First up on the list of best places to visit in Bright is a day or two up at Hotham. Hotham Alpine Resort is Australia’s highest alpine village, located an hour from Bright and 4.5 hours from Melbourne. In the winter, this hill comes alive with a few metres of white powdery goodness. As the highest alpine resort, this ski hub gets some of the best snow in Australia and has a huge variety of terrain for everyone from beginners to advanced skiers. This is one of the best places to visit in Australia for advanced riders looking to get a taste of fresh tracks in this more challenging Australian alpine terrain.

This area is also pretty magical in the summertime (or so I hear from the friendly locals)! With the sun out and the snow melting, this alpine town transforms into the perfect hiking, biking, trail running and fly fishing terrain. There is no shortage of things to do in winter and summer at Hotham.

Top tip: Be aware that the road up to Hotham can become covered in snow and ice in the winter months. As such, you will be required to carry chains. You can easily rent these from a chain hire/ ski store in town. These typically start at around $25 per day.

2. Stop by the brewery

Whether you are chasing an apres ski in the winter or a place to cool off in the summer months, Bright Brewery is the place to do it. Located in Bright, this mountain-crafted brewery is inspired by this thriving high country in both brews and brew names. For example, you can try their Black Diamond IPA, Alpine Lager or their Doggo Brau (for the dog lovers, of course).

I personally am not a beer person, so enjoyed one of their on-tap ciders instead. I also tried their mulled cider which I have never come across before. It was warm and homey in all the right ways, and would say this is one of the best places to visit in Bright in winter and one of the best places to visit in Victoria for its unique high country brewery charm. Overall this place had a very laid-back vibe, and the staff were lovely. Would recommend!

3. See the trees in autumn

There are few better places to experience the magic of Autumn in Australia than in Bright. In fact, each year since 1962 there has been an Annual Bright Autumn festival to ring in this colourful season. The exact dates will change yearly depending on the temperatures and when the winter sets in, but generally the Autumn colours can be best seen during the month of May. This is definitely one of the best places to visit in Australia and one of the best places to visit in Victoria for photographers looking to capture vibrant Autumn scenes.

4. Grab a bite to eat

If you’re anything like me, then food is the centrepiece of travel experiences. Luckily Bright delivers in spades. Some of the top things to do in Bright when it comes to food experiences include:

Grab a burger from Burgerville

This victorian burger chain sets up shop in town next to the Bright Woolworths. It’s an easy, cost-effective and yummy dinner or quick lunch.

Japanese for lunch at Katsu

Katsu is a little Japanese hole-in-the-wall restaurant that is open only during the day from 11 am to 2 pm – making it the perfect lunch spot.

Pizza at Don Mungo’s

Don Mungo’s is a quirky pizza joint with downright delicious pizza. From traditional italian to vegan to a fusion Japanese inspired pizza – it’s bound to impress. I’ll admit, I somehow found myself grabbing pizza there two nights in a row… it was that good.

There were some other great contenders, but these were easily my top three. With all this in mind, Bright has to be one of my favourite places to visit in Victoria (aside from Melbourne, of course), for such a hub of great food.