We'd toyed with the idea of visiting Bright in the Victorian High Country for a few years so a great New Year special offer on a dog-friendly caravan park combined with Lee's retirement sealed the deal, seeing us enjoying the last week of Summer in this lovely area.
We headed off about 9am on Monday 24th February with the car well loaded with both fold-up bikes as well as Lola's various bits & pieces. It was plan sailing on the freeway run up as far as Euroa, where we pulled just off the Hume highway at about 12pm for a brief toilet and snack stop at the lovely Euroa Arboretum. It was clear, sunny and very hot there but we still enjoyed stretching our legs (as did Lola despite the heat). Resuming our trip, we comfortably made it to Bright in an hour and a half, stopping at Bright Organics on the way into Porepunkah to grab some supplies before rolling into our home for the next four nights, Discovery Parks Mount Buffalo at 2.30pm. Our cabin in this riverside caravan park was great, very spacious and clean and we soon unpacked and set off to explore. The Ovens River runs along the back of the caravan park and was just a couple of minutes walk from the cabin - and Lola was keen to head straight in to cool off to escape the mid-30C heat! The setting was idyllic and it was nice just to relax for a while after the long drive. Our first taste of the Murray to Mountains rail trail followed, with the 6km-or-so flat ride into Bright. Lola always loves time on the bike and the trail was easy and provided another welcome opportunity to stretch the legs. Returning to the caravan park, we enjoyed more time down by the river before cooking up a nice dahl back in the cabin to round out the day.
With another hot day forecast, we made a fairly early start on Tuesday, driving into Bright after breakfast to get a decent walk in before it got too hot. We decided to do the full length of the Canyon Walk along the Ovens River and it was a lovely hike with some great scenery. Lola enjoyed being carried for part of the journey as it got warm very quickly but she particularly enjoyed wading in the river on the way back! A hard earned coffee was then in order and Sixpence delivered an excellent brew (with Lee buying a kilo of their beans for home consumption). We then headed to Wild Thyme Cafe where we enjoyed an excellent meal at this established and well-reviewed vegetarian place. Well fed, we jumped on the fold-up bikes again, picking up the Great Valley Trail heading towards Germantown. The mid-afternoon heat was a bit much, so we decided to return to Bright before we reached Germantown. Ky drove back to the caravan park while Lee got a few more kilometres into his legs by riding back with Lola. More chilling down by the Ovens river was in order before dinner back in the cabin and a relaxing evening.
It was another sunny start on Wednesday and we headed into Bright after breakfast to pick up some takeaway food from Wild Thyme to enjoy for lunch. Heading out of town, our first stop was Coffee Chakra in Myrtleford. This place had excellent reviews but still exceeded expectations with its lovely vibe and incredibly good coffee (and another 1kg of beans was added to Lee's collection!). From there, it was an easy half-hour drive up to the historic town of Beechworth and we stopped at the peaceful Chinese gardens to enjoy our food from Wild Thyme. Walking into the town itself, it was lovely to explore the authentic main street with its immaculate heritage buildings. The afternoon was again very hot (mid-30Cs) and Lola was struggling (as were we, to be honest!) so we headed back to Bright, with a brief stop at Newtown Falls on the way. Back at the caravan park, we relaxed by the river again and Lola enjoyed cooling off in the gentle waters. The lure of the rail trail was too much for Lee, so he rode with Lola out as far as the old Eurobin station before returning for dinner.
We started our Thursday with the rail trail ride into Bright, heading straight to Sixpence for a good coffee, before riding back to the cabin. Driving back into town, another Sixpence coffee passed the time before we returned to Wild Thyme for a lovely lunch. We then started the Huggins lookout walk but abandoned it as it was very hot and a steep climb. Relaxing by the river was a much better option after we returned to the caravan park!
It was sadly time for us to leave Bright on Friday. Having packed the car, Lola insisted on one last splash in the river before we left, so we hit the road a little after 10am. Lee couldn't resist another coffee at Coffee Chakra in Myrtleford so we made the short detour there before hitting the freeways again, this time heading for Particle Cafe for lunch. It was a straightforward 300km trip, seeing us seated there at just after 2pm. We enjoyed filling lunches before completing our drive home - with the shocking Melbourne freeway traffic meaning the last 100km took almost as long as the first 300km!
We had a very relaxing few days in and around Bright. The scenery, walks and rail trail were really enjoyable and the availability of good vegan food at the Wild Thyme Cafe was a bonus. The caravan park was perfect for us with the easy access to the river being Lola's favourite feature!