{"id":1580,"date":"2022-03-23T17:21:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T06:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rjjc.net\/home\/?p=1580"},"modified":"2023-03-03T23:39:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T12:39:29","slug":"day-12-15-bright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rjjc.net\/home\/day-12-15-bright\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 12-15 – Bright"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bright<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>
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Big4 Bright Holiday Park<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>
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Buckland Valley Goldfields<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>
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Omeo \/ Mt Hotham \/ Falls Creek<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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Clock Tower – Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Ovens River – Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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The weir at Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Above the weir at Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Bright township from nearby lookout<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Paraglider landing in Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Ovens River near Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Ovens River near Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Ovens River near Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Ovens River near Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Ovens River near Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure><\/div>\n
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Despite only being a bit over 300kms from Castlemaine to Bright<\/a> we managed to turn it into a fairly long day leaving at 9:30 and arriving in Bright a little after 3:00, with a few breaks along the way…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most noteworthy part of the drive being near the Puckapunyal Army site when half a dozen kangaroos decided to split into two groups of three, of which one group decided to cross the road in front of us and an oncoming small sedan…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sedan pulled up and off the road quickly and I was forced, for the first time, to apply the brakes fairly heavily. Instincts kicked in and I avoided the temptation of swerving to miss the roo but managed to slow the car and van relatively quickly and keep them both in a straight line and under control. I may have nudged one of the roos at the front of the car but everyone escaped with no injuries, loss of life or material damage… Ultimately I was quite impressed with the way that the van handled under braking…<\/p>\n\n\n

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Above the weir at Bright<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Pulling into Bright<\/a> I was reminded a little of Banff in Canada. A picture postcard perfect town full of autumn leave, ski accommodation, tourist’y shops and cafes along cozy streets and parks with lush green grass. And despite being a ski town it did not seem to have the pretentiousness of a Thredbo; more like Jindabyne, which is probably its NSW equivalent.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Fuel prices at Bright<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The most amazing thing in Bright<\/a> was the price of fuel. Despite everywhere else being $2.23+ for diesel, the petrol stations in Bright were selling at $1.97 and $1.98. Still cannot understand how or why Bright<\/a> was selling so cheaply compared to everywhere else…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bright<\/a> is one of those pretty little places that is both relaxed and relaxing. You can poke around the streets or grab a coffee and watch the people go by without feeling a pressing need to anything if that suits your mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At one of the Op Shops Steve snaffled a dark rough glass bottle from the 1800’s (possibly for beer or rum) that would take pride of place amongst their travel treasures. Penny pounced on a slightly tattered, red cloth covered book from yester year titled, “How To Be A Good Wife” full of practical olden day advice for the young bride-to-be. She intended giving this a bridal tea present to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law…<\/p>\n\n\n

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Chinese Bridge at Wandiligong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Swing Bridge in Bright<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On our first day in Bright<\/a> we trooped off to the Buckland Valley Goldfields (see tab<\/a>), followed the next day by a scenic road-trip to Mt Hotham, Omeo and Falls Creek (see tab<\/a>). Our last day was spent with a short excursion out to the nearby village of Wandiligong<\/a>, which is another pretty little village close to Bright<\/a> on Morses Creek<\/a>. We went for a loop walk starting in town that took by the Chinese Bridge and back via the Swing Bridge following Morses Creek<\/a>. Wandiligong<\/a> is one of the areas where European and Chinese gold miners got along better during the gold rush years. We read stories where Europeans had helped elderly sick Chinese with food and care, which was far better treatment than some of the other gold fields. The Chinese Bridge was built in honour of the Chinese workers of that era.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Wild Apple Tree at Wandiligong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Wandiligong<\/a> is home to a massive apple orchard and there were wild apple trees everywhere we walked as well as oak trees laden with acorns and maple trees just starting to turn in colour. I picked an apple from one tree that looked a bit like a cross between a Granny-Smith and a Golden-Delicious… It was incredibly juicy and I suspect may well have been derived from a cider apple variety.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Paraglider landing in Bright<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Coming back to Bright<\/a> from Wandiligong<\/a> we passed the paragliding\/hang-gliding landing field and were treated to a landing before we noticed two dozen other paragliders circling around and playing follow-the-leader in search of thermals above the nearby mountains. The moon was out during the day and we occasionally had a view of one or two paragliders floating past it like some sort low flying medieval astronaut…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everywhere you go around the Bright<\/a> area is picturesque… It’s like a mini New Zealand or Tasmania. You could spend a lot of lazy days wandering and driving around the area without ever feeling rushed or stressed. However… I suspect that the vibe is a bit different during the ski season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Bright<\/a>… Homeward bound via Gundagai for three nights…<\/p>\n\n<\/div>

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Big4 Bright Holiday Park van site<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Penny & Steve’s van at Bright<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Penny discretely hiding her tacky tourist gift<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Penny & Jo exchanging tacky tourist gifts<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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Rob seeking independent judging of the tacky tourist gifts<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>
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An evening at Bright Brewery<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure><\/div>\n
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\"Drinks<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

So… the main reason for us taking our short trip through Victoria was to catch up with Jo’s school friend Penny and her husband Steve while they were travelling around Victoria as well. We’d previously decided to meet up in Bright<\/a> and stay at the Big4 Bright Holiday Park<\/a> situated on the banks of the Ovens River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penny & Steve had recently acquired a lovely Swift caravan and were travelling around Victoria for all of March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of our trip Penny challenged us to see which couple could find the tackiest tourist gift for under $15… a challenge we gladly accepted. Upon meeting up in the Big4 Bright Holiday Park<\/a> we had the customary drinks and proceeded to present each other with our gifts. Penny & Steve offloaded us with a particularly cringeworthy Melbourne Demons (AFL) football shaped wine cork remover. We were pleased to present them with a slightly offensive solar powered jiggling koala.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Penny & Jo exchanging tacky tourist gifts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Between us we couldn’t agree which of the two ‘gifts’ was the tackiest so we asked the van next door to adjudicate. They proclaimed the jiggling koala to be the tackier of the two but I think we all agree that they were both very tacky and worthy of the title…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a thoroughly enjoyable time spent with Penny & Steve at Bright<\/a> and we spent each day touring around the Buckland Valley, Omeo and the surrounds of Bright<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Big4 Bright Holiday Park van site<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Big4 Bright Holiday Park<\/a> itself is not a cheap stay but on the whole, given the location, amenities, and quality of the park it is well worth the stay. Most sites are slightly challenging to back into but one in they are perfectly level and fairly spacious with lots of shade from trees and privacy. We didn’t have a slab site but instead were provided with a large rubber ‘honeycomb’ style mat, which we thought was a fence until Penny & Steve pointed it out to us.<\/p>\n\n\n

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River walk at Bright<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The park is a short walk into town along a picturesque river walk that tracks down to a public water park area including a slide into the river, a diving board, water dump bucket and various water play spots. The water is crystal clear and the temperature is very refreshing…<\/p>\n\n\n

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An evening at Bright Brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The path takes you past the Bright Brewery<\/a> where we spent our last evening with Penny & Steve sampling their beers and cider and feasting upon pizza. Their beers were quite left field with a lot of Pale Ale’s (which I am NOT a fan of)… But I did try the following:<\/p>\n\n\n