Some time back, me and my other half were enjoying our last day in the Bright area before heading back to Melbourne to take on semi rural life again (not for long if Council have anything to say about it!), and as it is one of my favorite pastimes, we both decided to just jump in the car, and drive. No where in mind, just pick a road and follow it. Personally, this is one of my favorite things to do, for one, you generally find places that you have never been before, and sometimes end up visiting places that you haven’t seen in a very long time.

As was the case this particular day, we ended up at Bogong Village, and were hungry to boot! Being in the middle of Winter, Bogong Village was nothing more than a ghost town, which is in drastic contrast to my memories of spending summer days here when I was a child with the foreshore of Lake Guy being crowded with people lapping up the sun, and having a swim directly under the dramatic Quartz Ridge that leads up to Mt Bogong.

I am sure we have all had an experience like it, walking around an almost deserted town or village with that eerie silence, wondering if there is anywhere open to service our needs. This was one of those days. No cars in sight, just an empty foreshore, and what seemed to be a bar and bistro which we weren’t the slightest bit sure if it were even opening today at all.

Never the less, we decided to stick around and enjoy this rather unique way of seeing Bogong Village, and no more than five minutes after arriving, we spotted a lady opening up the bar and bistro, so we gingerly asked if they were opening, and she confirmed that for us, and that they had a limited menu this early in the day. That was fine with us, we had been just about everywhere for the first half of the day, and just wanted a bite to eat.

With not a huge amount on the menu this early in the day, we both ordered a foccacia, chips and salad. Didn’t sound too classy, but hey, we were hungry, so we took our spot on the balcony out front with lovely views over Lake Guy and Mt Bogong, and our meal was bought to us.

Now, I shall divert for a short moment. One thing that I tell everyone about Bright Victoria and the surrounding towns (and I am telling you now as well!) is that everything tastes better here. I cant explain it. I mean, the local produce is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but after a strange sense of realization that not everything that is purchased here is made here (I mean, Kiewa Valley flavored milk is absolutely amazing, even if it is manufactured in Brunswick in Melbourne!), I have put it down to something about the area. Call me crazy, but that is what I think of the area. Everything is so much better in Bright, and I know that a lot of people agree with me when I say that!

Anyway, what would normally be a simple and pretty cruddy meal that we would get at the local pub in Sunbury (my home town) ended up being rather majestic. We couldn’t quite pin point what it was in the salad, the particular dressing, but whatever it was, it was the best I had ever had. The chips, I mean… don’t get me wrong, chips are chips, but these were just perfect. The foccacia, to be honest, I cant remember for the life of me what it was. It could have contained eggplant for all I care (lesson #1 about the webmaster…. he doesn’t like eggplant!) but it was still amazing.

Strangely enough, me and my other half did a lot of different things this trip to Bright. We went to Mt Hotham and she laughed at me as I fell over and skidded some 10 meters down a ski slope, I introduced her to the legendary Harrietville Mountain Hamburger (local store in Harrietville, only burger I would drive 4 hours to eat!), caught up with friends in Mt Beauty, walked around Mountain Creek, and a ton of other things, but when we look back at this trip, we remember this time in Bogong Village.

When it comes to things that we don’t understand, strange occurrences, people tend to jokingly say “it must be something that they put in the water”. When it comes to food in Bright, this is my analogy. You could take the food out of Bright, but it wont taste the same because you wouldn’t be eating it in Bright.

Well well well… its Autumn in Bright! You know what that means ladies and gents, its that time of the year when Bright truly kicks things up a notch before the crazy winter season. As most people are only still fresh back at work after the Christmas holidays, there are generally no waiting times for those who are looking for somewhere nice to stay, whether it is camping on the river or grabbing yourself a nice cabin.

Bright in Victoria is a town that is absolutely no stranger to celebrations, those who have spent a bit of time in Bright know that regardless of the reason or season, there is always something to celebrate in Bright. So, of course, when Autumn rolls along, the most beautiful season in Bright, of course there is going to be a huge amount to celebrate.

With Easter kicking off on the 2nd of April this year, this long weekend is marked by the traditional Bright Easter Street Market on the 3rd April (Easter Saturday), followed by the Harrietville Bush Market on the Sunday. This is only a minor start to the most festive season of events in Bright mind you… Such a great time to snap up a bargain at either of these markets, whilst enjoying the fine weather in high country settings before winter sets in again.

Saturday the 24th of April signals 11 days of Bright really turning things up a notch. Anyone who has ever been to Bright in Autumn knows that this is a season to celebrate, with the overall color of Bright changing due to the falling leaves, and much more enjoyable and cooler temperatures (3 month average being 21 degrees).

The festival kicks off with the Young Ambassador Ball on the 23rd, followed by a day of open gardens on the Saturday. For more information about the Bright Autumn Festival, and to pick up your free daily guide, please visit the Bright Autumn Festival homepage.

Autumn is a great time to visit the area. Bustling with activity, celebrations, and a much cooler climate makes this a very pleasant time to visit the area (without the crowded caravan parks and streets). Have you booked in your trip yet?

So, what’s the deal with this new website about Bright Victoria? I’m Ryan, the owner of this great little website. Although, as of today, this little site is completely live (and slightly buggy!), there is still much work to be done. And by that, I mean that there is a huge amount of work to be done. You see, I have been sitting on this idea for the better part of the past 4 months just waiting for the right time to launch it, trying to get the right format for this new website and blog (and much more to come soon!). I have even had one concept ready to launch, and stopped at the last minute because it just wasn’t right, and here I am today after this site has been unveiled to the public wondering where to go next…

You see, there is a very long story behind this idea. It starts back in Winter 2008 when me and my beautiful partner (she didn’t pay me to say that, I swear!!) were taking some photographs of this amazing lightning storm that we received whilst we were staying in the lovely cabins located at Harrietville Caravan Park. It had been a crazy trip too, we suffered two car breakdowns on the way to Harrietville, one in Benalla when the battery died, and another in Wangaratta when the alternator thought that “breaking down” was a new trend. So, as I was saying, we were taking these great photos, Sarah (my partner, you may get to know her soon as well!) had the SLR in hand getting photos, and I had the handy cam getting it all on film. Next thing we know, we hear alot of crashing and banging coming from what appeared to be down the Ovens River. Within 3 seconds, we hear “THUD! THUD! THUD!” followed by more thudding. In no uncertain terms (and a few cuss words I am sure!), I told Sarah to get inside “RIGHT NOW!”, where I closed all the windows, and prayed that my car windscreen wasn’t going to be shattered to pieces by the golf ball sized hailstones that were falling in large numbers from the sky.

Now, this didn’t last for very long, but having hiked the majority of the high country, and seen some of the worst weather that Australia has to offer, this really was just a reminder of not just how bad weather can turn in the blink of an eye, but of the diversity of this amazing area. Even though we had two breakdowns in one day, plus we were pelted with massive hailstones, we were having fun. This was just another unique aspect of this amazing little piece of Victoria.

Since then, I have run and operated a bunch of websites in completely separate niches, had some major successes, and some huge failures. However, in the back of my mind was always this small little place called Bright in Victoria. The gateway to the Victorian high country, home of my ancestors who started one of the earliest businesses in the area (the very caravan park that we visit religiously every year!), and home to the best accommodation, local produce, and plain and simple adventure. And this is where it comes down to having a passion. People can create a website based on anything these days, a website that sells a product, and a website that sells a person. This is a passion for me. I want you to know about Bright in Victoria, I want to hear your stories, I want to give you my tips on where to stay, what to see, and I want to hear your tips. This is “See Bright Victoria!”. (Not Sparta unfortunately….)

So, here I am waving the “See Bright Victoria!” flag, I would be more than happy to bring you along for the ride!

Bright Victoria is an amazing place. I have many fond memories of visiting this area going back to when I was only a little tiger. Recently, I have been visiting this area, most notably Harrietville, with my partner. She is a city girl, but she loves the area. And I have much to tell her about the area, and the origins of my family being rooted firmly in Harrietville amongst the Wraiths and the Ellinghams.

One of my more notable times spent in this area started with a multi day hike starting from Mt Beauty, just on the other side of Tawonga Gap, and finishing at the base of Bungalow Spur in Harrietville. You see, as cheesy as this will sound, I had a distant memory of how damn good the hamburgers were at the local store in Harrietville (if you haven’t had one, a trip is worth it just for this!), so I set off on my trek, and over the next 7 days, I stood on top of the three highest peaks in Victoria, and shared campsites with some very cosy characters including a cattleman at the base of Mt Feathertop who even offered to cook a large meal for the 10 or so of us that were camped at Blairs Hut.

On my final day, packing up my gear at Federation Hut and having a chat to a fellow hiker who I happened to share a great and more interesting route back to Mt Hotham with, I had a fairly average day in front of me, and made the long downhill run into Harrietville. With the fairly lengthy days that I had behind me, this was fairy easy, and with the idea of this memorable hamburger looming only a few short hours away, the day seemed to go on forever.

As I finally reached Harrietville and crossed the ‘School Bridge’, I dropped my pack out the front of the general store, ordered my hamburger, and life was pure bliss. As any hiker or ‘peak bagger’ could agree with me, the idea of take away food after a long hike, as unhealthy as this is, is without a doubt one of the best ways to cap off a multi day hike.

As I sat out the front of the general store, utterly devouring the worlds best hamburger (affectionately called the “Mountain Burger”), a familiar face approached and started telling me of how great the route was that I advised him to take from Federation Hut to Mt Hotham. It was the other hiker who I spoke with at Federation Hut. He loved the route I suggested, and he offered me a ride to Bright, which is where I spent the next night.

You see, no matter what way you spend your time in this district, there is truly something for everyone. And not just something to enjoy, but something to experience. The people in the Bright Victoria district are approachable, and they love getting to know people. The kind of people that are attracted to this place, and the people that reside here along with the businesses and the level of service here truly makes Bright Victoria the place to visit.

Maybe you should plan a trip sometime soon!