GENERAL INFO
This Great Alpine Walk starts in Bright at 4.00 pm with a transfer to Falls Creek in the late afternoon. It’s a 5-hour drive from Melbourne, with public transport services available from Melbourne. Contact us for more details. If you choose to arrive by car let us know, we can have you leave your vehicle at Bright and have you transferred to Falls Creek from there.
This is one of the more challenging inn-to-inn walks. The terrain on the alpine hiking trails is sometimes undulating, some up and down, but with various flat sections along well-marked trails. Rougher tracks progress along with gradual ascents to the summits for spectacular views, then down steeper downhill sections through snow gums to forested valleys below.
You’ll be walking an average of 18 km a day over 4 days. Those that enjoy the solitude of nature will appreciate some days where you are probably more likely to see deer and wild horses than other people.
There are four walking days on this six-day itinerary, starting in Falls Creek and ending in the village of Hotham. We include accommodation from day one to day six, breakfast each morning, packed lunches each walking day, 2 dinners, all transfers (to and from Bright as well) and comprehensive trip notes and walking maps. We transfer your luggage to the next accommodation so you can focus on enjoying the walking with just your daypack and what you need for the day.
Not included: alcohol, meals not listed in the itinerary, drinks with meals (except tea/coffee and juice with breakfast).
WEATHER
This walk can be done any time from the start of December to 20th April. This mountain environment is about 10–15 degrees cooler than Melbourne and Sydney, and there is a possibility of bad weather even during summer. January and February are usually warm and the alpine wildflowers are at their best. December and March are usually mild and considered by many people to be the best times to visit.
See the Bureau of Meteorology’s information about average temperatures and rainfall at different times of the year.
HOW TO GET THERE AND AWAY
By car
Drive to the large northern Victorian town of Wangaratta. From the Hume Highway (i.e. the old Melbourne to Sydney Rd before the Freeway was built), before the town take the exit for C522 Snow Road. After about 30 minutes, turn R onto Great Alpine Road B500. Follow this for about 40 km to Bright.
Your first accommodation is in Falls Creek. If you choose to use your own vehicle we will pick you up in Bright on Anderson St at the bus terminus (stop).
By public transport
Travel to the start of the walk
The most convenient way is via V/line. However, this service is only available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Buy a ticket from Melbourne to Bright through V/line. The journey is in 2 parts. First you take a train from Melbourne (Southern Cross Station) to Wangaratta, and then change to a bus for the ride to Bright. Services operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the following times: Depart Southern Cross Station (Melbourne) by train 12.05pm, arrive Bright 4.35pm
Price is about $40 off peak one way. Sometimes this price is reduced if you book in advance. Bookings should be made with V-line (www.vline.com.au, or by phoning 1800 800007 from within Australia). We will pick you up in Bright on Anderson St at the bus terminus (stop) at 4 pm.
Travel at the end of the walk
We will transfer you to Bright to your car or for public transport connections. Bright to Melbourne has several V-line services. The most convenient one departs at 11.23am, arriving in Melbourne at 4.07pm. There are also others at less convenient times. The price is about $50 per adult one way.
INFORMATION PACK
For nearly 30 years we have taken pride in providing seamlessly organised walking holidays, but we know, even with that in mind, that you’ll have many more questions. You will receive a very detailed information pack and itinerary approximately 6 weeks out from departure outlining all the fine detail and much more.
INSURANCE
We require that you have adequate travel insurance against potential losses, damage or injury, including cancellation costs and loss of luggage.
For this trip it is advisable to have purchased travel insurance that also includes medical evacuation coverage.
We also charge a cancellation fee if you cancel your walking holiday after we have confirmed it to cover costs incurred from our suppliers and in the office. See the FAQ section for more information.
CONTACT
If you have any questions about the Great Alpine Walk, feel free to ask one of our destination consultants. You can get in touch with us via our contact form, email us at info@auswalk.com.au, or call us on +61 3 9597 9767.
6 DAYS
Moderate to Challenging
Christine W
An amazing adventure from beginning to end. We were blessed with magnificent weather & the wildflowers were at their best as we traversed different sections of the Victorian highlands. Our walking notes were easily understood & at no time felt out of our depth, except maybe day 2, when we huffed & puffed to the top of the spur that would eventually lead us to Mount Hotham. Perfect accommodation & brilliant food & friendly service by Nelse Lodge Falls Creek set us up for the start of our trek. The General at Mount Hotham again perfect apartment, friendly & helpful staff, plus the Harrietville Hotel/Motel, we can’t say enough for these high country establishments. Very grateful to Auswalk for creating this fabulous adventure in nature including the best country hospitality one could ask for.
Alain H
We have just completed the 6 Day Alpine Self-Guided Walk. The logistics support and planning from Auswalk made it a thoroughly enjoyable trip, ensuring we optimise the experience. The material (guides, map, lunch boxes, nets) was very helpful, the accommodation was very comfortable and the hosts very friendly and hospitable. The Alpine National Park is an amazing area to explore. Auswalk ensures you get the most of it!
Sue M
The organisation of this walk was excellent, the accommodation comfortable and the meals very good (especially Diana Lodge at Falls Creek). The walk notes were accurate and easy to follow, but tended to underestimate the time needed, the degree of up and down, and the difficulty level.
Roger F
What a fabulous trip – amazing hiking country and the alpine flowers in bloom made it stunningly pretty! We loved visiting the old cattlemen huts along the way and learning about the gold mining history of the region. All the accommodation and transport arrangements worked smoothly and we didn’t have to worry about a thing! Great standard of accommodation and food along the way and the local Auswalk contacts were so friendly, helpful, and supportive and very flexible to ensure our needs were met! Their local knowledge was invaluable. We felt very well looked after! Would definitely recommend this walk!
Paul R
Overall we really enjoyed the walk and will consider other Auswalk itineraries. Notes were generally excellent. Meals and packed lunches were very good. All providers were very friendly and helpful, even when disorganised. Standout was Lisa at Diana Lodge – fantastic service. Thank you
Peter P
Great Alpine Walk. My wife and I, in our late 60s, did this walk January 2021. It was awesome from all perspectives. Each day’s walking was interesting and varied, and there was a good mix of moderate as well as quite challenging walking. The accommodation and selection of hosts to look after us was first class and a real highlight of the experience.
Lots of organising goes into supporting such a walk, and Auswalk made it all happen very smoothly. We were impressed by the quality of guidance material and learned a lot about the natural and human history of the region.
For anyone looking for a great alternative to the usual “overseas” walking experiences, this is right up there as a “must do”. Our only question to ourselves was, “why hadn’t we done this before?”
Dan M
This is a great walk, incorporating the Alpine areas in NE Victoria. None of the walk was affected by the recent bushfires in the area. Accommodation options are excellent, allowing for outback walking but comfortable accommodation and excellent meals. Don