The Great Alpine Road is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, and passing through the Victorian Alps. The road was given its current name because it was considered the mountain equivalent to Victoria's world-famous Great Ocean Road in the south-west of the state. The road usually remains open during winter; however, vehicles travelling between Harrietville and Omeo are required to carry diamond-pattern snow chains during the declared snow season.
History
In 1923 the Victorian Country Roads Board took responsibility for the Alpine Road between Harrietville and Omeo, and appointed William Benjamin Spargo as supervisor. He lived in a stone cottage at Hotham Heights, which the CRB expanded, at his request, to accommodate up to twenty visiting skiers. From 1925 the premises operated as a guest-house, Hotham Cottage. This was the forerunner of the Hotham Alpine Resort.
Route details
The Great Alpine Road winds through mountains, valleys and forests, and past rivers, vineyards and farms. At a length of, it is Australia's highest year-round accessible sealed road. The section over Mount Hotham rises to an altitude of AMSL. It is blanketed with snow during winter months and must be cleared on a daily basis. Extreme weather conditions can sometimes still result in the road being closed between Harrietville and Omeo. The Great Alpine Road links Victoria's North East with Gippsland. It was completed with the sealing of the section between Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain and was officially opened on 4 April 1998. The road itself has existed since colonial times in some form, but was unsealed for much of its history, and was only given the Great Alpine Road designation after being fully sealed. The current Great Alpine Road includes the former Ovens Highway from Wangaratta to Bright, and a former section of the Omeo Highway from Omeo to Bruthen, along with the section of the Omeo Highway from Bruthen to Bairnsdale.
