Locality & Experiences
The region is home to a wide selection of boutique wineries, gourmet cheese factories, gin distilleries, artisan bakeries, Chocolatiers, craft beer, olive groves, pumpkin seed harvesters and freshly roasted coffee.
Bright has grown to be recognised as the outdoor adventure centre of Victoria. Hang gliding, paragliding, rock climbing, mountain biking, road cycling, hiking are all easily accessible from Bright. The rail trail is popular with families and those who prefer the more leisurely experience off the roads. There are plenty of places to rent bikes in town.
We have shared some of our favourite activities and haunts below.
Our beautiful private chef will come to you
PRIVATE DINING at the Lodge
Bright and its surrounding districts boast some of the best local produce in Victoria. Award winning Mt Buffalo Olives, Mliawa Cheese Factory, Sixpence artisan bakery, Harrietville Trout Farm are just a few places Nat, our private chef, sources local and seasonal produce to design a sumptuous menu. Get in touch with us if you would like her details to create something special for your stay at the lodge. Taxis are very limited in Bright, Nat can bring fine dining to you, without the need for a designated driver for the trip home. Ringer Reef Winery in Porepunkah will deliver wine to your door, if you're a cyclist!
Live music at the Bright Brewery
Experience the GOURMET Region & Local Events
Whether you’re looking for an local produce market, a winery to chill in for the afternoon, eclectic adventure travel film festival, Hot Rod Run, Photography Festival or a celebration of all things gourmet and active, Bright and its surrounds has it all. Some of the most fun and fascinating events have set their base in the district . Take the opportunity to experience it all up close and personal. We promise you won’t regret it. A list of festivals, event, gin distilleries and wineries can be found at the Visitor Information Centre, on Gavan Street in Bright.
King Parrot crunching some seeds
Explore with the Kids
Immerse your kids in the outdoors. Splash around in Eurobin Creek 500 m from the lodge, play poo sticks on the bridge, a tree house and swings should see them entertained for quite sometime outside. At night the wombats come out, Wallabies greet you in the morning, King Parrots and Rosellas are a daily feature on our bird table. In Bright, there is the water park at the back of Bright Brewery, a summertime luge, gigantic adventure playground and the rail trail for those who's kids need to explore further afield. Adventure Guides Australia have lots of activities both kids and adults can enjoy at the same time such as rock climbing and caving.
The nights skies are full of satellites and falling stars with very little artificial light dulling the heavens. Bats and frogs can be heard in the stillness.
In Autumn, kids love rumbling around in the golden leaves from our enormous maple.
Mt Feathertop in snow at dawn
The Great Outdoors
Submerge yourself in the natural wonder of the Alpine National Park by exploring the myriad of hiking trails (The Big Walk you can access from our front door). Get your legs turning over at the mountain bike park at Mystic in Bright or a road cycling adventure up Mt Buffalo or on the rail trail for those who prefer to be off the road. There are plenty of places to hire all sorts of bikes in Bright. There is fishing at the Harrretville Trout & Salmon Farm, or fly fishing in the local rivers, bird watching can be done from the comfort of the lodge.
The more adventurous can try rock climbing, abseiling, caving (see the underground glow worms) with the Adventure Guides Australia crew, paragliding, micro lighting is also on offer in the region as is 4WD adventures, Bogong Horseback Adventures will take you on cherry plum picking trips. The list is endless for the summer, spring and Autumn months.
Over the Winter all the snow sports take over, Mt Hotham, Fallscreek are around an hour away from us. If you prefer something more local, try Dingo Dell on Mt Buffalo, perfect for your first snow experience as it has a fantastic tobogganing slope, cafe, snow cam, and plenty of areas where you can cross country ski.