Your ultimate guide to Victoria's quaint town, Mount Beauty

Whether you crave an energetic adventure or want to enjoy the Alpine region’s stunning nature spots at a slower pace, Mount Beauty is a perfect holiday base.

If you love skiing, biking and hiking, chances are you know Mount Beauty . In fact, it’s likely you’ve stopped in this country town in Victoria’s Bright and surrounds to grab a coffee on your way up to Falls Creek, or perhaps you’ve overnighted here after a High Country biking adventure.

Whatever it is that’s drawn you to this picturesque region, in whichever season, it’s time you stayed a little longer and really got to know Mount Beauty.

Mount Beauty cafes — Refuel at Mount beauty’s tasty cafes after a day of exploring.

When to visit Mount Beauty

Mount Beauty blooms in all seasons, but it undoubtedly shines the most in winter and summer.

From June to October, a steady stream of skiers and snowboarders descend on the shire, keen for days at nearby Falls Creek and Mt Hotham (30 and 75 kilometres away respectively). Mount Beauty makes a great winter vacation base, especially for families who are eager to experience snow without the high price tag. You’ll find a handful of stores that hire ski gear and tyre chains.

Mt Hotham skiing — Pop over to Mount Hotham for some winter skiing. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Once the weather warms up, Mount Beauty becomes a mountain biking mecca, drawing people from across Victoria and New South Wales. The trail network was built by passionate locals (read: people who know how to ride), while there are also plenty of gravel roads and fire trails for traditional cyclists.

The MTB de femme is a two-day mountain biking festival that supports women in the sport, and although it’s usually held in Falls Creek, Mount Beauty played host in March 2023. Autumn is also when you’ll experience the Mount Beauty Music Festival (22–23 April) and the Mount Beauty Running Festival (20 May).

Meanwhile, spring is the perfect time to shake off winter with community markets and pilates among the Alpine wildflowers.

Ride, walk or drive to the spectacular Sullivans Lookout.

Where to stay in Mount Beauty

There’s a range of accommodation options in Mount Beauty, from luxury eco stays to mid-range hotels and campsites.

For a taste of country living, book a stay at the tranquil Eagles Nest Hideaway Guest Suite , a short drive out of town. With two bedrooms, a kitchenette, outdoor barbecue area and plenty of wildlife to say hello to each morning, it’s a great option for families or groups.

Eco Villa Mount Beauty — Treat yourself toa stay at Eco Villa.

Another peaceful location is Kiewa Country Cottages , where there are six two-bedroom cottages and a one-bedroom deluxe apartment on 1.2 hectares of gardens. Guests will love the heated outdoor swimming pool, playground and fire pit.

If you’d like to treat yourself, Eco Villa Mt Beauty is a gorgeous two-storey luxury home with three bedrooms, a swimming pool, spa, an outdoor entertainment area, and plenty of stylish Alpine furnishings.

Myee Alpine Retreat, Mount Beauty — Summer or winter, enjoy stunning views at Myee Alpine Retreat. (Image: Carol Binder)

Other options include Myee Alpine Retreat , with a communal kitchen and lounge, ski drying room and secure bike storage, or The Park Mount Beauty , with cabins, yurts, and powered and unpowered sites, as well as Tawonga Tourist Park .

Where to eat in Mount Beauty

There’s a lot more than pubs and bakeries in Mount Beauty, with cafes, restaurants and breweries aplenty.

For an after-bike or apres-ski beverage, head to Crank Handle Brewery , where you’ll find hand-crafted creations such as an Alpine ale, an American pale ale, and a rich chocolate and coffee porter. Sample them while enjoying stuffed jalapeno peppers, cauliflower tacos and a platter of more-ish Milawa cheese.

It’s also worth booking a table at Grass Valley Refreshments , where the main attraction is the gourmet pizza; think poached chicken and bocconcini, pancetta and pear, and butter bean and asparagus.

Easy bites can be found at the likes of Treats (in Bogong Ski Centre) and Rocky Valley Cafe (your coffee stop), while for pub grub and homemade goodness, check out Settlers Tavern .

Things to do in Mount Beauty

A visit to Mount Beauty is all about getting back to nature, whether that means carving down snowy slopes at Victoria’s best ski resorts or slowing down with a sunrise paddleboard.

Aside from the skiing at Falls Creek and Mt Hotham there’s also plenty of hiking, with Mount Beauty at the base of Mt Bogong (Warkwoolowler), Victoria’s highest mountain, 1986 metres above sea level.

Bogong Horseback Adventures — Hike, bike or horse ride around Mt Bogong. (Image: Tourism Australia)

You can hike Mt Bogong and Bogong High Plains in Alpine National Park during spring, summer and autumn, enjoying meadows of wildflowers and visiting historic huts.

If you love history, set aside a day to head up to Falls Creek to follow Wallace’s Heritage Trail , a six-and-a-half-kilometre walk (approximately two and a half hours) that takes you to Wallace’s Hut, the oldest surviving cattlemen’s hut in the High Country. If you have young children you can still show them the hut, as it’s about 750 metres from a car park. It’s also wheelchair accessible.

Mount Beauty Gorge Walk is also worth checking out. It’s a stunning trail that starts on the edge of town, takes you across a swing bridge and then along the west branch of the Kiewa River. There’s a lovely swimming hole to discover, and, in summer, you can rock scramble to an impressive canyon (beware: it can get slippery). Call into Mount Beauty Visitor Information Centre to find out more.

You can also walk along the banks of the Kiewa River, which snakes through Mount Beauty. Starting in town, Kiewa River Trail is four kilometres (return) along a sealed path that leads you past farms and campsites.

Fly fishers also love throwing a line in from the river bank, hoping to catch the region’s famous trout . Be sure to purchase a recreational fishing licence (from $10) online from Victorian Fisheries Authority first.

Mount Beauty fishing — Pick up a license to catch the region’s famous trout.

If you’re chasing a shot of adrenaline, schedule a morning at Big Hill Mountain Bike Park , where you’ll have a choice of more than 50 kilometres of cross-country and downhill trails that cater to all levels of riders. Advanced bikers will want to hit up The Yellow Loop, a 10-kilometre cross-country track with challenging climbs, technical features and flowy vibes.

Australia’s High Country is synonymous with horse riding, and there are one-day and multi-day rides available through Alpine National Park.

If you’re travelling with your own horse, they’re allowed in the national park between December and April; reserve a campground with a horse yard via Parks Victoria. For a tour, Bogong Horseback Adventures offers trail rides for all abilities, as well as pack-horse journeys across some of the highest terrain in Australia.

A mindful way to start or end the day is with a BYO kayak or paddleboard on the peaceful Mount Beauty Pondage . Nearby you’ll find Mount Beauty Skate Park, a top spot to take the kids to burn some energy on the rails and ramps.

However you plan to spend your days, you’ll want to bookend them with a visit to Mount Beauty’s great lookouts. Snap a sunrise selfie with Mt Bogong in the background from Sullivans Lookout, only 10 kilometres from the town centre along Tawonga Gap Road; at sunset, stop off the Kiewa Valley Highway at Mt Bogong Lookout, with its great views of Bogong, Kiewa Valley and Mountain Creek.

kayak Mount Beauty Pondage — Pack a kayak or paddleboard to get out on Mount Beauty Pondage.

Getting around

Mount Beauty is a hub for nature-based adventure, so it makes sense to have a car (a 4WD is best). However, if you’re visiting in winter and would rather not deal with snowy roads – and, potentially, snow chains – there are shuttle bus options up to the ski resorts, as well as private transfers and pick-ups from Albury Airport.

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Your ultimate guide to Victoria’s quaint town, Mount Beauty