Things to do in Wangaratta, Victoria: Best attractions and activities

The best things to do in Wangaratta, Victoria, include swimming at the Northern Beaches and seeing Aboriginal sculptures on the Bullawah Cultural Trail.

Wangaratta, Victoria, is one of the larger towns in the northern part of the state. It confusingly bills itself as the Rural City of Wangaratta, and suffers from being neither country idyll nor pulsating urban hub.

Wangaratta does, however, make a solid base for special tasting experiences at two of Australia’s top wineries – Brown Brothers and Pizzini Wines.

The Hume Highway skirts the edge of Wangaratta. You’ll pass by on the Melbourne to Albury leg of the drive from Melbourne to Canberra or Melbourne to Sydney. But is the self-styled rural city worth visiting?

Attractions near Wangaratta, Victoria

Well, yes and no. There’s plenty worth seeing around it. The King Valley wineries are to the south-east. Glenrowan – scene of Ned Kelly’s Last Stand – is to the south-west. And Warby Ovens National Park is to the north-west. There’s a decent argument for using Wangaratta as a base. But attractions within the town itself are thin on the ground.

The Wangaratta Art Gallery does the worthy regional art thing, but Wangaratta’s really more of an outdoor town. There are several pleasant parks here, with Merriwa Park having riverside picnic areas and a playground. The large plane trees of the King George V Gardens provide shady respite on a sunny day, too.

Things to do in Wangaratta, Victoria: Northern Beaches

You’re better off heading to the Northern Beaches, however. Platypus Beach and Kingfisher Beach are on the Ovens River. Both are sandy and good for paddling, while plenty of wildlife hangs out nearby. Possums, gliders, echidnas and platypus are regularly seen around Wangaratta’s Northern Beaches.

Also on the list of things to do in Wangaratta is the Bullawah Cultural Trail. This walking trail alongside the Ovens River strings together signs explaining local Aboriginal heritage and culture, as well as several sculptures.

Wangaratta accommodation options include the riverside Big4 Wangaratta North Cedars Holiday Park and the facility-packed Quest apartments.