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    Wangaratta → Bright → Mount Hotham → Omeo → Metung

    Great Alpine Road: the full drive guide

    The Great Alpine Road runs approximately 339 km from Wangaratta to Metung via Bright and Mount Hotham, climbing to 1,840 m at Mount Hotham — the highest point reached by a sealed, year-round accessible road in Australia. This follows the official Visit Victoria touring-route framing, which extends the drive to Metung on the Gippsland Lakes rather than stopping at Bairnsdale.

    Distance
    ~339 km
    Time needed
    1 long day, or 2–3 to actually stop at things
    Vehicle
    2WD suitable
    Surface
    Fully sealed — Australia's highest year-round accessible sealed road
    Best months
    November–April for easy driving; June–September is snow season, when the alpine section is a genuinely different drive
    EV suitability
    EV: plan your charging
    Route style
    Point-to-point
    Great Alpine Road — Victoria

    Route map

    Stops shown in driving order with a straight line between them, for planning only — this is not a turn-by-turn route. Always check current road conditions before you travel.

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    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Route stops in order: 1. Wangaratta, 2. Bright, 3. Mount Hotham, 4. Omeo, 5. Metung.

    Seasonal gate & outback safety

    Check before you commit to dates
    1. JJanuary — Open — go
    2. FFebruary — Open — go
    3. MMarch — Open — go
    4. AApril — Open — go
    5. MMay — Open — go
    6. JJune — Caution
    7. JJuly — Caution
    8. AAugust — Caution
    9. SSeptember — Caution
    10. OOctober — Caution
    11. NNovember — Open — go
    12. DDecember — Open — go
    • Open — go
    • Caution
    • High risk / cut

    Open year-round — this is designed to stay open through winter — but the declared snow season (King's Birthday long weekend in June to around late September/early October) requires carrying chains on the Harrietville–Omeo section, and severe weather can close that section temporarily. The rest of the year is a straightforward sealed mountain drive.

    Wildlife warning: do not drive at night

    Wildlife is active at dawn and dusk on the lower forested sections, particularly around Bright and Bairnsdale. Fog and ice can appear with little warning on the alpine section even outside the official snow season.

    Live road conditions

    VicTraffic (Regional Roads Victoria)

    It's a genuinely different drive depending on the season. In summer it's a scenic, well-surfaced mountain road with switchbacks but no special requirements. In the declared snow season it becomes an alpine drive in the full sense — chains, ice, and a real chance of the road closing between Harrietville and Omeo in bad weather.

    Victoria's snow season is declared from the King's Birthday long weekend in June to late September or early October each year — check the exact current dates before a winter trip, since the boundary shifts slightly year to year.

    The stops, in driving order

    1. 01

      Wangaratta

      0 km in · Start

      Critical supply point — Full regional services before the mountains begin.

      The start, with full regional services before the road heads into the mountains.

      Tip: Fill up here — fuel gets more expensive and less convenient the higher you climb.

    2. 02

      Bright

      110 km in · 1h 30m

      Critical supply point — Last major services before the climb to Mount Hotham.

      The alpine gateway town, and one of Victoria's best autumn-colour destinations — Bright was planted with deciduous European trees and it shows in April and May.

      Tip: Last major services before the climb to Mount Hotham. Check current road and weather conditions here in winter before continuing.

    3. 03

      Mount Hotham

      165 km in · approximately 1h 30m (roughly midway on the officially anchored Bright–Omeo leg, not an independently sourced figure)

      The high point of the drive at 1,840 m — a ski resort in winter, and a genuinely alpine landscape with walking tracks in summer.

      Tip: In the snow season, this is where chain fitting is most commonly required. Practice fitting them before you need to do it in the cold and dark.

    4. 04

      Omeo

      220 km in · 1h 30m

      A historic gold-mining town on the descent from the high country, with a different, older character to the ski towns further up the mountain.

      Tip: The descent from Dinner Plain to Omeo is long and winding — pace it, especially towing or in a larger vehicle.

    5. 05

      Metung

      339 km in · 1h 30m

      'The jewel of the lakes' — a small village on the Gippsland Lakes, and the official end point of the Great Alpine Road touring route. Bairnsdale, a short distance before it, is the practical service hub.

      Tip: Refuel and restock in Bairnsdale before the final short leg — Metung itself is a small village with limited services by comparison.

    Drive planning: legs, fuel and conditions

    Three paces, same road: highway pace, a towing or 4WD rig, and what the day actually takes once fatigue and photo stops are in it.

    Great Alpine Road — honest timings by leg
    LegDistanceStandard vehicleHighway pace, no stopsTowing / 4WD rig90–100 km/h cruiseRealistic paceFatigue + photo stopsFuel
    Wangaratta → Bright~110 km1h 30m1h 50m1h 45mMyrtleford, Bright
    Bright → Omeo (via Mount Hotham)~110 km3h3h 35m3h 45mNone above Bright until Dinner Plain (limited)
    Omeo → Metung~120 km1h 30m1h 50m1h 45mSwifts Creek, Bruthen, Bairnsdale
    Whole route6h7h 10m7h 15m

    How we get these: standard is moving time at signposted highway pace. Rig time assumes a 90–100 km/h cruise and slower acceleration — roughly 20% longer. Realistic pace adds a 15-minute fatigue stop every two hours (the national driver-fatigue guidance) plus about ten minutes an hour for photos, fuel and legs. Plan daylight around the realistic column, not the standard one.

    Great Alpine Road — leg conditions
    LegDistanceFuelNotes
    Wangaratta → Bright~110 kmMyrtleford, BrightSealed, gentle grade
    Bright → Omeo (via Mount Hotham)~110 kmNone above Bright until Dinner Plain (limited)Steep climb via Harrietville, over Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain, then a long winding descent. Snow chains required in season
    Omeo → Metung~120 kmSwifts Creek, Bruthen, BairnsdaleSealed, opens into Gippsland farmland, passes through Bairnsdale before the final short leg

    What can go wrong

    • Carrying snow chains is a legal requirement between Harrietville and Omeo during the declared snow season (King's Birthday long weekend in June to around late September), regardless of vehicle type, and it's checked. Hire chains in Bright or Mount Beauty on the way up if you don't own a set.
    • The road between Harrietville and Omeo can close entirely in severe winter weather. Check Regional Roads Victoria before a winter trip, not just the forecast.
    • Fog and black ice are real risks in the shoulder seasons (May and October) even without snow — the alpine section sits well above the surrounding valleys and its own microclimate.
    • Wildlife is active at dawn and dusk on the lower sections through state forest, particularly around Bright and Bairnsdale.

    Conditions change seasonally and after storms. Check current conditions with the road authority before relying on any of this.

    Common questions

    Only within the declared snow season (roughly June to late September/early October), and only on the Harrietville-to-Omeo section over Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain — but within that window and section, carrying chains is a legal requirement for every vehicle, not just those without snow tyres.

    It's Australia's highest year-round accessible sealed road, so it's designed to stay open, but the Harrietville–Omeo section can still close temporarily during severe winter weather. Check current conditions before a winter trip.

    Yes, outside the snow season it's a straightforward sealed drive for any 2WD. Within the snow season, a standard car is fine provided you carry and know how to fit chains for the alpine section.

    Wangaratta, Bright and Bairnsdale (just before the final short leg to Metung) are all fine for charging, but the alpine crossing itself has no charging infrastructure and cold weather cuts range meaningfully — cross on a full charge rather than planning to top up partway, especially in winter. Metung itself is a small village, not a charging stop.

    Where this is researched from

    • Regional Roads Victoria — Live road conditions, closures and snow season chain requirements
    • Parks Victoria — Alpine National Park — Track conditions and seasonal access

    This is a researched guide, not a firsthand trip report. How we research.

    Spotted something we should update? Let us know.