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| War Memorial
in the centre of Bright
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Bright (including Wandiligong and
Porepunkah)
Beautiful township, particularly in autumn
and spring, on the edge of the Snowy Mountains.
Situated 308 km north-east of Melbourne and 310
m above sea level, the township and shire of
Bright is one of Victoria's most attractive
tourist destinations. Nestled in the beautiful
Ovens Valley and surrounded by the towering
Australian Alps, Bright offers good quality
off-the-mountain accommodation to those wishing
to ski at the nearby resorts of Mt Buffalo, Mt
Hotham and Falls Creek. In autumn the russet
tones and the colourful blaze, against the
backdrop of the pine-clad hills, adds to the
appeal of this scenic district.
Explored, like so much of Victoria, by Hume
and Hovell in 1824, the first pastoral runs in
the Bright area were taken up in the late 1830s
- one of them by Hume's brother-in-law, Dr
Mackay, whose difficulties with the local
Aborigines caused him to move to another
property. In 1845, Thomas Buckland established
the area's first cattle run near the river which
was later to bear his name.
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| The Bright
Centenary Cairn in the park beside the
river |
The real development of the district began in
1853, when W.H. Pardoe discovered gold along the
Buckland River. Despite his attempts to maintain
secrecy, 3000 diggers swarmed into the valley
within six months, turning the river into a
filthy alluvial gold mine. 1000 died of disease
and others fled until only 500 remained.
The Chinese arrived in large numbers to sift
the abandoned claims. Their success provoked the
jealousy of the Europeans. The construction of a
Chinese temple in 1857 provided the
justification for hostilities. On July 4, it was
decided at a meeting to evict the Asian miners
at gunpoint. Despite a calm start, matters soon
got out of control. In a fit of violence, the
Joss House, stores and dwellings of the Chinese
were raided and destroyed; the Chinese were
robbed of their property, viciously beaten and
cast into the river; others were forced into
trenches where they were shot and buried.
Matters became so extreme that some of those who
had originally supported the eviction helped the
Chinese to escape. By the time the Beechworth
police, under the command of Robert O'Hara
Burke, had travelled 80 km to the area, 2000
Chinese had either been massacred or fled.
A police camp was established that same year
and the first permanent buildings were erected.
Alluvial mining slowly gave way to reef mining
as the sedimentary gold disappeared. A rich
quartz reef was also discovered in 1857 and was
heavily mined for the rest of the century. Some
of the original walking paths remain in use and
and the old tailraces which returned tailings
and waste water to the Ovens River can still be
seen cut into the rocks.
The area was surveyed in 1859 and the sale of
town allotments began the following year. At
this stage the township was known as Morse's
Creek, after F.H. Morse, formerly a shepherd on
Dr Mackay's run. Morse had explored the Ovens
River and the gold-bearing creek that bears his
name.
In 1861, the town became the administrative
centre for the swelling population of the
Buckland Gold District. Shortly afterwards, its
name was officially changed to honour John
Bright, a British liberal politician and
advocate of free trade.
With the reef mines running out of ore,
dredging commenced along the Ovens and Buckland
Rivers and Morse's Creek in 1899. At one stage
there were 42 dredges in operation which
devastated the banks, beds and flats of the
waterways and the rich black loam around the
farmlands.
Although the area's first sawmill was built
in 1872, it was not until the decline of
gold-digging that timber became a major economic
resource for Bright. The first pine plantation
was begun in 1916 and planting schemes provided
valuable employment during the Depression.
Since World War II tourism has been Bright's
principal source of income. The town's
population swells by up to 1000 per cent during
the holiday season.
Things to see:
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| A horse-drawn
carriage for holidaymakers
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Range of holiday activities
Bright offers its visitors a variety of
activities, such as golf, mini-golf, bowls,
croquet, tennis, squash, roller-skating, flying,
gliding, hang-gliding, horse riding, panning for
gold, scenic drives, skiing in winter, and
bushwalking in the mountains and foothills,
swimming, canoeing, boating and waterskiing the
rest of the year. Good blackfish can be found in
the Ovens River and trout are also plentiful in
the general area and at the Stony Creek Trout
Farm, Harrietville.
Historic Buildings
Bright has managed to retain its character and
charm, thanks partly to its old-fashioned guest
houses and historical buildings. There is an old
timber house from the 1850s at 90 Gavan St,
which now houses Gallery 90. The bricks of its
rear section were brought to Australia by a
sailing ship which used them as ballast. A.J.
Lock¹s shop dates from the 1860s.
Park Street Court House and Lockup
The Park Street Court House, like the powder
magazine, was built in 1861, when it became the
Court of Petty Sessions for the Buckland
District. With its sheltered verandah and the
stepped frieze and large circular vent of the
gable, it is considered a typical mid-nineteenth
century court house. Adjacent to the court is a
rough-hewn log lock-up, which was constructed in
the 1870s and moved to its present site in 1975.
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| The Uniting
Church in Bright |
Churches
Part of the Anglican Church, in Church Street,
was erected in 1870. The old Methodist building
of Ireland Street, constructed in 1884, became
the Uniting church's site of worship in 1977.
The Presbyterian Church at 18 Park St (1880) has
been tastefully restored and is now St Andrews
Gallery.
Bright & District Historical Museum
The railway from Wangaratta was opened in 1890,
but locals lobbied for an improved station which
was duly built in 1900. Passenger services were
terminated in 1952 and the station house is now
used as a museum. Featuring artefacts and
photographs of the town¹s past, it is open to
visitors three days a week in holiday periods or
by appointment (contact the Tourist Information
Centre at the corner of Gavan and Anderson
Streets).
Autumn and Spring
Bright is also noted for its impressive array of
deciduous trees, which create a blaze of orange,
red, gold and yellow in autumn. There are oaks,
chestnuts, poplars, elms and Japanese maples,
surrounded by the pines and eucalypts of the
mountains. Delaney Avenue, with its alternating
Himalayan cedars and scarlet oaks, is
particularly impressive. Willows, wattles, plums
and apple orchards can be seen to best advantage
in the spring, when the mountains are carpeted
with colourful wildflowers, the upper alpine
peaks still have snow and the mountain streams
are flowing with melting ice.
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| The main
street in spring |
The town hosts the Autumn Festival in late
April-early May to celebrate the beauty of the
seasonal change. It attracts thousands of
visitors and advance bookings for accommodation
are advisable. There are street stalls, a gala
day, a float parade, live entertainment, dances,
community concerts, slide evenings and the
Bright Art Exhibition which attracts entries
from around the country. In addition the Winter
Wonderland Festival, with its window displays,
fairy lights, competitions and family fun is
held in June-July and the Alpine Spring Festival
in October.
Clearspot Lookout
A visit to Bright is not complete without an
exploration of its neighbouring towns, the
charming countryside and Mt Buffalo National
Park. If you take Bakers Gully Road out of town
and then follow the signs along the forest roads
to the top of the pine plantation, you will
arrive at Clearspot, which affords a panoramic
view of Bright and the mountain ranges.
Wandiligong
6 km to the south lies the beautiful historic
village of Wandiligong - the subject of a song
by noted folk singer, Eric Bogle. The large
brick schoolhouse on the hillside is a reminder
that this was once a flourishing goldmining and
agricultural centre. A considerable effort has
been made by the local Preservation Society to
maintain the older buildings and the general
character of the past. The whole Wandiligong
Valley has been registered with the National
Trust. The Church of England and Manchester
Unity building are worth a visit.
To the south of the town you can see the
noted Wandi Poplars, at their best in the
autumn, and one of the largest apple orchards in
the Southern hemisphere. Tobacco and nuts are
grown in this rural setting and you can even try
panning for a little gold.
Porepunkah
6 km north-west of Bright, along the Ovens
Highway, past the fields of hops and tobacco,
lies Porepunkah, which provides the access point
to 31 000-ha Mt Buffalo National Park. The Hindu
derivation of the township's name reflects its
origins as the property of William Walker and
Co, vendors of Indian wares. Scenic flights over
the nearby park are available from the airfield.
Boyntons of Bright Winery
On the Ovens Highway at Porepunkah is Boynton's
which was established in 1987. It produces
cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot, brut,
chardonnay, semillon, sauvignon blanc and
riesling. The cellar door is open daily from
10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and there is a picnic
area with a playground, tel: (03) 5756 2356.
