Danny’s Lookout is the stop on the climb to Mt Hotham where you finally see what you’ve been driving through: ridge after ridge of blue ranges, fading away into the distance. We pulled in on our second day, after the long climb up from Harrietville, and walked the few steps up onto the bare summit.
About Danny’s LookoutAbout
The lookout is a bare rocky knoll right beside the Great Alpine Road, near the top of the climb from Harrietville to Mt Hotham, and the sign gives its height as 1,705 metres. It’s named after Danny Cavedon, and a bronze plaque on a boulder calls him a mountain legend who touched us all. On top of the boulder, a direction plate points out the country to the north-east and towards East Gippsland.
Quick facts
- AddressDanny's Lookout, Great Alpine Road, Hotham Heights VIC 3741, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- FacilitiesParkingLookoutsNo ToiletsNo Drinking Water
- Good to know1,705 m upRight beside the roadSnow in winter
- FeesFree
- 9.4/10Overall rated
Getting There
From Harrietville the Great Alpine Road climbs through tall forest and tight hairpins, then breaks out above the treeline onto open ridges of alpine grass and bleached, dead snow gums, with red and yellow snow poles along the edge. Danny’s Lookout is a gravel pull-off beside the road near the top, with room for several cars. The road is sealed all the way, but in winter snow and ice come into play, so check the conditions and the chain rules before you go.
Up on the SummitThe summit
From the car it’s a few steps up onto the open summit, a flat cap of bare rock and gravel with the sign at the far edge. The view opens up on every side: deep, forested valleys falling away below and layer after layer of blue ranges beyond, with alpine grasses and little white wildflowers around the edge in summer. On our summer afternoon the far ridges faded into a soft haze.
The Panel That Names the PeaksThe panel
The panel at the lookout, The Great Alpine Road: Alpine Panorama, draws the skyline and names it. To one side are Mt Howitt, the Crosscut Saw and Mt Buller; then Mt Cobbler, the Buckland Valley and the granite of Mount Buffalo National Park; and closer in, Bungalow Spur, Little Mt Feathertop and Mt Feathertop itself, at 1,922 metres, with the Razorback running up to it. It also tells the story of how the Alps formed, from ancient seabeds to the ice ages.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
Back down the mountain, Harrietville has a bakery and the trailheads for Mount Feathertop. Over the top, the Great Alpine Road passes Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain and drops down to Omeo; just before Omeo, the Mt Kosciuszko Lookout looks right across the border to the Main Range in NSW.
Summary
Danny’s Lookout is a five-minute stop with one of the biggest views in the Victorian Alps: a bare summit at 1,705 metres, ridge after ridge of blue ranges, and a panel that names them all. There’s nothing else here, so bring a drink and take your time.
Amazing views, and an amazing drive to get there.
A few steps from a gravel pull-off on the Great Alpine Road, a bare rocky summit at 1,705 metres looks out over ridge after ridge of blue ranges, with Mt Feathertop, Mt Buffalo and Mt Buller named on the panel. The climb up the Great Alpine Road is half the fun.
- Travellers
- Families
- 4WD tourers
Yes. It’s free, it’s right beside the road, and in five minutes you get one of the widest views in the Victorian Alps.
Recommended Gear for Danny’s Lookout
A pair of binoculars picks out the peaks on the panel, and it’s worth having good water containers in the car, as there’s no water up here. The Hema High Country atlas shows the whole Great Alpine Road and the tracks off it, and a power bank keeps your phone charged for photos.
