The first major destination while driving towards the Alpine region is Wangaratta. Wangaratta is a laid back city with a population of 17000 people. The main city street has a big shopping centre and plenty of nice restaurants. However, the city can be explored in a day and you can stop over for brunch or lunch and walk around to explore the city centre or take a visit the Information Center to get maps of the region and some information on the history of the area. 

Next interesting destination is Beechworth famous for its gold rush history and beautiful cultural art heritage. Beechworth is a city for artists with beautiful galleries, nice restaurants and strange calmness which is very inviting. With the discovery of Gold in 1852 this region faced an onslaught of early explorers covering the area to Bright, Chiltren and Rutherglen.

You can explore the remnants of this lost era in perfectly preserved street, mineshafts and graves of early explorers. There is a seventy-mile long cycle track from Wangaratta to Bright. Bright is located at the base of Mount Buffalo and offers great accommodation offers if you cannot find a spot in the ski village. There are plenty of motels and caravan parks as well as ski rental location during ski season. At night time the city becomes alive with tourists and main hotels and pubs are packed with people from across the world sharing their stories.