Bright is a really popular family destination in the summer holidays – there’s food, wine, cycling, swimming and playgrounds which will keep every member of the family content.
Here’s our guide to a family-friendly short stay in Bright thanks to Tourism North East.
Where to Stay:
Alegria (Elm Court, Bright). Alpine Valley Getaways have 52 listed family-friendly properties  in the region and we stayed at Alegria, a new 3 bedroom 3 bathroom accommodation just on the edge of town within walking distance to everything. It was a large and bright two-storey townhouse with open plan living, dining and kitchen area. As it was quite hot during our stay we welcomed the individual split systems in each room to keep everyone cool.
It was tastefully and subtly decorated and particularly luxurious in its bedding and towels. It’s a shame the kids couldn’t sleep on the plush queen size beds, shower in the huge double showers or watch their individual TVs! They each had their own room with their own provided portacot instead and because the kids rooms were upstairs we were able to use the living area without having to tiptoe around after 7pm. Alpine Valley Getaways were also able to provide a high chair and baby bath for Baby 2.0.
Where to eat:
Coral Lee (8 Barnard St Bright 03 5755 5113). Gorgeously kitsch 1950s-style café offers delicious breakfasts and lunches and great coffee. Separate review.
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Rail Trail Cafe (2 Service Street, Porepunkah 0428 359 884). Cafe on the rail trail that serves all-day breakfast, toasted sandwiches, homemade cakes and scones as well as fair-trade organic coffee. Separate review.
Boynton’s Feathertop Winery (6619 Great Alpine Rd, Porepunkah). Winery, restaurant and playground. Separate review.
Tani Eat & Drink (100 Gavan Street, Bright 03 5750 1304). While the staff at Tani are friendly and welcoming I don’t think the place named the Best New Regional Restaurant in The Good Food Guide 2014 is somewhere you should take kids. Mainly because the food is intricate and amazing and you should be concentrating on the dishes in front of you rather than wiping away bibs or chasing rugrats.
To do:
Playground behind Bright Brewery. Behind the famous Bright Brewery is a large adventure playground with swings, slides, bouncers, swing bridges and lots of space to run. It’ll keep the kids entertained for ages.
And when they get a bit hot you can take them…
Paddling in the Ovens River. As Lady AB didn’t have bathers on we only dipped our feet in – but she did enjoy learning to skim stones. There’s an out of action water slide into the river so it’s deep enough for shallow diving.
Cycling the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail. From Bright there are two easy stretches of the rail trail you can try: Bright to Porepunkah – 6km, one way (10km to Boynton’s Feathertop Winery) or Bright to Wandiligong – 5-6km, one way. The flat trail is fully sealed and off-road and provides some nice scenery enroute.
You can hire bikes with trailers from Cyclepath (74 Gavan Street, Bright 03 5750 1442) for a half day, day or longer.
If you have older kids you could also try these family-friendly activities:
- Walk Bright’s Canyon Walk. Bright’s most popular walk takes you past a small canyon carved by the Ovens River and amazing water races carved by the hands of early miners.
- Visit the Red Stag Deer & Emu Farm in Eurobin (15 mins drive back along the Great Alpine Rd). This working farm borders the Mt Buffalo National Park and has spectacular views. You can buy a bucket of grain and hand-feed the European deer and emus.
- Take a drive up to Mount Buffalo (approx. 45mins from Bright). There are some short, easy walks on the way up to the mountain that take you to the gorgeous Lady Bath Falls and Eurobin Falls. You can then drive up to the summit and around the plateau to various points of interest. The Gorge Day Visitor Area offers great views on a nice day.
