The explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell passed through the Beechworth/Bright area in 1824.

They had set out from Lake George (south of Goulburn, NSW) on 17 October 1824 and reached Geelong on 16 December 1824.

They effectively opened up this part of the country and settlers soon followed their footsteps.

The Hume Highway parallels much of their journey and commemorative stone cairns, as shown here, can be seen along the way.

Beechworth is 280 km north-east of Melbourne.

The National Trust lists more than 32 of its buildings and it is regarded as Victoria's best preserved historic gold mining town.

The sandstone buildings and granite gutters are very special.

Gold was discovered in Beechworth in 1852.

The 100 bed Ovens Goldfields Hospital (facade shown above) was opened in 1857, and for a time was the only hospital between Melbourne and Goulburn.

The problem with Beechworth is that you can't "do it" in a day.

There are stores such as - The Potters Gallery, African Heritage, The Ardent Alpaca and the Buckland Gallery.

Cafes such as the Beechworth Pantry and the Beechworth Bakery.

Then there's Bright - in Autumn or in Spring.

Located on the Ovens River, Bright is just 40km east of Beechworth.

Bright is on the Great Alpine Road which stretches over 300km from Wangaratta on the Hume Highway to Bairnsdale on the Princes Highway in Gippsland.

The Great Alpine Road crosses the Great Dividing Range at Mt. Hotham.

Besides the incredible landscape, the greater Beechworth/Bright area has so much to savor -

• vineyards - such as Pizzini
• olive groves - such as EV Olives
• cheese factories - such as Milawa Cheese Factory
• herbs and spices - such as Milawa Mustards

It is also of course the gateway to the ski resorts of Falls Creek, Mt. Hotham and Mt. Buffalo - see our Victorian High Country web-page.