Great Alpine Road

Great Alpine Road
Basic data
Operator:	VicRoads
Start of the street:	C314 Old Hume Highway; Wangaratta ( VIC ); ( 36 ° 21 ′ S , 146 ° 20 ′ E )
End of street:	Princes Highway; Lucknow ( Bairnsdale ) ( VIC ); ( 37 ° 49 ′ S , 147 ° 39 ′ E )
Overall length:	303 km
States :	Victoria
	The Great Alpine Road on the descent "The Gap" between Omeo and Swifts Creek

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

View from Myrtleford to Mount Buffalo National Park

The Great Alpine Road is an overland road for tourists in the east of the Australian state of Victoria . It connects the Old Hume Highway (C314) in Wangaratta with the Princes Highway (A1) in Bairnsdale . It crosses the Australian Alps . The road got its current name because it is the equivalent in the mountains of the world-famous Great Ocean Road in the southwest of the state.

The Great Alpine Road winds through mountains, valleys and forests, over rivers and past vineyards and farms. With a length of 303 km, it is Australia's highest paved road open all year round. The section over Mount Hotham rises to an altitude of 1,840 m above sea level and is covered with snow in winter, so it must be cleared daily. In the event of heavy snowfall, the road between Harrietville and Omeo may be closed.

The Great Alpine Road connects Victoria's northeast with Gippsland . Most recently, the section between Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain was paved and on April 4, 1998 the road was officially opened to traffic. The road connection has existed in one form or another since the colonization of Australia. Before 1998, however, it was never asphalted for its full length and only then received its name.

The current Great Alpine Road also integrates the former Ovens Highway from Wangaratta to Bright and part of the former Omeo Highway from Omeo to Bruthen as well as the route Bruthen - Bairnsdale des Princes Highway . The sights of the route include the Mount Buffalo National Park , the well-known tourist town Bright, the Alpine parks in Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain, the old gold rush town of Omeo, as well as the great views and the challenging route.

route

The Great Alpine Road is 303 km long. The starting point is Wangaratta. The road leads through farmland, vineyards and valleys to Bright. It continues through open country to Harrietville. The climb to Mount Hotham begins here. This section is very accident prone and requires increased attention from the driver, as it is very winding and steep and has a few hairpin bends . Dinner Plain is a 15-minute drive from Mount Hotham. This is where the steep and winding descent to Omeo begins. About ten minutes drive from the city you will reach a level. From Omeo, the road follows curvy and moderately steep mostly the valley of the Tambo River to Bruthen. The last 16 miles after Bairnsdale is flat.

Settlements

place	Distance from Wangaratta (km)	Distance from last location (km)	Distance from Bairnsdale (km)	Altitude (m above sea level)
Wangaratta	0	0	303	151
Myrtleford	46	46	257	211
Ovens	53	7th	250	226
Bright	79	26th	224	310
Harrietville	105	26th	198	505
Hotham Heights ski resort	133	28	170	1840
Dinner plain	143	10	160	1543
Omeo	188	45	115	660
Swifts Creek	214	26th	89	295
Ensay	232	18th	71	247
Brood	277	45	26th	22nd
Bairnsdale	303	26th	0	25th