Snuggle into Victoria's High Country for Some Serious Winter Cocooning

There's no better place in Australia to celebrate the joys of Winter than Victoria's High Country, where 'cocooning' has been elevated to an artform and snow is literally the icing on the cake.

Perfect for an old-fashioned road trip, Winter travellers to the region's picturesque valleys, home to the villages of Mansfield, Bright, Beechworth and Rutherglen - and the snow-covered resorts of Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham - are rewarded with a fantastic choice of warm and welcoming accommodation, from five star luxury to cosy lodges, blazing wood fires and sublime views. On and off-mountain the amazing food, wine and craft beer for which the region is justly famous is served up at Chef's Hatted restaurants, cosy gastropubs, funky cafes, award-winning breweries and historic cellar doors.

Highlights of Victoria's High Country's new and must-do experiences on and off-mountain this Winter 2016 include:

• At Dinner Plain, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, new Howling Huskyssled dog tours and the new Blizzard Brewing Company, the highest craft brewery in Australia 
• snowshoeing tours and tobogganing at Mt Buffalo with Adventure Guides Australia
• At Falls Creek new Fatbike trails and Fatbikes for hire. Astra Lodge has been newly refurbished offering luxurious self-contained accommodation, a magnesium swimming pool, hot tub & sauna. Also at Falls, a new Winter pop-up ice creamery, the return of Snonuts Donuts and for something completely different, experience the High Country in all its glory on a Summit Sunset Tour.
• Mt Hotham welcomes the return of Yama Kitchen & Bar, the lively Winter collaboration between Chef's Hatted Tani Eat & Drink in Bright (Rachel Reed and Hamish Nugent) and Provenance in Beechworth (Michael Ryan and Jeanette Henderson) 
• The new Mt Buller Fish & Chippery in the Village Square Plaza
• New luxury boutique accommodation for couples - 187 Merrijig - set on 100 acres and offering spectacular Delatite Valley and snowcapped mountain views 
• Follow the Muscat Trail and taste the internationally renowned Muscats of the Rutherglen wine region
• Discover the joys of dark Winter ales on the High Country Brewing Trail, taking in award-winning craft breweries in Beechworth, Bright, Glenrowan, Mt Beauty. In 2016, three new craft breweries have created a truly regional ale trail - Blizzard at Dinner Plain, Social Bandit Brewing Co in Mansfield and the Rutherglen Brewery in Rutherglen.

For snow newbies, ski phobics and for those who simply haven't been back in years, now is a perfect time head to the High Country for a holiday that combines all the fun the snow has to offer with the pure, simple pleasures of wrapping up, tucking in and snuggling into a cosy Winter cocoon.

www.tourismnortheast.com.au