Ovens Valley; Myrtleford, Bright and Mt. Buffalo

24,396km

My travels have brought me to this picturesque area in Victoria that is situated on the western side of the Australian Alps. The valley is about 60 Km long and is bound by mountain ridges to the north and the high mountain plateau of Mount Buffalo National Park to the south. 

I arrived in the area via train from Melbourne to Wangaratta, and decided to bike the beautiful rail trail called the Murray to Mountains Trail that slowly climbs from Wangaratta to Bright. It is about 65km long and there are lots of stops at the old stations as well as water breaks. There is also a private bus service that can return you and your bike from Bright to Wangaratta(Bus-a-Bike). Don't forget to stop at the Bright Brewery for a great beer reward after finishing! 

The Ovens Valley is a mostly farming and timber producing region due to its firtile valley floors and pine forested hills. The primary agriculture is livestock, grapes, walnuts, and hops. There was also a thriving tobacco industry in the area up until about five years ago when the government took steps to shut the industry down. It is quite obvious of this history when biking or driving through the area due to the number of old tobacco kilns that are still scattered across the countryside.  

While working and living on the farm I managed to get up to a few things in the area while working long hours. One major  activity I did besides drinking a few microbrews at Bright Brewery and biking around the valley, I managed to get up to Mount Buffalo National Park. 

The park is a rather unique formation of sheer cliffs and remarkable granite tors  atop a high plateau. The geological features that are observed today were once covered in lava. About 500 million years ago the lava was slowly eroded away exposing the sedimentary rocks that are now breath taking features of the park. 

While we were in the park we did some hiking, some swimming in the lake, and we tried to find some geocaches which are things hidden and listed on the internet according to their coordinates. One of my friends on the farm did this for fun with a handheld GPS. We caught an interesting sunset to round off a memorable experience in one of the more beautiful places I have ever visited. 

Despite working long hours on the farm and being rather tied down there I still managed to experience a bit of culture and environment around me. It was a memorable place that I hope to be back at next season. 

Here are a few more photos. 

~W