These three great regional towns form almost a triangle, meaning it's easy to explore this itinerary that encompasses wineries, nature, museums and more in any order you choose.
Distance: 3 Stops, 484 km total drive distance, Medium
📍Stop 1: CASTLEMAINE
Where to stay in Castlemaine?
Set on the edge of Castlemaine’s stunning botanical gardens and offering various unique accommodation options, BIG4 Castlemaine Gardens Holiday Park is our go-to in this area thanks to the remote feel it offers whilst still being close to the heart of Castlemaine. Whilst all the accommodation options are great, our favourites are the newly built “Glamtainers'' which offer modern, Tiny Home style accommodation. If you’re looking for a Site rather than roofed accommodation, they’re plentiful, spacious and all facilities are modern and well maintained.
What to do, eat and drink in Castlemaine?
With your accommodation located directly next to the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens, this has to be your first stop for a wander. It’s one of Victoria’s oldest Botanical Gardens and home to rare trees, oaks and pines of great age. If you are interested in art, The Castlemaine Art Museum has a significant permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, photography and prints and also hosts rotating exhibitions, often with a focus on indigenous art and culture. One of our favourite things to do in Castlemaine is visiting The Mill, a shared space for restaurants and shops located in the old Castlemaine Woollen Mill. If we’re there in the afternoon we tend to head straight to Boomtown Wine, a shared winemaking space with a collective of small batch winemakers who source fruit from nearby Central Victorian sites. There’s a cellar door and bar and they also offer lunches on Saturdays with rotating options in a ‘pop-up’ style. For a different sort of beverage, the Shedshaker Craft Brewery is also well worth a visit. Whilst you’re at The Mill we highly recommend heading to Sprout Bakery and Long Paddock Cheese to stock up on some delicious artisan local goods to enjoy back at the park. Outside of food and beverage options, The Mill is also home to around 2,000 square metres of the Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar where you’ll find an eclectic collection of trinkets that will have bargain hunters and treasure seekers alike occupied for hours.
What’s the onward drive to Deniliquin?
Just under two and half hours and you’ll arrive in Deniliquin. We highly recommend a stop at the beautiful Murray River town of Echuca which you pass directly through on the way.
📍Stop 2: DENILIQUIN
Where to stay in Deniliquin?
With its beautiful location on the banks of the Edward River and extensive resort style facilities, we’re big fans of BIG4 Deniliquin Holiday Park. Accommodation options include Powered Sites and Ensuite Sites, a variety of Cabins and some luxurious feeling Glamping options that are tucked away in a quiet, shady corner of the park.
What to do, eat and drink in Deniliquin?
Get your day going at Harry Pepper Coffee which occupies a spacious converted warehouse location just around the corner from the main street of shops in the town centre and serves up the best coffee in town. Deni is home to several great pubs and we love the Red Room Restaurant & Bar, a cosy spot located within the Edward River Hotel (known by locals as The Buncha). The food is consistent and the atmosphere always friendly and cosy, pick from several counter meal classics - our recommendation is the burger. Getting out on the river is always at the top of our to-do list and the park has several pontoon boats available for hire which don’t require a licence which make it easy to do and make for an ideal way to explore the interesting river area. Deniliquin is home to the famous annual Deni Ute Muster, a two-day event that sees twenty-thousand people descend on the town to enjoy Country Music and a range of other rural-centric entertainment including Camel Racing, Monster Truck Rides, Tradie competitions and more. If you don’t happen to be here when the festival is on, it’s still well worth a visit to the festival site where there is a museum and you can learn all about the history of this fantastic event that was established in 1999 with the very specific purpose of putting Deni on the map.
What’s the onward drive to Bright?
The drive back down to Bright will take just over three hours. You’ll pass through the famed Rutherglen wine region along the way, home to some of Australia’s best fortified wines.
📍Stop 3: BRIGHT
Where to stay?
Tasman Holiday Parks Bright offers a variety of sites and roofed accommodation options in a boutique style setting on the banks of the Ovens River. Facilities are clean and well maintained and it’s just a short walk to the town centre.
What to do, eat and drink?
This region is known for its wine but uniquely, our favourite cellar door isn’t actually at a vineyard, but instead in the town of Bright. Billy Button Wines Cellar Door is just 350m from your accommodation and showcases this award winning wineries delicious drops which can be enjoyed with small goods, cheeses and local produce from their deli section. If you’re keen to visit a cellar door at an actual vineyard, we highly recommend Gapsted Estate. Getting out in nature is always a focus in this area, and if you happen to be here during snow season the slopes of Mount Hotham are less than an hour drive away. If you’re not up for skiing (or there’s no snow about), there’s several great walks and hikes near your accommodation and we'd highly recommend the 1.5 km journey up to the Huggins Lookout which starts in Bright. It’s a short distance but can be steep at times, once you make it to the lookout you’ll enjoy fantastic views over Bright and up the Ovens River towards Porepunkah. The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail is an iconic cycling route and one that you can explore as far as you’re happy to ride. There’s a 27 km section between Bright and the nearby town of Harrietville which is all sealed and well signed which we recommend sticking to if you’re not an experienced cyclist.
What’s the onward drive?
Our itinerary ends here but if you are taking it in a different direction, the drive from Bright over to Castlemaine will take around three and a half hours. We recommend making a slight detour and stopping past the buzzing regional town of Nagambie.
