History and heritage – High Country

For at least 20,000 years Aboriginal tribes have been living and travelling around the High Country, making the annual trek in summer to feast on Bogong Moths.

Explorers Hume and Hovell were the first Europeans to discover the region in 1824. Gold prospectors were next to arrive, seeking their fortunes. They were followed by the infamous bushrangers and their daring exploits. Cattlemen also set up home, driving their herds to the alpine grasses and leaving the legacy of the huts they built as shelter.

The region's heritage, reflected in streetscapes and mountain huts and picturesque townships, also inspired some of Australia’s most endearing legends including bush poet AB 'Banjo' Paterson's 'The Man From Snowy River' and bushranger Ned Kelly.