GREAT ALPINE ROAD VISITOR GUIDE | PAGE 49 MT BEAUTY Hidden away in Victoria 's high country, the natural beauty of Mount Beauty – and the lush, mountainous areas around it – will take your breath away. A 30km drive from Bright, the town lies alongside the Kiewa River, at the junction of the Kiewa Valley Highway and Bogong High Plains Road. Providing views across to Victoria's highest peak, Mount Bogong, this picturesque town offers a range of services, including a small supermarket, bakery, cafes, restaurants and fuel. It also hosts an annual music festival, mountain bike competition and markets on the first Saturday of each month. Popular activities The climate in the Mount Beauty region is truly seasonal, with chilling winters, cool wet springs, hot summers and colourful autumns. Each season offers its own attractions. Popular summer and autumn activities in the area generally revolve around bushwalking, horse riding, gliding, bike riding (mountain and road) as well as swimming or fishing in the region's many pristine rivers and lakes. And, of course, there are many spectacular opportunities for landscape and nature photographers! Remote tracks The area also has a number of beautiful picnic grounds with adjacent walking tracks, as well as an extensive network of 4WD tracks that can really take you away from it all. Some of these tracks are very remote. So, if you are intending to head 'off-road', be sure to do some research first, carry the right equipment, bring along up-to-date maps and 'let someone know before you go'. Whether you're planning to stay and play in the region for a day, a week or more, the Mount Beauty Visitor Information Centre will provide you with all the knowledge you need to make the most of your time. The Centre also stocks a fabulous range of wonderful, locally-made wine, beers and produce. Bogong Alpine Village is just a short drive away (roughly half way between Mount Beauty and Falls Creek) and is a lovely little holiday village at any time of year. Like Mount Beauty, the village has its own pondage for fishing and boating. It also hosts an annual hang-gliding competition, the Bogong Cup, in January each year, and is the right place to ask about taking a spectacular glider ride or motorised scenic flight. Mt Beauty lives up to its name The natural alpine bushland around Mount Beauty is ideal for scenic hiking. There are plenty of opportunities to get away from it all.
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