Bright (and surrounding Alpine regions)

The weather was finally showing some promising spring weather therefore we opted for a day trip somewhere out of Melbourne. The intention of the road trip to the town of Bright (approx 4 hours drive from Melbourne) was to see what the 24th annual Spring Festival was all about. 

Myrtleford

Our first stopover was at The Butter Factory in Myrtleford as it was close to lunchtime and we were all starving. Restaurant/cafe was operating front of house while the actual butter factory process and deli section was at the back. They offer tours and tastings on Thursdays with bookings only.

Wine: Ladies who shoot their lunch....lol

Different types of butter they produced:

20 Reasons why you should include cultured butter in your diet

They had a good selection of homemade quiches, lasagne, pies etc. I found my lasagne a bit dry and missing some flavours. Mr I ordered one of the Specials of the Day - pork spare ribs in carrot and ridicchio slaw ($18.50). I think the ribs were a tad burnt but the sauce had some Asian influences to it. Mr J liked his homemade quiche. Food was overall so-so unless you order a dish cooked to order. Coffees were decent.

After lunch we went to check out the assortment of deli goods they had on the shelves. They also made jams, spreads and soap.

The Butter Factory's products are stocked locally in Melbourne so you don't have to drive all the way to Myrtleford! If you want to purchase for your pantry, the list is as follows:

Bright

Bloated and tummy's satisfied, we make our way to Bright which was about 20 minutes away from Myrtleford.  The road trip ended up being on the last Sunday of the festival which was a bad idea as it had limited events or programs on that particular day. The previous night they had lit fireworks in the nearby racecourse. The only thing available to us was the open gardens on display which we didn't end up seeing or the winery which had discounted wines for sale. Also being a country town, do note that the majority of shops close by 3pm or 4pm. Upon suggestion of the Visitors Centre, we had the option of the Canyon or the Cherry Tree walk. We didn't go for the latter as the volunteer said, in a very casual tone mind you, to watch out for snakes along that path!! Thanks but no thanks...

One friend commented that the Bright Autumn Festival was much more vibrant and you can at least get some nice photography shots of the autumn coloured leaves of the maple trees lined along the street. We didn't see much trees in semi-cherry blossom state. Instead, we saw masses amount of pollen floating around the air! Picture can be found further below. Luckily we all took hayfever tablets that morning upon seeing the pollen weather report.

Off to the approx 3km return Canyon walk track we go....hi ho hi ho...

Walking along the relatively flat path, the trees looked like it was covered in a light blanket of snow. Until we realised it was actually pollen when we inspected it closer...stay away! I've never seen so much pollen in one area. It seemed like the trees were animals and moulting...haha

During the walk along the river, you will encounter two canyon bridges and ascend on some unpaved rock paths. We saw kids canoeing along the way. The hot weather make our walking tour slightly more difficult. Alas no snakes!

After the sweaty walk, we decided to reward ourselves and offset the exercise with some much needed ice-cream. Queues were expected on this sunny day. I scan the flavours list...zabione??? I had no idea what zabione flavour was so thought I'd be a bit adventurous. It ended up tasting like a weird caramel with off rum flavour...another wrong decision for the day. My other boysenberry flavour was much better but a bit too sweet for my liking.

Next stop was to the winery which featured the discounted wines in the official Spring Festival programme. I forgot the name but it was located along the Great Alphine Road heading back to Melbourne (Hume Highway) after passing Myrtleford. Sadly, the cafe was closing so we couldn't stop for afternoon tea before the long drive home.

Glenrowan

Final stop on the way home was the town of Glenrowan, famous for Ned Kelly's last stand. A quick photo of the giant statue was a must as this country has a love for big things. The museum was closing so we couldn't check it out.

Sunset was happening when we were passing the Yarra Valley. Great views to end the day. 

Overall, it was a tiring daytrip and an overnight stay in Bright or nearby towns is highly recommended. There was also an accessible bike path heading to Bright which appeared popular with locals. The area also offers paragliding and mountain hiking for the slightly more adventurous. Our next trip to Bright will be in autumn/fall 2013, with another intention to sample one of their award winning restaurants.