Bright Autumn Festival & Victorian Alpine Region

Day 1 - Thursday 1 May 2025

Melbourne - Milawa - Bright (D)

Welcome to Sisterhood Womens Travel!

This morning we depart Melbourne and make our way up to Bright in North Eastern Victoria to celebrate the wonderful autumn colours and produce of Victoria’s Alpine High Country.

We enjoy our first break up in Seymour where we take a stroll along the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Memorial Walk before enjoying cuppa by the coach. Our next stop is in the renowned Milawa gourmet region, home to the Milawa Cheese Co and Wood Park Wines. Our visit includes a short presentation on the history of Milawa Cheese and cheese production followed by a seated tasting of 8 Milawa sample cheeses, grapes, walnuts and biscuits with detailed tasting notes. Right next door at Wood Park Wines we enjoy tastings before choosing our own glass of white or red thats on offer. We also have time to browse through the onsite shops including the Wattle Tree Collection.

Then sit back and enjoy the scenic drive across to Bright for check in, freshen up and dinner.

Overnight Bright: Motel Sierra (or similar)

Day 2 - Friday 2 May 2025

Red Rama Emporium - Myrtleford - Mt Beauty (B, L, D)

Today after a browse through the Bright Alpine Visitors Centre we head across to Myrtleford where the world of Red Ramia Trading awaits us. Red Ramia Trading is an enormous globe-trotter’s emporium of furniture, pottery, homewares, rugs, exotic fabrics, kimonos, and architectural and garden design features from marble statues to teakwood pavilions. Take a trip through Japan, Morocco and India as we wander through a mixture of hand picked antiques, artisan crafted goods and recycled items.

There will also be time to enjoy a cuppa from Cafe Fez, before catching up with our local historian for an overview of the tobacco growing industry. Starting at the Old School Museum that provides an interesting insight into the township and tobacco industry which was driven mostly by the large number of Italian migrants who settled down in this region in the 1920’s.

After our tour and light lunch from Heiner’s Bakery we take the Happy Valley Road and Kiewa Valley Hwy to the village of Mount Beauty, along the way taking in the beautiful vistas of the valley and surrounding mountains. At the Mount Beauty Information Centre and Museum we enjoy a talk on the history of the Kiewa Valley Hydro scheme before a self-guided tour through the museum.

We then make our way along the Tawonga Gap Road enjoying stops at Sullivans Lookout and Tawonga Gap Lookout to take in the magical autumn vistas. Our day is complete as we arrive back at our motel to enjoy a rest before meeting up for dinner.

Overnight Bright: Motel Sierra (or similar)

Day 3 - Saturday 3 May 2025

Bright Autumn Festival Gala Day (B, D)

This morning we take a look through the Bright and District Historical Society Museum situated in the heritage-listed old Bright Railway Station.

The remainder of the day is at our own leisure to enjoy the Alan Findlay Memorial Gala Day with markets, live music in the streets, the unique shops and meeting the local characters.

This evening we gather back at the motel for a relaxing dinner.

Overnight Bright: Motel Sierra (or similar)

Day 4 - Sunday 4 May 2025

Bright & Wandiligong (B, L, D)

This morning in Bright we are joined by our local guide Helen, who will take us for a highlights tour of Bright and Porepunkah. We then travel out through the National Trust registered Wandiligong Valley to the village of Wandiligong viewing orchards, tobacco farms, nut orchards and autumn colours of the towering Wandi Poplars along the way.

We call in at Nightingale Brothers, the producers of crisp juicy apples, chestnuts and persimmons. 5 Acres Bar and Kitchen provides the perfect setting for our lunch before heading back into Bright to experience the delightful Elm Haven Garden.

Before returning to our motel we take a gentle stroll with Helen alongside the Ovens River in the Bright Centenary Park.

After another delighful day out we relax back at our accommodation before dinner. 

Overnight Bright: Motel Sierra (or similar)

Day 5 - Monday 5 May 2025

Historic Beechworth - Gapsted Winery (B, D)

Today we travel up to Beechworth and meet up with our local historian at the Town Hall Gardens Rotunda before enjoying our Gold Rush Walking Tour.

On the completion of our tour, we enjoy a cuppa by the coach in the parklands alongside the Beechworth Tourist Centre. We then tour the Old Beechworth Gaol, one of Australia’s most significant post-European cultural sites. Its role in the chain of events that led to the execution of Ned Kelly is significant as it housed Ned’s mother, Ellen Kelly, many of the Kelly sympathisers and Ned himself, alongside his brother Dan and the rest of the Kelly gang.

We then break for some free time in town to enjoy browsing through some of the unique shops and purchase lunch from one of the many eateries including the iconic Beechworth Bakery.

This afternoon on our return back to Bright we stop by Gapsted Winery and Cellar Door for tastings and yummy cheese platters to enjoy while admiring the striking views of the Alpine Valley.

After a relaxing drive back to the motel we have time to refresh before our farewell dinner.

Overnight Bright: Motel Sierra (or similar)

Day 6 - Tuesday 6 May 2025

Benalla - Fowles Winery - Melbourne (B, L)

After breakfast we farewell our hosts and begin our drive back across the Ovens Valley to Benalla where we stop by the
Botanical Gardens and statue of Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop before taking in some colourful street art with our local
guide.

We then continue down to Fowles Wine and Farm Store, Cellar Door and Restaurant. Enjoy a private farm-to-table dining experience in the Wine Shed, with platters of delicious appetisers, mains and main accompaniments to share and paired with a glass of wine, providing the perfect finale to our time away.

We arrive back in Melbourne later this afternoon after our wonderful Colours of Autumn in the Victoria Alpine Region Tour.