Omeo & Benambra

Set high in the Great Dividing Range, the Omeo Region is one of Victoria's best keep secrets where you can lose yourself in the experience.

Whether it's the history of the high country, the promise of adventure, the wide open spaces and big sky, the magic of nature or the wonders of a white winter that attracts you, the Omeo Region has it all. 

Feast your eyes on beautiful spellbinding vistas, fish or swim in the crystal clear rivers and High Country streams swirling from the mountain crevices, or merely laze away the day on the river bank with a picnic.

Listen to the sounds of the bush, watch the wildflowers sway in the gentle breeze as the wild brumbies gallop past and keep an eye out for the wildlife as you take an alpine walk. Absorb yourself in Australian folklore and local history as you recall the excitement of the gold mining era and explore historic huts, relics and ghost towns. See where the mountain cattlemen of old ran their stock and penned some of Australia's best known poems. Have a beer with the locals by the open fire at a local pub or meander around one of the many galleries, bookshops or wineries. Enjoy some old fashioned high country hospitality with good food and great coffee or stop by the country horse racing to back a winner.

Further east, Benambra was once Victoria’s first cattle station and is now a small farming township offering access to the Three Brothers mountain peaks and Lake Omeo, which is renowned for its fly-fishing. Benambra is settled on the beautiful Omeo High Plains, surrounded by hills and mountain ranges and on the edge of the renowned Lake Omeo (dry or full depending on the season). The Omeo High Plains were settled by the Pendergast Brothers in 1834 and are still farmed today by their descendants. Benambra offers a great local atmosphere and the hotel is a place were the locals and visitors mix over a beer and a game of pool. Benambra is the gateway to the Wilderness and Alpine National Park and is well known by many outdoor enthusiasts for quality fishing, camping, horse riding, four-wheel driving, dirt-bike riding and self-discovery.

Things to do 

• Call into one of the local hotels where you can meet locals, other visitors and old friends.

• Head to bush to the Limestone, Native Dog, Cobberas, Davies Plain, Tom Groggin and explore all parts of the Alpine National Parks check out www.parksweb.vic.gov.au for latest information on roads, track and camping areas

• Fish for Rainbow and Brown Trout in the Mitta Mitta, Morass and Gibbo River for that elusive big one in crystal clear rivers and mountain streams

• Walk the Alpine Walking Track which crosses the mighty Mitta Mitta River via the impressive suspension bridge at Taylors Crossing. A great spot for a bbq, camping, fishing, canoeing and swimming. Nearby Kennedys Hut offers a good spot to drop in a line and watch the water run by

• Omeo Town Walks Map will guide you through town to explore this amazing town built on gold! The Oriental Claims Walks are another fascinating piece of history to be seen in the Omeo Regions

• Benambra Uniting Church is a majestic building erected in 1906 and is a dominant landmark of Benambra and surrounding Plain, and provides a good photo opportunity

• The Benambra Town Map will ensure you see all the beautiful scenery this town has to offer

• Follow the route of the early settlers on the Omeo Plains Settlement Drive, the birthplace of Gippsland, to Omeo Station, Mt Leinster, Penders Court and Springvale

For further information or brochures visit the Omeo Region website or call in at the Omeo Region Visitor Information Centre, 179 Day Ave, Omeo.