hotham and Falls Creek have invested in snowmaking machines. These are new TechnoAlpin guns and ensure that the snow falls. Once we had to rely on nature, and skiing is an expensive hobby so it is important to ensure that snow falls when it is expected by the tourists and will make more tourism a certainty.

Mt Hotham and other victorian Alpine regions were developed after World War 11 by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, on grazing land. In the quest to generate electricity workers were bought in to open up the land. It is only now reaching its full potential as a beautiful tourist destination for both domestic tourists and overseas visitors. The area became very quiet during the Covid lockdown which has been damaging to the whole country. However, that is now behind us, and we are ready for a new adventure in the Victorian High Country this Summer.