Victoria's Alpine Region (Winter) - Australian Travel Photography & Writing

(Original post on my blog)

Just back from a wonderful weekend away with my beautiful wife.

We stayed at Ted’s High Country Lavender Farm in Porepunkah. Gorgeous wood fire mud brick cottages are set on a large property with magnificent views of Mt Buffalo and Porepunkah’s surrounds.

In the summer, purple lavender covers the ground. In winter, the farm offers a great romantic mud brick cottage hideaway. The cottages have spas, wood fires and are self contained, a fantastic rustic getaway.

This time of year brings cold, frosty nights, and the wood fire is a must. The crisp mornings are just beautiful as the frost and fog takes overs the land.

Winter brings plenty of snow to the mountains in Victoria’s alpine region. On clear days, you can see snow capped peaks in the distance. Snow lovers travel up north to hit the alps to ski, toboggan or hike.

For those not into the recreational activities, traveling to the region just to see the marvelous views is sufficient, there’s something for everyone.

Mount Buffalo National Park (see www.parkweb.vic.gov.au for more info) stands tall as the dominant mountain south along the Great Alpine Rd from Myrtleford, Ovens, Eurobin, Porepunkah and along to Bright. The mountain has spectacular granite cliffs, endless waterfalls and enormous, deep gorges.

Lying on the western slope of Mt Buffalo is the massive Lake Buffalo. It is a popular fishing, water skiing and picnicking venue.

This time of year, carrying snow chains is compulsory. The main road is often snow-covered from McKinnons Corner through to Cresta Valley.

In winter, the road to “The Horn” (the peak of Mt Buffalo at 1723m) is closed due to the road being snowed under. Skiers can enjoy a day at Cresta Valley, while hikers can venture around other areas of the park as there is over 90km of tracks. We hiked up “The Hump” track to the Cathedral.

Starting at the Cathedral Picnic Area, the “Hump track” track is covered in snow in winter, but worth the climb for spectacular views of Cresta Valley and the Horn.

On the climb up or down, make sure you stop and check out Torpedo Rock. This unbelievable ‘torpedo’ shaped rock sits on another and looks amazing in winter with the ground covered in snow and a vibrant blue sky.

On the climb down the mountain, we walked the Eurobin Falls Track, which passes Ladies Bath Falls along the way. Just round the bend from the walking track is the Eurobin Falls Picnic Area which is also a lovely spot to stop and view the water running at full force this time of year.

The nights in the Alpine Region get very chilly indeed, especially on clear nights. Below is a 30 minute star trail photo before the fog started to drift over the valley, fogging up the lens as well !

A trip to this region wouldn’t be complete without stopping at one or many of the local wineries. Without doubt, the most popular from the King Valley wine region is Brown Brothers.

The family owned and run Brown Brothers produces the largest range of wines in Australia. You can be sure every time you go, there will be something new and exciting to taste and buy.

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Tags:

alpine, australia, australian travel and writing, brown brothers, milawa, mount buffalo, mountain, porepunkah, ski, snow, torpedo, victoria, victorias alpine region, winery and winter