Mount Beauty

Mount Beauty is located in Victoria's high country, at the southern end of the picturesque Kiewa Valley and at the base of the state's highest mountain, Mount Bogong. It is located 31 kilometres east of the popular holiday town of Bright and is separated from the small community of Tawonga South by the Kiewa River.

There are two primary access routes into Mount Beauty. The route south along the Kiewa Valley Highway from Wodonga roughly follows the path of the Kiewa River through a rich and fertile valley, offering a number of scenic viewing points including the Mount Bogong lookout, just south of Tawonga. Alternatively, access via the Tawonga Road from Bright allows travellers to cross from the Ovens Valley to the Kiewa Valley and enjoy stunning lookouts along the way at Tawonga Gap and at Sullivans Lookout.

Mount Beauty was originally established in the 1940s as a base for workers on the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme. Since then it has developed into a popular tourist town, located 30 kilometres from the major ski resort of Falls Creek and a scenic drive away from Alpine attractions such as Mount Buffalo and Mount Hotham.

As the name suggests, Mount Beauty is a place of significant natural beauty. It is surrounded by the Alpine National Park which features lakes, forests and snowfields, offering visitors scenic backdrops wherever in town they happen to be. The town's commercial centre features several attractive parks and an interesting selection of speciality shops along the shady Hollonds Street and Kiewa Crescent.

The Mount Beauty Pondage, which is a popular recreational facility for watersports, is surrounded by a walking track, several parks and picnic areas. The Alpine Discovery Centre, located just west of the town centre, gives an educational and entertaining insight into the development of the upper Kiewa Valley.

The scenic drive out of town on the Bogong High Plains Road on the way to Falls Creek passes through some interesting attractions such as the Clover hydro-electric power station, the waterfall at Slippery Rock Creek, and Bogong Village which has been built into the steep mountainside. The entrance gates to Falls Creek are located at Howmans Gap (fee payable during snow season), and from there the road passes through the Falls Creek Alpine Resort, linking up with the Omeo Highway north of Omeo. Note that the route through to Omeo is closed during snow season.