My kids school afforded us an opportunity this year. Term 4 wrapped up a week ahead of the rest of the state. This was WAY too good an opportunity to pass up!

• Book some accommodation
• Pack the car
• Kids finish school on Friday
• Hit the road on Saturday
• It's time to get to Bright!

I'd be lying if I said it was all smooth sailing. I was working right up till late that Friday, which pushed our departure back later and later on the Saturday. Compound the issue with a McDonald's dinner on the Hume highway that I swear took almost 2 hours (yeah, it was total chaos in that store) and we didn't arrive until after midnight. My glass-half-empty self wanted to bemoan the loss of some Saturday time, but my glass-half-full self was just happy to be away and a headlamp was all I needed to get the car unloaded and the accommodation packed.

We had a week to explore Bright and its surrounds ahead of other schools going on break. This was a golden opportunity! As we were preparing for the trip I also realised the last time my wife and I had been here was 10 years ago. Before our daughter was born! We broke from our normal mode of holidaying and booked a cabin at one of the local caravan parks. This had the advantage of putting us right in the heart of town (easy walking distance) and providing us some wildlife to interact with quite literally just outside our front door.

The weather was a mixed bag, the rain we faced on the first few days meant I was itching to get out and explore some of the local 4x4 tracks. Many of the tracks out this way are easily passable with just an SUV so the rain didn't add any real difficulty (just provided an opportunity to use 4x4 tracks as an excuse to stay dry). It didn't detract in any way from the views on hand luckily.

Our next bit of exploring saw us visit Lake Buffalo on a day that felt way too cold for it. I'm glad we went however as it's a pretty amazing place, and somewhere I'll be keen to visit next time we visit Bright. I was also fortunate that a member of our party was able to take some stunning drone photos of the lake.

Ladies bath and Eurobin falls were our destinations for the next day. The trek up, while only short was surprisingly steep and made me appreciate just how much fitness I've lost in the past 18 months. Yep, fitness I've lost since I did such a great job of injuring myself the last time we went out for a family hike. Still, the trek was well worth the exertion, the photos of the falls unfortunately don't do justice to how stunning they are in person.

The next day saw us hire some bikes and ride out to Wandiligong. Perhaps one of the best hidden places near Bright. There's a lack of photos as A) I was also riding and B) the photos I did capture, mostly included the kids' faces (and this breaks with my policy) but with the exception of some scrapes and bruises falling off bikes it was a great day out and a nice relaxing ride for everyone.

Our next adventure was to Joop's Jetty in Harrietville. The recent rain was enough to see the Jetty submerged, and while some brave souls were willing to take a plunge in the icy water, that wasn't for us!

The same night we trekked up to Huggins Lookout to watch the sunset over Bright. It was yet another reminder that my fitness isn't where it should be, but watching the town change as the sun set and then having an opportunity to see the starts shortly after more than made up for the exertion.

No matter the style of holiday you prefer be it hitting the tracks, spending all your time swimming or hanging out with the local wildlife; Bright has something for everyone. Much like Halls Gap, (our other favorite place in Victoria) Bright leaves you wanting more and with a to-do list of things to keep you coming back again and again. Getting in ahead of the post-school peak was just an extra bonus!