Top 4 regional drives | thecountrydriver

Our TOP 4 North East Victoria and the Southern Riverina road trips

Our Top 4 scenic regional drives

Great Alpine Road

Great River Road

Snowy Valleys Way

Alpine Way

ALBURY-Wodonga based motoring writer Darryl Starr has been driving the roads of North East Victoria and the Southern Riverina in a professional capacity for almost 60 years and has handpicked four driving gems for you to explore at your own pace. (Photos: Josie Withers, Destination NSW, author)

1: Great Alpine Road

ONE of the great road trips in Australia for your travel bucket list must be the Great Alpine Road.

It is up there with the best of them. In our eyes, it is the best of them, as it is a driver’s road that ‘comes with the lot’.

For the greater part of its 186 kilometres from Wangaratta in North East Victoria to Omeo on the northern fringe of Gippsland, the Great Alpine Road snakes across the top of Victoria’s High Country and through the picturesque Alpine National Park, rising in parts to 1840 metres above sea level, making it Australia’s highest year-round accessible sealed road.

Mount Hotham Alpine Village - which it passes through - is the second highest village in the country.

One of this country’s great drives, B500 follows the course of the Ovens River from Wangaratta to Harrietville, before climbing out of the picturesque Ovens Valley, crossing the high plains, then dropping from the historic township of Omeo to Bairnsdale, one of Gippsland’s prettiest rural cities and gateway to The Lakes National Park.

An extraordinary drive at any time of the year, the Great Alpine Road packs a powerful punch as far as scenery goes, as not only does it pass through Victoria’s largest national park - which boasts 10 of the 11 highest mountains in the state - it also traverses through valleys and forests, past fast-flowing rivers and crystal clear streams, and through quaint historic villages.

The drive from Albury-Wodonga to Omeo can be driven in three hours but take your time and soak in everything this beautiful corner of the world has to offer.

The Great Alpine Road, which has existed in some form or another since colonial times, was completed with the sealing of the section between Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain in 1998.

The mountain equivalent to the famous Great Ocean Road, you can get on to B500 - referred to by locals as the GAR - at any number of locations.

If you want to travel the road from its northern source, start at Wangaratta, then travel through Tarrawingee, Everton and Gapsted to Myrtleford.

From Myrtleford the road passes along the floor of the stunning Ovens Valley through Ovens, Eurobin, Porepunkah, the popular tourist destination of Bright, Freeburgh, Smoko and Harrietville, before you start the steep and windy climb to the alpine resort of Mount Hotham, 32 kilometres further up the Great Dividing Range.

The 55 kilometres of road from Mount Hotham through Dinner Plain and Cobungra to Omeo is surprisingly flat.

Through the ‘off” seasons, services at Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain are limited, but in winter these villages turn into mini cities.

The mountains also take on a completely different hue, changing from browns and greens to nothing but white.

From Omeo - a great base from which to explore the national parks and alpine surrounds - the GAR turns south, following the course of the Tambo River through the settlements of Tongio, Swifts Creek, Doctors Flat, Ensay, and Bruthen.

It then heads in a south westerly direction to meet the Princes Highway (A1) at Bairnsdale.

Caravanners do use the road but be aware that between Harrietville and Hotham Heights it is steep, narrow, and windy, with many hairpin bends.

Chains must be carried in winter and must be fitted where directed.

Sections of the road are subject to closure during winter, and bushfires can close it in summer.

Fuel is not available between Bright and Omeo, and only limited supplies are available between Omeo and Bruthen.

Meals, accommodation, and shopping is available in Omeo, with the towns of Swifts Creek and Bruthen also offering meals and accommodation.

Distance Wangaratta to Bairnsdale: 304 kilometres

2: Great River Road

C546, or the Great River Road, is one of Australia’s great drivers' and riders’ roads. It is a cracker.

It snakes its way almost its entire 156-kilometre length from Albury-Wodonga to Corryong, following the course of the Murray River which separates the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

As the course of the river meanders through the Upper Murray, so too does the Great (formerly Murray) River Road, with plenty of slow in, fast out corners, winding bends, tight curves, crests, flat straights, and several causeways.

There are not many hilly sections, but there are some blind corners and in sections, especially where the road runs adjacent to the Mount Lawson State Park, it becomes narrow, with a drop to the river on one side and rock face on the other.

Drivers and riders should take extreme care along this section.

From Albury-Wodonga you follow the Riverina Highway to the Bethanga Bridge (pictured above, courtesy Destination NSW) which spans Lake Hume.

Once across the bridge the road veers left, and it becomes windy for about 15 kilometres.

Just east of this section is the Wymah ferry which takes vehicular traffic across the Murray arm of the lake to the NSW side.

The Great River Road continues through picturesque farming countryside and the rural communities of Burrowye and Guys Forest to the Jingellic turnoff.

The small village of Jingellic, on the New South Wales side of the river, has a general store, a camping ground and the historic Bridge Hotel, a popular stopover for those touring the Upper Murray.

Walwa is the main town on the road before you reach Corryong.

This busy little town, which sits close to the Murray River, includes a general store, fuel supply, medical centre, a caravan park, pub, tennis courts and a golf course.

The town is also close to Pine Mountain which is in the Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park.

Pine Mountain is the largest monolith in the southern hemisphere at 1.5 times the size of Uluru (Ayres Rock).

A further 29 kilometres is the historic township of Tintaldra where you can glean some amazing views of the distant Snowy Mountains.

The town has a great pub and a general store and there is plenty of fishing spots close handy.

Before your drive (or ride) finishes at Corryong, you pass the historic Towong Racecourse where the Towong Turf Club schedules one race meeting a year - the Towong Cup - which is attended by hundreds of racegoers.

Towong is the western gateway to the Kosciusko National Park.

From Towong the Murray Valley Highway takes you to Corryong, the heart of The Man from Snowy River country.

The Great River Road is sealed for its entire length, does become narrow in parts, and is caravan friendly.

Distance Albury to Corryong: 156 kilometres

3: Snowy Valleys Way

IF you are travelling between Melbourne and Sydney - or vice versa - and you are not in a rush, there is an alternate route between Wangaratta and Gundagai - or again, vice versa - than heading straight along the Hume Freeway.

It is called the Snowy Valleys Way (author's photo above), another local rival to the Great Ocean Road.

With its meandering back roads, it covers 300 kilometres and is an initiative of the Indigo, Towong, Tumbarumba, Tumut, and Gundagai councils and was developed as an alternative for tourists to the busy, and boring, freeway.

A magnificent drive any time of the year, the Snowy Valleys Way is not route numbered as it is made up of many different roads and highways, but it does pass through towns that are etched in our history, such as the gold rush towns of Beechworth and Yackandandah, Tallangatta, the town that moved, and the Man from Snowy River town of Corryong.

As mentioned, the Snowy Valleys Way starts (or ends) at historic Gundagai in New South Wales to the north and ends (or starts) in Beechworth to the southwest (turn off the Hume Freeway at Wangaratta if travelling north from Melbourne).

This alternate, slow-paced network of roads allows the tourist or day tripper the opportunity to take in some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery, explore the many small towns, villages and hamlets along the way and sample country cuisine at the many hotels, cafes, bakeries and restaurants and sample delicate cool-climate wines at the many boutique wineries that are dotted along - and off - the route.

Starting from Wangaratta you travel along the Ovens Highway to Tarrawingee, then along the Wangaratta-Beechworth Road to Beechworth, one of the best-preserved gold rush era towns in the country.

You could spend days aimlessly wandering around this delightful historic town which is swamped with tourists on any given day.

Leaving Beechworth, the route continues through Wooragee to Yackandandah, another tourist destination which also owes its existence to the gold rush era.

Next stop are the twin towns of Kiewa-Tangambalanga, which sit either side of the Kiewa River which rises in the Victorian High Country.

After crossing the Sandy Creek arm of Lake Hume, the route - now the Murray Valley Highway - takes you to Tallangatta, the ‘Town That Moved’ in 1956.

The highway continues through Bullioh, Koetong, Shelley and Colac Colac, before coming (almost) to its end at Corryong, a picturesque township which sits in the shadow of the Snowy Mountains.

You cross the Murray River at Towong.

The Snowy Valleys Way (Tooma Road) turns northeast once you cross the Murray River and heads to the farming community of Tooma, which is 35 kilometres from Tumbarumba.

The views back towards the Snowy Mountains from along this stretch of road are amazing.

Must stops along this section of road include the Southern Cloud aircraft disaster memorial, and Paddy River Falls.

Tumbarumba, a picturesque town which straddles Tumbarumba Creek, is known as a timber town owing to its heavy dependence on logging, and particularly its softwood timber processing.

The road then heads to Batlow, a town famous for its apple orchards, Apple Blossom Festival and many roadside stalls selling local produce.

Tumut, another timber town which is also the northern gateway to the magnificent Snowy Mountains, rivals Bright for its colourful display during autumn.

The Gocup Road leads out of Tumut to your destination of Gundagai, famous for the Dog on the Tuckerbox monument

The entire length of the Snowy Valleys Way is sealed and is caravan friendly but, remember, it is not signposted. For route maps, visit www.snowyvalleysway.com.au

Most of the roads are wide, but some of the interconnecting roads are narrow and some care needs to be taken.

Distance Gundagai to Wangaratta: 363.6 kilometres

4: Alpine Way

ANOTHER regional road to add to your bucket list is the Alpine Way, a 121-kilometre, all-weather, fully sealed road located in the southeastern corner of the Southern Riverina.

Built in the 1950s as an access road for the construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme, the road connects the alpine town of Jindabyne in the east, to the New South Wales/Victorian border at Bringenbrong (near Khancoban) in the west, skirting the southern and western slopes of the Kosciuszko National Park.

As the road passes through a national park, fees and other conditions apply, so before heading off, best you call into either the Khancoban or Jindabyne Visitor Information Centres (depending on direction of travel) to check road conditions, buy a pass, and ask the friendly staff about camping grounds, where to take some magnificent walks, the various ski resorts, or even where to capture that perfect photograph of Australia’s highest mountain – Mount Kosciuzsko (2228m).

The road is also a somewhat slower-paced alternative route from North East Victoria to the NSW snowfields of Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Perisher, Smiggin Holes, Crackenback and Guthega.

The Alpine Way terminates three kilometres west of Jindabyne.

From Jindabyne, the Kosciuszko Road traverses rolling countryside before joining the Snowy Mountains Highway just west of Cooma.

Whether you are driving or riding a motorcycle along the Alpine Way, the drive allows you to soak in the spectacular mountain views, but as the road is steep, narrow, and winding between Khancoban and Thredbo, and subject to rock falls, it is not recommended for vehicles towing large caravans.

Winding through tall mountain forests and past the dramatic western fall of the Main Range, snow-capped peaks can be seen from winter through to spring.

Adventures to be had along the way include spectacular walking tracks, fishing, camping, and mountain bike riding.

There are plenty of accommodation options, including riverside camping at Tom Groggin and Geehi Flats, plus cabins, caravan parks, and motels at Thredbo and other resorts.

The Alpine Way crests the Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap at an altitude of 1580m.

Most of the road, which is sealed all the way and has no major intersections, is contained within the Kosciuszko National Park.

Road restrictions in the region require all vehicles to carry snow chains between June and October but, due to sudden weather changes, be prepared at any time of the year.

And that includes dressing appropriately.