When I first began visiting Australia six years ago, I remember being overwhelmed with how to pick places to visit. Such a vast and diverse country, the scope and size of it was almost incomprehensible to me; ironic, I know, as an American.
I think it hit me once when I was exploring Queensland, and wanted to visit Cairns from Brisbane, thinking that I could just drive it. I mean how far can it be? It’s in the same state.
Once Google clarified that it was a 20 hour drive, give or take, I realized the true scope of Australia
As someone who is always looking to get off the beaten path and discover new places that weren’t on my radar, Victoria, the home state of Melbourne, had been on my mind for years, particularly the north east part of the region, aka Victoria’s High Country.
Speaking as someone who has been to Sydney for business approximately 1 million times and never even been to the Opera House (shame shame shame) this corner of Australia has appealed to me from friends who’ve worked ski seasons (yes there’s skiing in Australia) at Hotham and Mt Buller to seeing photos of the mountains and beautiful forests.
Here are some of my favorite images from my recent trip there, in the hopes that it might inspire you to visit too. Enjoy!
While people from Oz and Victoria are likely familiar with the High Country and are rolling their eyes hard at me right now, I feel duty bound and honored to introduce this incredible corner of Australia to some fresh faces too.
The High Country left a real impact on me. It was a place filled with understated beauty, plenty of diverse landscapes and beautiful adventures, a fascinating gold rush history and some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
If you want to experience the real, modern Australia, see the best it has to offer in a unique way, head to the High Country stat. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.
