When most 4WD’ers think of the Victorian High Country, our minds tend to go straight to steep tracks, river crossings, the Man from Snowy River, cattlemen's huts and camping somewhere a long way from phone reception by a crackling fire.
And while that's certainly a big part of why I love the place, there's another side to the High Country that's ridiculously easy to miss.
Hidden amongst the mountains are waterfalls, historic gold towns, wineries, swimming holes and tiny villages that can legitimately make you wonder if you're still in Australia.
And the best part is, you don't have to choose between them and the bush.
You can spend the morning exploring and 4X4’ing, have lunch in a beautiful little town and still be back beside a campfire that night.
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Out Of This World: Walhalla
Walhalla, Victorian High Country
If you've never been to Walhalla, put it on the list.
Wedged into a narrow valley and surrounded by towering mountains, this old gold-mining town feels completely removed from the Victoria most of us know.
The town itself is worth slowing down for. Walk the historic streets, check out the old buildings, take the Goldfields Railway or head underground at the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine. Even the cemetery is worth seeing, with more than 1,000 graves scattered across an incredibly steep hillside above town.
It's genuinely one of my favourite towns in Australia. The place is so stunning it almost feels surreal, but what really makes Walhalla special for me is what sits beyond the town itself.
You're surrounded by no shortage of four-wheel-drive tracks, with access out towards Aberfeldy and some seriously good country, so it's incredibly easy to combine a day playing tourist with a proper High Country trip.
There are plenty of places to pull up for the night too. Chinese Gardens Camping Ground is only a couple of kilometres north of town if you want to stay close, while Coopers Creek gives you a great riverside option a little further out.
Take Ten For Fainter Falls
Josh Leonard at Fainter Falls, Vic High Country
Fainter Falls is exactly the sort of place people drive straight past while rushing towards the next destination. Don't.
Sitting just off the Bogong High Plains Road, it's an easy stop to add when you're exploring around Mount Beauty, Falls Creek and the surrounding High Country.
Rest assured, it's not an epic half-day bushwalk that requires boots, poles and a packed lunch. It's a short walk through beautiful alpine bush to a stunning waterfall, which makes it perfect for stretching the legs between longer stints behind the wheel.
Just remember Fainter Falls itself is a day-use destination: camping and fires aren't permitted at the falls.
Don’t Just Drive Through Harrietville
Harrietville is a town I've been guilty of treating as somewhere you drive through on the way to somewhere else and that’s not how it should be done.
Sitting at the foot of Mount Feathertop on the Great Alpine Road, it's a brilliant little base for exploring this end of the High Country. You're close to Bright, Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain, but Harrietville has enough going on that you don't actually need to leave.
Head down to the Tronoh Dredge Hole for a swim on a warm day or take the easy walk around it. The waterhole is a remnant of the area's gold-mining history, and there are several other short walks through the surrounding bush and along the Ovens River.
Then grab a pub feed, find somewhere to camp and use Harrietville as the launching point for the next day's adventure.
Follow Your Stomach
Not every Victorian High Country destination needs low range.
The King Valley is a perfect example. The drive through Whitfield and the surrounding country gives you wineries, pubs, local produce, seriously good food and no shortage of wineries, while still keeping you within striking distance of the mountains when you feel like locking the hubs back in.
King River Brewing is one local name worth knowing. The independent family-owned brewery specialises heavily in European-style ales and lagers using local ingredients where possible. Its Whitfield taproom is currently closed, but you can still find its beers locally, including at the Mountain View Hotel in Whitfield.
The Best Trips Mix Both
I reckon that's the trick to getting the most out of the Victorian High Country.
Don't make every trip entirely about conquering the tracks (not a sentence you’ll hear me say very often, that’s for sure).
Spend a night camping beside a river, then go and find a bakery the following morning. Drive a difficult track, then park the four-wheel drive and walk to a waterfall. Explore an old mining town, have a cracker pub meal and disappear back into the bush for the night.
Some of the best places in the High Country aren't necessarily at the end of the hardest tracks.
From Moreton to the High Country
We cover anywhere you can legally go in Australia
