The Hume Highway , the direct route between Melbourne and Sydney, cuts straight through Victoria's northeast - an area that has become known as Ned Kelly country. Euroa, Benalla and Glenrowan (where the outlaw was finally seized after a bloody shoot-out) all have traces of the masked bushranger's activities, with Glenrowan wholeheartedly cashing in on his fame. West of the Hume, Rutherglen , right up against the state border, is Victoria's oldest established wine-producing region. There are also vineyards in the rich fruit-growing region of the Goulburn Valley , north along the Goulburn Valley Highway from Seymour. Bushwalking in the Alpine region is most easily organized through an outdoor tour operator such as Bogong Jack Adventures (tel 08/8383 7198, fax 8383 7377).

 

V/Line runs several train and bus routes through the northeast. The Melbourne-Albury train service goes via Seymour, Euroa, Benalla, Glenrowan, Wangaratta, Chiltern and Wodonga (at least 4 daily). There are also trains and buses from Melbourne to Shepparton, with connections to Cobram and Tocumwal in NSW (2-3 daily). Buses depart from Albury to Bendigo via Wangaratta and Benalla (1 daily). Bus services to Rutherglen are rather limited: from Albury (4 weekly in the morning). From Melbourne, there's a train to Wangaratta and then a connecting bus (3 weekly in late afternoon).