Harrietville is the last village on the Great Alpine Road before it leaves the valley and climbs into the Alps, and it feels like the end of the line in a good way: a bakery, a little museum and a few quiet streets, with steep, forested ranges right behind. We stopped around midday on our second day, after Bright, stretched our legs and had a look around before the long climb to Mt Hotham.
About HarrietvilleAbout
Harrietville sits at the head of the Ovens Valley, where the east and west branches of the Ovens River meet, at the foot of Mount Feathertop and Mt Hotham. It began as a gold-mining town, and the museum’s lawn of old mining machinery and the dredge holes along the river are left over from those days. Today it’s a small, quiet village and a base for walkers and cyclists, and the start of the hikes up Mount Feathertop, at 1,922 metres one of Victoria’s highest peaks.
Quick facts
- AddressHarrietville VIC 3741, AustraliaSee on the trip map →
- FacilitiesRestaurantToiletsPicnic AreasWalking Trails
- Good to know18 km past BrightLast stop before HothamFeathertop trailheads
- FeesFree to visit
- 8.9/10Overall rated
Getting There
Harrietville is 18 km past Bright on the sealed Great Alpine Road, which runs straight up the valley between paddocks with the mountains closing in ahead. Past the village the road starts to climb in earnest, through tall forest and hairpins, up to Mt Hotham.
A Wander Through the VillageThe village
The Harrietville Bakery is the heart of the village: a cream weatherboard with a red roof and a green verandah, bread, pies and pastries made on the premises, and locally grown blueberries in season. Inside, old wooden skis, snowshoes and ski-field signs hang on the walls. Nearby, the Harrietville Museum is a small heritage cottage with old mining machinery on the lawn, next to a little hall and a roofed trailhead shelter with walk maps.
Walks From the VillageWalks
The trail boards in the village list everything from easy river strolls to the long climbs up Mount Feathertop, at 1,922 metres one of Victoria’s highest peaks. The easy walks start from Pioneer Park and the old dredge holes in the village, while the Feathertop tracks are full-day Grade 4 hikes from the edge of town.
- Riverside Walk and Charlie Miley track
1.6 km
return, about 45 minGrade 2, along the Ovens River from Pioneer Park. There’s a shorter 0.5 km loop of about 15 minutes.
- Tronoh Lake tracks
Short
loops, Grade 2Easy tracks around Tronoh Lake and the old dredge holes left from the gold days, including the Dredge Hole Loop from its own car park.
- Harrietville Shared Trail
10 km
return, about 2 hoursGrade 1 and sealed, from Pioneer Park to Stony Creek, for walkers and cyclists of any ability.
- East Branch Ovens River Track
2.2 km
Grade 3A rougher track with river crossings, only for summer when the water is low.
- Bungalow Spur to Mount Feathertop
22 km
return, about 8 hoursGrade 4, the classic climb from Harrietville to the summit at 1,922 metres. A long, hard day.
- North West Spur to Mount Feathertop
18 km
return, Grade 4The steeper way up, past MUMC Hut at 7 km, to the summit of Mount Feathertop.
Things to Do NearbyThings to do
From Harrietville the Great Alpine Road climbs through the forest and above the treeline to Danny’s Lookout, with huge views over the ranges, then on over Mt Hotham to Dinner Plain and Omeo. Bright is back down the valley.
Summary
Harrietville is a small, quiet village at the very foot of the Alps: a bakery full of old ski gear, a little museum, easy river walks and the trailheads for Mount Feathertop. Stop for a pie and a stretch before the climb to Mt Hotham.
A small, quiet village right at the foot of the Alps.
Harrietville has a bakery full of old ski gear, a little museum and easy walks along the Ovens River, with the forested ranges rising straight behind it. It’s the last stop before the Great Alpine Road climbs to Mt Hotham, and the start of the big hikes up Mount Feathertop.
- Travellers
- Hikers
- Families
Yes. It’s free, it’s right on the Great Alpine Road, and it’s the last good stop for a pie and a stretch before the long climb to Mt Hotham.
Recommended Gear for Harrietville
For the Feathertop hikes, a small first aid kit and a headlamp like the Black Diamond Astro 300 belong in the day pack. Fill your water containers before the climb, and a power bank keeps your phone going for maps and photos on the way up.
