The Great Alpine Road

Off we go to the great white snow! We finally decided to go for a self-guided tour of the Great Alpine Road and see the famous white peaks of the Victorian Alps. The trip offered us a truly picturesque drive on the way up, passing by quaint country towns, lush green fields with happily grazing animals, foodie-friendly wineries and cheese factories.

Our trip took place slightly off the peak season, after the school holidays and on a weekday, so the road was pretty deserted, which was a good thing.  I'm not sure exactly what we were hoping to experience at the higher altitudes (beside that requisite white-and-cold stuff), but it definitely involved having drinks by a roaring fireplace whilst looking out at the distant wintery hills.

For those of you who might like to make the trip yourselves just a word of warning.  Once you get to the mountain, also known as 'The Australian Alps', you must make a mandatory stop at one of the designated ski equipment rental spots to shell out for the necessarily unnecessary snow chains.  No joke.  Any car coming or going through the alpine region at this time of year is obliged to be properly equipped - regardless of the weather.  We were assured it was a well-founded safety precaution though the roads were exceptionally clean and bare.  Somehow we thought we might be allowed to skirt this inconvenient law simply by flashing a passport and saying 'it's okay, we're Canadian, eh' but we didn't test our luck.  Being Canadian we're naturally also very law-abiding... and not inclined to pay the hefty no-useless-tire-chain-fine. So with our newly rented chains rattling away in the trunk of the car, we buckled in and wound our way up the mighty-ish hill.

Although the snow we came across didn't compare (quantity-wise) to the white stuff from Canada, it was nonetheless great fun to go play with.  At least until Robert's hands got too cold and he had to go seek refuge in the car.  It is worth noting that snow in this part of the world is regarded as a bit of a novelty for most.  Elusive and concentrated in only a few small areas, visiting the Australian Alps can feel like temporarily visiting an amusement park.  Fifteen minutes after getting into our car to start the descent, all signs of snow had departed and green grass once again predominated the countryside.

The fresh crisp air and the cold snow really made me ridiculously happy. Just a little taste of wintriness before we eventually make out way back to Montréal for Xmas.