Bairnsdale is the gateway to East Gippsland, a handy market town of about eight thousand people on the Mitchell River flats, and it marks one end of the Great Alpine Road. That road climbs about three hundred kilometres from here to Wangaratta, crossing the Victorian Alps by way of Omeo and Mount Hotham, and in places it is spectacular. At Bairnsdale itself, the scenery is flat and the pace relaxed, so it makes sense as a place to refuel and rest before or after the mountains.
One thing to see is St Mary's Catholic Church, which holds a remarkable set of murals painted in the 1930s by Francesco Floreani, an Italian-born artist who had settled in Australia, and the paintings have given the church a reputation far out of proportion to the size of the town. The surrounding district is dairy and farming country, and further south lie the Gippsland Lakes, a huge system of coastal lagoons with fishing villages such as Paynesville, where a small ferry runs across to Raymond Island, known for its koalas.
The riding in the mountains is the point. After Omeo, the Great Alpine Road crosses the high country with long climbs, hairpins and wide views, reaching about 1,850 metres at Hotham Heights, one of the highest sealed roads in Australia. Surfaces are generally good but frost, ice and sudden fog can appear any time of year, and in winter snow chains must be carried on the upper sections. Wildlife, from wombats to wallabies, wanders across the road at dusk. Take care on the descent toward Bright, where the road is tight and steep.
Fuel is available in Bairnsdale at several stations, and the road has gaps, so plan on filling in Omeo, Hotham or Harrietville. Cafes and bakeries in Bairnsdale are generous and cheap, and many riders stop here for a hearty breakfast before heading into the hills.
Late spring is a beautiful time, with wildflowers in the high plains and a fresh green on the lower slopes. In autumn the poplars and oaks around Bright turn gold, and the days are mild and settled.