#58 of 79 · mountain
Great Alpine Road
Bright, Victoria → Omeo
125 km · Nov – Apr · Moderate
The High Country over Hotham. Snow gums, a ski village that goes quiet in summer, then the drop into Omeo. Victoria’s other great road — the inland one.
Viewpoints
Mount Hotham
1,861 m. The ski village. In summer it is a ghost with a view.
55 km
1,861 m
Dinner Plain
Snow gums and a village off the bitumen. A cup of something.
70 km
1,520 m
Omeo
The gold town in the fold. The descent is the last act.
125 km
640 m
- Road
- Sealed, exposed, ice in the shoulder seasons. Chains in winter; the road stays open more than you think and closes when it must. Wildlife at dusk.
- Permits
- Chains required when signed in snow season.
Tips
- 01
This is the high bit
Wangaratta to Bairnsdale is the whole B500. Bright to Omeo is the reason.
- 02
Summer for the drive
Winter is a ski road with chains. November to April is the alpine you came for.
From the road
2 notes
Field reports from people who have driven this route.
Driven this road? Join as a driver to leave a note from the road.
Ben R.
Jan 2026
Bright at seven, Hotham still in last night’s frost. Dinner Plain empty. Omeo by eleven. This is the High Country, not the Great Ocean. Different job.
Tessa W.
Nov 2025
Chains in the boot in November, unused. Snow gums on the Hotham side looked burnt and alive at once. Do not rush the drop into Omeo — wombats at dusk.
