When considering “summer getaways”, Victoria’s alpine region rarely crosses the mind, but the quiet valley and the resort towns perched up in the mountains have a surprising amount to offer when the sun’s out and the snow’s melted.

For thousands of years before European settlement, the Dhudhuroa, Gunai-Kurnai, Taungurung, Waywurru and Yaitmathang and a number of other Indigenous peoples called the Victorian Alps home, and after the British arrived the area was swept up in the gold rush. Now the mountains and valleys are known for three things: wine, skiing and being a bloody long drive from Melbourne.

But don’t let that put you off, the views alone are worth the trip, and anyway, it’s mostly a straight line down the Hume, so thinking requirements on route are minimal.

Where to stay

The Alpine region is made up of several medium-sized towns. The obvious destination is Bright. The leafy gold rush town is the region’s tourism centre, which means great amenities, but bigger crowds in the high seasons. “It’s the crown jewel of the shire,” locals from nearby Mount Beauty will say, with barely disguised contempt in their voices. “Plus it’s surrounded by all those pine plantations.”

Speaking of which, Mount Beauty and nearby Tawonga are great options for those who want unadulterated views of the forests and the highest mountain in Victoria, Mount Bogong. Set in an expansive valley, every window in these towns looks like a postcard, and they make great centre points for day trips. Although you might run out of new restaurants to try after a couple of nights.

About an hour away is the township of Myrtleford, which is bigger than Beauty (it has a Target and everything) and the added benefit of only being three and a half hours out of Melbourne, making it ideal for a shorter weekend away.

For those who like pretending they are in Highlander or Game of Thrones, the resort towns – such as Falls Creek and Mount Hotham – are great summer options. The sweeping highland wilderness and well-established townships make it a great blend of adventure and comfort – as long as you don’t mind ubiquitous snowflake decorations in January. Plus the cool breezes make the hot summer sun quite pleasant. “Winter is the reason you come to Falls Creek, but summer is why you stay,” says Jayne Fatchen, owner of the popular Milch Cafe up on the mountain.

“You can go hiking, mountain biking, cycling, gravel grinding, there’s amazing hikes and walks and picnics, and go swimming in the dam. There’s heaps of restaurants and stuff open, summer is a big thing.” For those who find themselves at Milch, the “better than sex” brownies are the crowd favourite.

Caravan parks and Airbnbs dot the area – just pick one in a town you like the sound of. For more seclusion, there are also lodges in the mountains open year-round.

For those wanting something a little different, a stay at Spring Spur is worth considering – it’s a horse-riding ranch, with all-inclusive weekends and five-night pack rides available, but even if jumping on a beast isn’t your speed, the accommodation is so scenic and comfortable it’s still worth the drive down the dirt road from Tawonga. As a bonus, the two resident dogs, Marna and Shadow, are always up for a pat.

What to do

The mountain biking paths are one of the big attractions of the region in summer and, as the staff at the Rocky Valley Bikes and Snow Sports shop will assure you, it’s really not as hard as you think it’s going to be. For beginners, the Bright bike park has wide machine-built paths, but even the steeper Mount Beauty Big Mountain park has paths that require only moderate fitness to handle.

There is an abundance of bushwalks in the region, but nothing beats a stroll around the town of Harrietville on a hot summer’s day. Walk around the gently sloping bush before diving into the popular Dredge Hole, a freshwater lake formed from a giant floating gold mining excavator during the gold rush.

It’s hard to turn a corner in the Alpine Valley without spotting a vineyard. The Feathertop Winery, just outside Bright, offers a “pedal and picnic” experience where you ride a bike around the vineyard as a picnic table is set up for you under the shade of a gum tree. It will cost you $60 a head but they aren’t stingy with the locally sourced cheese and fancy nibble selections.

Where to eat and drink

The hidden gem of the region has to be The Stockpot. This restaurant is easy to dismiss since it is sandwiched between a petrol station and a mechanic in Tawonga South, but the food belies the humble location. The chef and co-owner, Mitch Smith, was trained in fine dining in Melbourne, and it shows. The pumpkin pizza alone is worth writing home about.

For those in the mood for fine dining, the Templar Lodge sits a few hundred metres up the road – although those who don’t book weeks in advance might find it hard to get in. Built in a former freemason’s lodge, the restaurant’s quiet veranda and fancy cocktail menu make a peaceful end to the evening.

Down the main strip of Tawonga South lies the Crank Handle Brewery, run by Mick Piera. He was a backyard brewer for years, but when his wife got sick he started up the full-time brewery in order to work closer to home. But the business has had one of the roughest starts imaginable, opening just six weeks before the valley was evacuated in the summer bushfires. “Then we’re open for another four weeks, and we closed for the first round of Covid ... Out of the 12 months, we’ve been open to trading for four of them,” he says.

The brewery serves a range of beers including an English bitter, sturdy porter and a pale ale he made under duress after locals demanded something that tastes like Carlton Draught. (It tastes much better.)

Now Piera is battling a brain tumour and is just hoping he brewed enough before he started treatment for the summer rush everyone is praying for. “People are talking about 2020 being tough, but we have had 2020 and some.”

When stopping in Myrtleford, Cafe Fez, run by the Ramia family, is worth seeking out. This is as much for the delicious Lebanese and Moroccan cuisine (with recipes lifted from nana’s cookbook) as the vast global home goods store out the back. Here you can buy anything from tiny soy sauce bowls to huge Indian pagodas, with what has to be one of the most eclectic and interesting collection of items you’ll find in Victoria.

Getting around

Bright is located about an hour and half from Albury airport, for those coming from interstate, and a V/Line train regularly runs between Wangaratta and Melbourne. But with widely spaced towns and a lot of dense mountainous bush in between, a car is highly recommended.

• The author was a guest of Visit Victoria