Sydney to Melbourne – The Alpine Way .

Day 1 Sydney to Canberra -  Leave Sydney and head down the Hume Highway to the pretty towns, gardens and lovely rolling countryside of the Southern Highlands, maybe stopping at Berrima. Browse in Berrima’s stores and galleries and discover the history at Berrima Courthouse Museum. Continue to Goulburn, the first inland city in Australia. Visit the Rocky Hill Lookout, see Riversdale historic cottage, the Old Goulburn Brewery, St Saviour's Cathedral, Victoria Park Rose Gardens and the Regional Art Gallery. Browse for antiques and collectables at the many stores in the Goulburn area followed by some local country cooking. Travel via Lake George on the Federal Highway to the historic village of Bungendore where you'll enjoy the many outstanding galleries, antique and gift shops, cafes and local cool climate vineyards. On arrival in Canberra, enjoy a wonderful selection of national capital attractions including the old and new Houses of Parliament, National Gallery of Australia, High Court and the National Archives of Australia, the Australian War Memorial, the nation's shrine to its fallen heroes and a leading military history museum. Don't miss the new National Museum of Australia, Questacon (The National Science and Technology Centre), the National Film and Sound Archive, and the Australian Institute of Sport. Afterwards, choose from more than 300 restaurants and outdoor cafes. Overnight: Canberra 

Day 2 - Canberra to Thredbo. Depart for Canberra and travel south on the Monaro Highway toward Cooma. Cooma and Jindabyne are major hubs for the area, and good places to stock up on supplies. Adventure stores rent and sell mountain bikes, tents, skiing and hiking equipment, and fishing gear for Lake Jindabyne or nearby alpine streams. Kosciuszko National Park is the largest national park in New South Wales. The Alpine Way takes you west from Jindabyne into the southern part of the park. Thredbo is the main resort area in a pretty tree lined valley. It is a winter mecca for skiers, and a summer base for hikers wanting to traverse the park’s Main Range, or for mountain bikers to tackle the famous Cannonball Run downhill. Day trippers in the summer and spring can easily ascend Australia’s tallest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko. Take the Crackenback chairlift from Thredbo. From the ridgeline it is a 12 kilometre return walk to the summit. There are a range of other wonderful walks from the Thredbo resort including valley walks and more challenging mountain ascents. Overnight in Thredbo.

Day 3 Thredbo to Bright

From Thredbo continue west over Dead Horse Gap which divides the western and eastern Great Dividing Range. One of Australia’s great rivers, the Murray, commences its journey in these alpine hills. Tall Eucalypt forests provide some beautiful scenery. Close to Khancoban, view the hydro electric power stations of one of Australia’s greatest engineering projects, the Snowy River Scheme. From Khancoban continue west, across the Victoria border and onto Corryong. The town is the resting place of Jack Riley, reputedly the ‘Man from Snowy River. Stop for a break at Tallangatta. The entire town was moved to its current position to avoid the rising waters of nearby Lake Hume. Turn south on the Kiewa Valley Highway. Mount Beauty at the base of Mount Bogong, lives up to its name. From here keen skiers can access the alpine resort of Falls Creek. We are heading west again. Climbing through the Tawonga Gap we get some wonderful views of the nearby mountains. Our destination is Bright, one of the prettiest towns of the Alps, and a perfect place to explore the surrounding area. Overnight Bright 

Day 4 Bright and Surrounds.  Bright is a great stepping off point for the historic towns of Beechworth and Yackandandah. In gold rush times the region was home to the famous Kelly gang. Further afield fine wines can be sampled at historic Rutherglen or Millawa. The huge granite outcrops of Mount Buffalo National Park rise behind Bright. It is one of the best rock climbing locations in Australia, and also attracts its fair share of hang gliders and para gliders. For the less adventurous, the Mount Buffalo Chalet, offers a glimpse of yesteryear in its nostalgic surroundings. A range of walking trails, alpine lakes and ski runs provide a huge variety of soft adventure options. Overnight Bright 

Day 5 Bright to Lakes Entrance. Its time again to head for the hills. The Great Alpine Road traverses the Victorian high country. Ascending through majestic Mountain Ash forests the road reaches the ski resort town of Mount Hotham. In the summer, hiking trails lead to historic mountain huts and upto mountain peaks such as Mount Feathertop. Continue across the Bogong High Plains to Omeo. The town is the base for a number of adventure operators who offer high country horseback tours, four wheel drive trips in the mountains and whitewater rafting in the spring. Descend the mountains to Lakes Entrance, on the Gippsland Lakes, a favourite spot for boating enthusiasts. Choose to stay a few days, renting a houseboat, or just enjoy the Mediterranean climes of this beautiful region. Overnight Lakes Entrance. 

Day 6 Lakes Entrance to Melbourne. From Lakes Entrance its just 300 kilometres along the Princes Highway to Melbourne. Detours include visits to Wilsons Promotory National Park, a beautiful wilderness peninsula brimming with wildlife, or a leisurely drive through the rural countryside of the Gippsland region.