Weekend getaways: High Country

The High Country is home to a surprising number of craft breweries, and it punches well above its weight when it comes to award-winning and interesting beers. If you are going to the High Country in autumn, check out the High Country Hops Festival, which is hosted at a different craft brewery every year. The festival celebrates the completion of the hops harvest and brings together beers from eight breweries as well as food, music and entertainment. 

Even if you miss the festival, make sure you stop at some of the marvellous breweries in the region. A good place to start planning is the High Country Brewery Trail, which will bring you to several craft breweries in the region – you can drive or opt for a more adventurous bike ride between them. A highlight of the Brewery Trail is the famous Bridge Road Brewers in Beechworth. The Beechworth Pale Ale, the brewery's most popular brew, was voted number nine in GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2017 poll. Three other of the brewery's offerings also made the top 100 list. 

In Bright, you'll find local stalwart the Bright Brewery. Founder Scott Brandon and his team have eight regular beers available all year round, plus an ever-changing cast of about 12 seasonal brews. 

You can eat very well in the High Country – many establishments have a focus on local produce, and high-quality ingredients shine through. For a simple and delicious lunch or dinner, try Bridge Road Brewers in Beechworth – the apple-and-blue-cheese pizza is a standout and its classic Margherita ticks all the boxes.

For something just a little fancier, try Ox and Hound Bistro. This smart casual Beechworth restaurant (cloth napkins but nil airs and graces) plates up dishes inspired by rustic French and Italian cuisine – something that head chef and owner Sean Ford admits to having an obsession with. Underneath the wattle branch chandeliers, diners are served bistro classics like rainbow trout terrine, chèvre gougères and pillowy plates of gnocchi alongside a wine list that boasts almost 70 bottles (including plenty of local drops plus French and Italian vintages).

And for something really fancy try Provenance.  Although you might eat one of the animals from our coat of arms on your visit, the flavours will remind you a little bit of Europe and a lot of Japan – and will be distinctly the signature of chef and co-owner Michael Ryan and the Australia he has built for himself. You could opt to order your dishes from the a la carte menu, but remember you just drove for a whole afternoon – go all in for the six-course tasting menu. You’re worth it.

Although it has a population of fewer than 3,000 people, Bright has a wide variety of eating options – there are nearly 30 cafés in the town, plus a host of restaurants and bars. The Bright Brewery offers a wide variety of food, from ribs and burgers through to pizza and salads. But there is one venue in Bright that every single person in town mentioned: Tomahawks. The venue feels like the most fun Hawaiian beachside bar you can imagine got transplanted to the snow, and the food is exceptionally good. Burgers and small sharing plates are the order of the day here, with the Southern fried chicken, lamb ribs and char-grilled broccoli must-haves. Seriously, I do not think I have ever said, "I need all of that broccoli in my face right now" before, but this broccoli is that good. Wash it down with a Tiki Sour cocktail, with fizzy house-made sherbert on the rim. Delicious. 

Residents of Bright were left bereft when Hamish Nugent and Rachel Reed decided to shut their hatted restaurant Tani Eat & Drink, but as any singing nun will tell you, when one door closes, somewhere a window opens. The food and drink power couple turned their attention to gin, and they now own Reed & Co, whose first batch, Remedy Gin, hit shelves in December. Remedy is spicy and interesting, with desert lime and mountain pepperberry providing delicious botanical notes. Keep an eye out for Nugent and Reed's next release, which will be called Black Remedy and will have smoky overtones. Reed & Co has a bar in the heart of Bright, with gin tastings, a limited food menu and gin-based cocktails. 

If you are looking for a classy cocktail bar that would feel at home in Fitzroy or Carlton, make sure you visit Dr Mauve (and do ask a staff member about the name, and the provenance of the wall full of ridiculous cat pictures and paintings). The stylish, cosy and intimate bar has moved into Tani's old digs and is committed to top-quality cocktails at very non-Melbourne prices. You can meet the who's who of the Bright hospitality world in this bar, too, watching staff from surrounding bars and restaurants filter in all night as their venues hit quitting time. 

1. Brown Brothers, Milawa
The most well-known of the region’s winemakers, Brown Brothers is known for its bustling cellar door and variety of mainstream and quirky varietals on offer, from sauvignon blanc to tempranillo. Sample the sparkling wine range and ensure you try the limited-release vermentino.

2. Pizzini, King Valley
Long live prosecco! Up at Pizzini, that’s the first wine you’ll tuck your beak into and you’ll most likely leave with some nebbiolo, sangiovese and riesling as well. At Pizzini, you can make a real experience of it, thanks to its cooking school and B&B on site. 

3. Campbells, Rutherglen
Rutherglen is most well known for its fortified wines, but the shiraz and durif are also top-notch at Campbells, a winery that has been producing top drops for 140 years, spanning five generations of winemaking.

4. Boynton’s Feathertop, Alpine Valleys
Flanked by Mount Feathertop, Boynton’s is worth a visit for its stunning location alone. It’s here you come for the alpine air and a range of reds, particularly the shiraz, and the cabernet blend. 

5. Ringer Reef, Porepunkah
Along the famous High Country Rail Trail, Ringer Reef is a cyclist-friendly, family-owned winery that produces wines a bit different from the standard riesling-sauv blanc-pinot you find at most cool-climate wineries. Definitely try the nebbiolo and the petit manseng, and if you arrive by bike, the staff can deliver your wine to your accommodation so you don't have to try to balance a case on your handlebars.

The four houses that comprise Our Place at Bright can be booked individually or together and can cater for groups from two all the way up to 28 people. The houses are bright and airy and in a great location – you can walk from the complex to the centre of Bright in less than 15 minutes. 

But if you are looking for somewhere really special to stay in the High Country, you should book the 1860 Luxury Accommodation in Beechworth. The timber cabin (from, yes, 1860) was originally situated in the town of Emerald and was shifted to Taggerty and then to its present home in Beechworth.  That doesn't mean it's a dark, windswept cabin, though, as it would have been in 1860. No expense has been spared to turn the cabin into a gorgeous retreat, complete with modern comforts and beautiful period styling. The cabin sleeps just two people, and it is the perfect romantic retreat for you and a special someone. 

Located on the southern side of Beechworth Gorge, ArtScape Cottage is part accommodation, part gallery and part studio. The cottage features a bedroom, bathroom and combined living and dining space, the latter of which is brimming with works by local artists (you can even purchase many of these works). 

There’s everything you need for a relaxing escape (including a full kitchen with breakfast and snacks provided) plus an easel, art supplies and a number of musical instruments – it’s pretty impossible to resist trying out the piano and banjo, even if you have no clue what you’re doing.

After indulging in some creative downtime, make yourself a cuppa and venture out into ArtScape’s lush, wildly floral garden that we’re pretty sure must have once belonged to Miss Honey from Matilda. Sit outside long enough and you’re sure to meet some of the resident rosellas, bowerbirds and plentiful sparrows.