In all the time we had been wandering hither and yon about the high country, we had studiously avoided spending any time in what is supposed to be the jewel in the tourist crown of that area, the town of Bright.
And there is a very good reason for that. It was always crowded. As you have already seen, the Easter crowds were something else, but once that holiday period had concluded and all the visiting yuppies and other well heeled Victorians had drifted back to their various Melbourne lives, they were replaced by the grey nomads and other visitors in their droves, here to admire the splendour of the autumn leaves.
And frankly, who could blame them...we were here for the same reason, only we had the good sense to base ourselves in Myrtleford.
I have already admitted that my timing was wrong in planning our visit to this area. We were too early. All the trees were still green. Had I had the good sense to make a few more enquiries, we probably would have arrived here later, but with that admission comes the self-justification rider that this planning error did allow us to see much more that would have been otherwise possible.
The Bright Autumn Festival, an annual event, which is one of the many festivals and special events for which this town is renown (we were reliably told that there are only about three to four weeks of the entire year when there is absolutely nothing of note going on in Bright....imagine!!) was due to begin this year on 21 April. There had to be a reason for this, and there is....that is when the leaves should be at their best. Based on this, we left our stroll around the town until as late as possible, although I did scurry in and out prior to that to capture the colour of some of the trees which I knew would soon be on the way out.
My observations had soon taught me that one of the characteristics of the 'landscape' trees of the alpine region is that some change sooner than others, and those with the most colour soon drop. It's as though those which flame brightest burn out more quickly than their less colourful counterparts.
The advantage those of the yellow, orange and brown hues have over their more showy cousins is that they retain their leaves much longer and therefore produce the massive canopies and avenues of colour which are a real highlight in themselves.
I was determined to see and photograph as many as I could whilst they were at their peak and so did sortie into Bright on several occasions early in the piece to monitor the Canadian Maples in the main street as they donned their flaming red autumn garb.
When we first drove though on 28 March,
things were generally pretty drab. How that was to change.
By 3 April, the trees in Ireland Street, the road though the main Bright retail hub, were on the move. This is what I had been waiting for.
Looking down Ireland Street over the display of begonias in the roundabout, the colour was evident.
I'll just let the pictures tell the story.
You'll see many of these scenes again later, but by then the leaves of most of these flame trees will be well past their best.
I suspect this blog may well be characterised later in one word...'overkill'...probably right, but I have no idea if or when we'll ever be back here again and I was determined to make the most of this visit for the record.
How could these colours not impress? By the time we revisited for a serious look around, some of these trees were still in leaf, but many were beginning to look decidedly tatty.
And so on to 18 April. This time our visit was to be much more that fleeting. Let's pick it up from the Porepunkah roundabout where we veered left to travel the remaining 6 kms into Bright. As you can see we were still a touch early for the full display, but this was out last chance. We had to be moving on.
At least there were signs of change along the highway
and on the approaches
into town.
At this point I must digress slightly. With thanks to 'pixdaus.com' this is what this avenue can look like at its very best. We were still just too early, but determined to make the most of what we could find.
We began by driving around the back streets where it was obvious that many locals had taken the time to plant landscape trees in their gardens and on the verges.
Street after street
provided displays of colour. My virtual editor's blue pen has cut a swathe through the myriads of photos which came back to base with us this day!
My attempt to show how these trees are dotted through the town was stymied to a large extend by both the smoke haze and our failing camera, so I'm afraid this will have to do.
But again, let me resort to the Internet and with the help of 'travelvictoria' show just how spectacular this town can look in autumn. Timing is everything (both seasonal and the hour of the day)
After our sortie through the back streets it was time to park the Cruiser in Canyon Lane and do a walk we had been promising ourselves for some weeks.
We were about to embark on The Canyon Walk, or at least a very small section of it, up to the lower 'swing bridge' along one side of the Ovens to Star Road and back again. We had, coincidentally, walked much of the Porepunkah end of the trail whilst there over Easter. Now for the Bright end.
Off we went, down the first easy stretch.
As the 'Canyon Walk' sign warns, some sections of the trail are a little roughish, but we found it perfectly manageable.
Apart from panning for the the alluvial deposits, much of the early gold extraction was achieved by 'sluicing'. That was before the dredges took over.
We had not gone too far when the first swing bridge came into view, and here the 'canyon' results of the mining were much more evident.
It was time to cross the river
which, at this point, was a mere autumn trickle.
On this side, the whole aspect changes. The trail is far more 'formal', and along this section, right back to the river crossing at Star Road,
we passed the entrances of holiday rental property after property, some of which were completely hidden behind the trees,
others more obvious. Throughout this entire day, one thing became more and more clear....Bright revolves around, and is highly geared to cater for, tourism.
At about this point we had a real surprise. "What is that bloke doing?" Panning for gold, that's what. As we watched, fascinated, this modern day prospector would scoop up river bed gravel in this long tube and dump it into a sieve over his washing pan.
Once the large bits of gravel had been discarded he skilfully swirled his tilted pan in the running water to wash out the lighter material before picking at the heavier residue for specks of gold. From what we could see, he was having some success, but just how much financial return this venture would provide I have no idea. Whatever the monetary outcome, this looked like a great way to spend a day.....with the added spice of the constant speculative thrill of each pan!
Like so many other places in this district, the river banks support large stands of poplar trees. Here, behind this row of tall, upright, leafy sentinels,
was another patch of autumn colour lining the front of yet another rental property lawn. The trees and gardens right along here are an absolute delight.
It was at about his point that the proximity of the Bright township become evident....this is the rear of one of the main street motels
whilst on this side of the stream, 'The Foxes Den' peeked out from behind the screening foliage.
No matter where we had walked along the Ovens River, we were presented with constantly changing and ever picturesque scenes. We have no difficulty at all understanding what draws folk to this town and the others nearby, at all times of the year.
Our second river crossing was now in sight,
whilst on the other bank the green was dotted with more autumn colour.
From the bridge yet another aspect of the Ovens was on display, as the shallow waters tumbled and gurgled over the rocky river bed.
Downstream it presented an entirely different picture, one which I'll just let speak for itself.
And, looking back along the road approach to the bridge, more spots of colour.
As we crossed the bridge and turned right onto the trail on the opposite of the river, another of Bright's landscape trees was showing off.
On the bank closest to the town the trail is much more user friendly than it is in places on the other side. Strangely enough, this is far more widely used by those staying in town, those who feel the need to exercise for its own sake or walk off the excesses of a visit to the Bright brewery or some other revelry.
From this side we had another view of the stand of poplars,
and just beyond this point we came to what amounts to the back yard of the Goldfield Holiday Units, where those staying here can relax at any time of the day in this leafy glade.
Now I can't be sure if it is an act of nature, or perhaps one of human intervention, but at this point the rocks of the river bed are arranged in such a way as to funnel the stream into a central channel, with the result that it constantly presents both sights and sounds.
As the bed of the river curved away from our trail, we had reached the end of our ramble along this section of the Canyon Walk. What a delight it had been, but it was now time to turn my attention to the town itself.
I have to say at this point that it is, and will ever be, rare in the extreme that I take a photograph of a car park. But in this case, as we left the truck in the Woolies park, I did have to wonder just how many expanses of bitumen owned by this supermarket giant have been planted out with what will grow to be huge landscape trees. When in Rome or good corporate citizenship?....whatever the reason this park will certainly be the better for it as these trees grow to their full potential.
I find the CBD of Bright difficult to describe, but I'll do my best in words and pictures. The main shopping street in the town, Ireland Street, is dominated at its lower end by a large traffic roundabout in the centre of which stands the Bright clock tower memorial (of which there is a photo earlier in this missive).
Two short streets lead up to this off the Great Alpine Road, called Gavan Street as it traverses the town just above the river valley,
One is Barnard Street
and, at this colourful roundabout on Gavan Street,
the town centre is reached along Anderson Street.
From this point, where Barnard Street joins the roundabout,
it more or less continues as one carriageway of divided Ireland Street
whilst the curve of Anderson Street
becomes the carriageway on the other side of the dividing median strip. And it is in this shot you can see what I meant about the falling leaves of the red 'flame' trees. Some are just hanging on but this nearest the camera is all but gone. I was very glad I had made the earlier trip into town.
Hopefully this provides some idea of what the central area of Bright is all about. Before I walked the streets, camera at the ready, I decided to take a closer look at the riverside park which runs parallel to the Ovens just below Gavan Street.
From the Woolies car park I walked along Gavan Street, past the Star Hotel
and down the short road towards the bridge over which we had so crossed the Ovens, but this time
I turned right into Riverside Lane.
This took me past the Bright Chocolate factory which I was able to leave immediately in my wake.....Liz, the chocoholic, was off on other pursuits!
Within a few more metres the car park of Howitt Park lay before me,
where the large building housing the public toilet block has a central arch which was instantly recognisable....the shape of a tobacco kiln.
This is a large park. It includes a colourfully painted sound shell,
playgrounds
and picnic and BBQ areas.
A weir below a small foot bridge at this end of the park ponds the upstream waters of the Ovens.Is there any need for words?
One of the many Bright caravan parks (there are at least seven in and around the town) lies directly opposite Howitt Park. I wondered just how long ago these lucky few made their bookings.
On the slopes above the park the cafe at the rear of the Bright Information centre is located to take in the views across the river
as is the rear deck of the establishment right next door, in which I was much more interested. I had sampled a drop or two from the mash tanks of the Bright brewery at the Beechworth hops festival, when I asked the chap behind their makeshift bar if they were doing anything over Easter.
As we later saw, his advice that we should be early if we wanted a seat was more than accurate....we didn't bother, but now it was time to check out their premises.
The rear stairs from the park led
directly into the rear covered dining area which at this uncluttered time of the day sorely tempted me to stop for a quenching ale and quick bite.....but how would I explain the delay in returning to our arranged rendezvous point?
I pressed on through the bar and beer sampling area with my hands pressed firmly into my pockets....there nothing could find its way into my outstretched fingers...like a glass, or two, or three! I knew from my previous tasting that they make a damn fine brew here.
As I left the brewery, I was amused to find this sign on the front door. To any who have been in this area for more than five minutes over the past few months, the only reaction to this information would be one of, 'really...you don't say!' I think I have said previously that my enquiries indicated that the local authorities are doing absolutely nothing about nest eradication, and are leaving everything up to the individual home owners. How very encouraging of them. This is a community problem......I am amazed the locals are not up in arms about this appalling lack of action, particularly given the potential bad taste the presence of these wretched insects could leave with visitors.
I know have mentioned either obliquely or directly before that, based on our observations, Bright, is a tourist town where many who visit are more than adequately blessed with earthly riches. As I emerged onto Gavan Street, and walked past 'Ye Olde' Coach House Inn, I came across the first of two restaurants on this strip which could not have been more different in all respects but price range.
The relatively modest building which houses Tani, does little to hint at what goes on behind the door.
A window notice provides a clue or two. I'll bet this will cost you, was my immediate thought.
When I found and studied the menu I saw that I was right. This is definitely 'cheque book' dining.
It was a similar story just down the road, where the old Doctor's Surgery has not seen a patient pass through its doors in years.
I again went in search of a menu at what is now another seriously up-market nosh house, and although there was no 'full menu on the front veranda', this one was enough to convince me that a decent evening meal here would see me in need of medial attention....for shock if I had walked in and sat down uninformed!
There are many, many far more modest eating houses throughout the Bright CBD, and a few more in these price ranges. All tastes catered for here!
Opposite these houses of fine dining in Gavan Street we find the quaint stone building which is the Bright cinema (in a town this size this is an immediate indication that tourism is a mainstay)
and immediately abutting this the front of the Information Centre.
From here I headed off down the coloured thoroughfare of Barnard Street, which (as we now know) leads to the main roundabout,
where the trees were struggling into their autumn garb.
At the end of this short street I emerged onto the main 'town square' (what do you actually call a spot which should be a square but is round??)
We've already seen beyond the clock tower along both sides the main street of the CBD, so let me now present a few 'Bright building snippets'. Along this street three brick buildings stand out from the rest of the streetscape. The first, and most grand, is obviously one of Bright's churches.
The second is now the business home of Belmores accountants
whilst across the road, this charming symmetrically fronted old red brick edifice houses the books and other contents of the Bright Library.
Some of the other shops along Ireland Street are of some architectural appeal, but frankly
I was more taken by the trees.
For the relatively short length of this street, cafes abound, as do their footpath tables. And I have to comment here, that many of the business premises are crammed with good stock....we managed to find a couple of items for the van here which we'd searched for high and low over the past weeks since leaving Adelaide.
Needless to say, clothing, particularly that needed for the winter cold, is in good commercial supply, as are camping goods, household items and the usual suspects such as the IGA, chemists, newsagents and so on.
But for me my jaunt was coming to an end. I walked past this row of huge pines which line Burke Street just past the church building, (in what is almost a defiant statement that not all the trees here shed their leaves)
back to the town clock where the large building which is Bright's Alpine Hotel dominates the far side of the roundabout.
Its bars, dining rooms and outdoor dining and quaffing areas take up this entire section of the corner,
and go on around into Anderson Street
where the remainder of the block is taken up by the motel units.
I was amused to find this plaque proudly displayed on the hotel wall. Only twenty years ago.....talk about living on past glories!
As you would expect, a town like Bright has its fair share of ski hire and other skiing related outlets, the largest of which can be found in Anderson Street opposite The Alpine.
By now I was but a stone's throw from returning along Anderson Street to my starting point on Gavan Street.
With one last glance back towards the CBD over the flowers on the roundabout, it was time to retrieve the Cruiser and make our way back along the Great Alpine Road to Myrtleford for the last time.
With one final autumn treat we say farewell to the Victorian high country and the leaves of autumn.
From the time we arrived in Beechworth this had been a marvellous five weeks roaming about from mountainous ski resorts to the wine country of Rutherglen and the King Valley and across to the river plains of the mighty Murray. The north-east region of Victoria no longer held any mysteries.
We could have easily stayed longer, but by now the constant smoke was beginning to take a real toll on my health. It had become a constant battle to maintain a clear airway. It is such a shame that the need to burn off, which we understand, cannot be conducted in a less intrusive manner.
But now new horizons beckoned. A few days in Junee and from there a return to Cowra for Anzac Day followed by another sojourn in Mudgee with many of our Sydney based friends. The next two weeks promised a delightful combination of new sights and old friends (and hopefully shorter blogs!!) And as the weather begins to turn, we are heading ever further north. This is just how it is supposed to work!
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