School holidays have arrived, spring is in the air, and if you’re heading to Bright and Surrounds with the family, we have a little challenge for you…
Put the screens away for a few hours.
Not forever. We’re realistic.
Just long enough to get outside, explore somewhere new, spend some proper time together and make the kind of holiday memories that don’t require Wi-Fi.
Spring is one of our favourite times to explore Bright and the Alpine Valley. The days are mild, the gardens are coming to life, the rivers are flowing and there are plenty of easy ways to keep the whole family entertained.
Here are 10 screen-free things to do in Bright these school holidays.
1. Ride the Rail Trail
Pick a direction. Pack some snacks. See how far you get.
The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail makes family bike riding easy, with plenty of beautiful scenery and places to stop along the way.
You don’t need to turn it into an epic cycling expedition, either. Choose a section that suits your family, take your time and make the journey part of the fun.
AVG tip: Pack a few treats, plenty of water and give yourselves a destination to aim for — preferably one involving something delicious.
2. Choose a Family Walk
You don’t have to climb a mountain for it to count as an adventure. but you can if you want. We have plenty of those to explore!
Bright and surrounds also has plenty of beautiful family-friendly walks, including easy riverside trails where little legs can wander without the pressure of reaching a summit.
Let the kids set the pace, stop to investigate things along the way and enjoy being outside.
And yes, river walks absolutely count.
3. Hit a Local Market
Turn a visit to one of our local markets into a family challenge.
Give everyone a small budget and let them choose something — a locally made treat, fresh produce, something handmade or a snack for later.
1st Saturday of the month: Mount Beauty Market
2nd Saturday of the month: Porepunkah Peoples Market
3rd Saturday of the month: Bright Make It, Bake It, Grow It Market
4th Saturday of the month: Myrtleford Farmers Market
Our markets are also a lovely way to meet local makers and producers and discover a little more of the community you’re visiting.
4. Follow the River
One of the simplest things to do in Bright is also one of the best.
Find the river and follow it.
Walk beside it. Explore it. Find a bridge. Look for wildlife. Stop somewhere beautiful for a picnic.
You don’t necessarily need a destination or a plan.
Sometimes the best holiday adventures start with “Let’s see what’s down there.”
5. Go on a Spring Scavenger Hunt
Spring has well and truly arrived in the Alpine Valley, so turn your walk into a scavenger hunt.
Can you find:
Wattle ✔️
Blossom ✔️
Bulbs ✔️
Birds ✔️
Something you’ve never seen before ✔️
Add your own items depending on where you’re exploring and see who can complete the list first.
It’s a very simple way to turn an ordinary walk into an adventure — especially for younger kids.
6. Conduct a VERY Serious Ice-Cream Investigation
Someone has to do the research.
Set yourselves the extremely important task of investigating the local ice-cream situation.
Choose your flavours. Compare notes. Discuss important criteria such as cone quality, flavour selection and serving size.
You may need to conduct several rounds of research during your stay to ensure your findings are scientifically sound.
We don’t make the rules.
7. Try a New Adventure
School holidays are the perfect excuse to try something the family hasn’t done before.
Go bouldering. Try a new mountain bike trail. Go fishing. Tackle a longer walk. Hire bikes. Play mini golf. Explore a town you haven’t visited before.
It doesn’t need to be extreme.
The challenge is simply to choose one thing nobody in the family has tried before.
You might just discover a new favourite.
8. Build Your Own Local Picnic
This is part activity, part lunch — which makes it a winner in our books.
Visit a local bakery, market or food store and let everyone choose something for the picnic.
Grab some local produce, fresh bread, fruit, cheese, pastries or a few sweet treats, then find somewhere beautiful to spread out the picnic rug.
Beside the river, under a shady tree or overlooking the mountains – there are plenty of spots around Bright and Surrounds where lunch comes with a pretty spectacular view.
9. Hold a Family Tournament
Not every school holiday activity needs to involve leaving your accommodation.
Choose your event:
Cards.
Monopoly.
Uno.
Table tennis.
Backyard cricket.
Charades.
Create a leaderboard, organise a family championship and introduce whatever ridiculous rules your family considers appropriate.
Our only recommendation?
Loser does the dishes.
10. Go Outside After Dark
Before everyone heads to bed, step outside and look up.
Away from the bright lights of the city, the night sky in the High Country can be pretty special.
Grab a blanket, find somewhere dark, see which constellations you can recognise and simply spend ten minutes looking at the stars.
No phones required.
Well… maybe one to work out what you’re looking at. We did say we were realistic.
The School Holiday Challenge
You don’t need to fill every minute of your family holiday with organised activities.
Sometimes the best memories come from the simple stuff.
Ride.
Walk.
Explore.
Eat.
Play.
Get dirty.
Find things.
Try something new.
Come home tired.
Then challenge everyone to a board game before bed.
So this school holidays, our challenge is simple:
Put the phones away for a few hours and make some memories instead.
Planning a Family Getaway to Bright?
Make Alpine Valley Getaways your base for exploring Bright and Surrounds.
We have a range of holiday homes for families, groups and couples, including plenty of pet-friendly accommodation so the dog doesn’t have to miss out on the school holiday adventure either.
Book direct with Alpine Valley Getaways for our best available price and local knowledge from a team that knows and loves the Alpine Valley.