AS ROAD TRIPS GO, THE GREAT ALPINE ROAD isn’t as well known as The Great Ocean Road—heck, we were all the way to the charming town of Myrtleford before we even realized we were on it! But for our money the 300+ kilometer Great Alpine Road is every bit as wonderful as its better-known cousin.
Surprise! You're on the Great Alpine Road
Kismet, doncha think?
Originally built for horses and carts to access the alpine gold fields, today the Great Alpine Road is the “highest, year-round accessible sealed road in Australia.” And it runs from Wangaratta, where we were, to Bairnsdale, where we are going. Kismet, no?
Approaching Bright
Tourist season in Bright
Maybe we will return in Autumn (internet photo)
If we had known about the town of Bright we might have considered staying for a while—maybe we’ll return some autumn. But we already had a reservation in Bairnsdale so we pushed on—onward and upward as it were.
At the Top
Izzie shows us the twists and turns
It snows in Australia, too (internet photo)
The Great Alpine Road tops out at 1845 meters and has nearly as many twists and turns! We stopped for some photos at “The Cross” on the summit just before the ski resort at Mt. Hotham. Yes, they have skiing in Oz!
Stablehouse, Bairnsdale, where the livin' is easy
View to the Kitchen
"This one is just right," said Goldilocks
The Stablehouse, circa 1891, was one of the original houses for the Bairnsdale Racecourse when it was located just around the corner. Now it is another fabulous AirBnB blending the best of the old with modern conveniences in a neighborhood of equally charming homes.
