Great Alpine Road (Australia part 25)

After a final look back from the viewpoint at the waters around Lakes Entrance, we drove towards the Great Alpine Road and thus back into the interior of the country.

Along the way, we encountered a herd of cows (We have seen significantly more cows and sheep in Australia than kangaroos and other native animals.), which were being driven along the road. One cow even walked calmly in front of our car. Overall, the herd seemed a bit disorganized, but further back we saw a small car that was apparently accompanying them.

Our first stop was in Omeo. There, you could visit the old courthouse and prison in the 'Historical Park and Museum', which became necessary with the gold rush and the increasing number of inhabitants and crimes.

Then we approached the Alpine National Park and stopped at a viewpoint from which you could overlook it and even catch a glimpse of Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia, in the distance.

The road became increasingly steeper and more winding. Eventually, we even passed some spots where there was still snow. But at least we were driving on the highest road in Australia.

The slope dropped almost vertically on both sides, and we wondered why there is advertising for guardrails everywhere at the moment, but none are installed here. Guardrails were just being installed in Lakes Entrance, and a big deal was made about the outstanding safety in road traffic. I would have much preferred them before the abyss instead of beside the meadow in front of the city...

In the afternoon, we had little time in the Mount Buffalo National Park, but we still wanted to do two short hikes. First, we stopped at a viewpoint

and at Lake Catani.

Then we hiked through the 'Old Gallery', a path through piled rocks and white trees.

Afterwards, we drove a bit further into the park and started a small ascent to the 'Cathedral' and the 'Hump', from which you had a beautiful view of the valley.

In the evening, we wanted to explore the city center of Bright, where we stayed overnight. Although there were some shops and restaurants - by 8:30 p.m., the streets were already deserted. We went to the local brewery, whose restaurant and bar were supposed to be open until 'late' according to the sign. Apparently, 'late' means something different here than it does to us: Just as we had placed our order, the tables at the neighboring tables were already being put up.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our beers in peace (at least there were still four other guests in the place). In order to try different ones, we had ordered a set of six small glasses of typical beers. There were also very flowery descriptions of the flavors that you should taste and the naming of the beer types brewed here.

As it started raining and even hailing again, we didn't spend too long at the three viewpoints and continued our drive further north.