The Great Alpine Road

By Jen.

Besides the Great Ocean Road (next on the list after we get our mail back), Victoria also has the Great Alpine Road. Recommended as a road trip, we thought ought to check it out. It was a welcome relief to the heat and you could tell that autumn was just around the corner there.
The road passes through the Alpine National Park, which protects the Australian Alps mountain ranges. Not knowing much about the park (Victoria doesn’t seem to have very good information posted online or on the roads), we just drove through the park and stopped at things that seemed interesting. First stop was Black Duck Hole. I think I managed to pick the hardest short walk in the park. It was a steep walk that wouldn’t have been so bad, except that the gravel kept making you slide. You had to be very careful with each step. The riverbend was very welcoming after the warm hike, though.

The next day, we found Mount Cope. With the clouds amongst the mountains, we thought it might be an interesting hike as well. It was sufficiently rewarding with views.

We also walked up the short trail to Fainter Falls.

At this time, my phone started randomly rebooting and getting caught in the boot cycle. If I kept it cold (stuck it in the freezer), I could get it to finish the boot cycle and actually start up, but it was a goner. So, I backed up my photos and everything else I could and requested warranty support. Unfortunately, that means shipping my phone back to the States and then getting my new phone sent back to me after I ship them mine. So, I will mostly likely be without a phone for a month or 2. After spending a day sorting that out, we kept going.
We really enjoyed our visit to Mount Buffalo National Park.  We, of course, went straight to the top first (Horn Summit Lookout).

 "May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds..." -Edward Abbey

Lyrebird Plain.

The park here has really fun boulders. I think I enjoyed the Old Galleries walk the most, with its maze of large rocks.

Luth family, does this remind of you any of previous exploits in his early childhood?

I think this might be one of the most poisonous snakes in Victoria.

To finish the Great Alpine Road trip, we made a few urban stops. First to Beechworth to view the old buildings; then to Milawa for their cheese factory and to have a pizza made with their cheeses!

The courthouse is famous for its trial of Ned Kelly (the equivalent of the States’ Billy the Kid).

Check out these old advertisements!