Five towns to stop by on Victoria's Omeo Highway

Getting in the car and heading off on a weekend away or a day trip to small and medium-sized towns down the highway can be a fulfilling experience with hidden gems and great local hospitality. Here are a few highlights down Victoria's Omeo Highway.

From: The east Gippsland town of Omeo, north to Tallangatta near the NSW border.
Named after: Omeo is said to mean ‘mountains’ in the local Jaitmatang language, which is appropriate for the town’s hilly terrain on the Great Alpine Road.
Route number: C543
Length: 157km
Best bit: The wild and lonely bushland south of Mitta Mitta where the road winds through the foothills of the Victorian Alps.

Omeo is a relaxed country town set on a high plain below the foothills of the Victorian Alps. Its history centres on the AM Pearson Historical Park, where you’ll find the old 1865 courthouse and a sturdy log jailhouse built in 1858 (and where the last prisoner was released in 1981). The jail no doubt housed rowdy diggers from the 1850s gold rush that swept Omeo and, just out of town, you can visit the Oriental Claims where Chinese immigrants sluiced ore from the hills and follow Ah Fong’s loop walk to relive that heritage. Back in town, there are galleries, small shops and the impressive Golden Age pub.

The highway follows Livingstone Creek north out of town through hilly grazing country and pretty soon starts winding through bushland. Anglers Rest is a prime trout fishing location and the campsite on the Cobungra River there is a good base for angling or canoeing. The nearby Blue Duck Inn dates back to 1900, stands next to a historic timber bridge and is a great spot to stop for a drink or a hearty meal on the veranda overlooking the confluence of the Cobungra, Bundara and Mitta Mitta Rivers.

The road skirts Big River as it meanders north with ample opportunities to access swimming holes such as Platypus Pools and Jokers Flat campground. Then for many kilometres it’s just the highway, scenic bushland and lots of corners and hills.

The next major civilization is Mitta Mitta, about 110km from Omeo. It may be home to less than 200 people but this is a picturesque high country town with a cracking old pub that does impressively good traditional and modern dishes and there’s also a general store. Mitta Mitta has walking trails and is a good kick-off point for canoe or kayak paddling, and gardeners might want to check out the dreamy Witches Garden with its wisteria-draped Monet bridge and collection of medicinal plants.

The countryside opens out into lush grazing pasture as you approach Eskdale, another old gold-mining town with tree-lined streets that turn gold and red in autumn. The Eskdale Hotel is a classic country pub beloved by motorcyclists who know a good feed and a hearty welcome when they see one.

With its billabongs and outlooks, the Mitta Mitta River sits to the right of the Omeo Highway as the road continues north then ends when it reaches the Murray Valley Highway. Tallangatta is just around the corner and while it’s a typically thriving Victorian town, perhaps its biggest claim to fame was that it was moved from eight kilometres away back in the 1950s to make way for the lake formed by the Hume Dam.

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