One of the special things Porepunkah Bridge Holiday Park has to offer is access to the beautiful Rail Trail at the Park’s entrance.
The branch railway to Beechworth opened in 1875, and was extended to Yackandandah in 1891. A second branch line was built from Everton to Myrtleford in 1883 and extended to Bright in 1890. Beechworth, originally known as Mayday Hills, was a major gold mining centre in the 1850s.
The line to Bright was popular in the early 20th century with tourists visiting the picturesque town of Bright and the Mt Buffalo Chalet, built and owned by the Victorian Railways. The line closed in 1987. Construction of the present rail trail began in Bright in 1993 and finished in 2002 to Wangaratta and Beechworth.
The Ovens Valley produces a wide variety of crops including tobacco, hops, berries, nuts and grapes. Tobacco kilns are seen throughout the valley but tobacco growing has been rapidly replaced by grapes and other crops.