An old mining town is just the base for a mountain adventure, Christopher Richards discovers.

The rain fitfully spotting the backyard in Melbourne increased to a deluge as it followed us up the Hume Highway and east into the mountains. We hit mire in Myrtleford, were bedraggled in Bright and downright soggy at Smoko.

The learner-driver in the party happily passed back control of the wheel somewhere after Millawa as spray shot up from passing cars.

Finally into Harrietville, across the rushing Ovens River. Beyond dripping trees we could just make out likely eating places for later as we headed through town to Pick and Shovel Rise.

Down below, to the right, were gravel trenches, remains of old diggings where gold seekers once scrambled. Gold was discovered here in 1852 and Harrietville was also - no doubt like Smoko back down the track - a place to rest for miners travelling to the Omeo, Dargo and Glen Wills goldfields.

The diggings were worth a glance, but of more interest on this day was our accommodation. A mountain stream gushed through a pond beside the owners' house. We drove down a gravel drive to the back of the mountain garden where the tall, tin-clad chimney of a cottage emerged among the damp trees. We parked undercover and ducked around to where insignia decorating the front door surrounds left no mistake - a pick on one side, shovel on the other.

Pick & Shovel Cottage - just under a bend in the Great Alpine Road where it rises steeply towards Mount Hotham - is built in miner's cottage style and furnished with old wares and memorabilia. Matching the weatherboards outside are boarded floors, walls and ceilings inside. The living room - with big sofas, TV and music equipment - dining room and kitchen are open plan, warmed by an open fire that we soon had crackling. There is a reverse-cycle air-conditioner for a hot or cold boost, depending on the season.

The airing room reminds you of what looms above: Hotham. The room is a handy adjunct for skiers and trekkers to stow their gear.

The cottage has a bathroom with a shower, clawfoot bath and toilet; and a separate toilet between the two double bedrooms. The decoration of these last two rooms is cottagey and the beds are cast iron - a queen-size in one and a double and two singles in the other -- with comfortable mattresses. There are heated towel rails. Linen comes in the price.

The kitchen has an easy, homely feel around a big table but is a little squeezed; laundry equipment is hidden in a double cupboard near the back door.

Laid out for you is real coffee, some nice teas, a bottle of bubbly and some nibbles.

For finer weather, there's a barbecue at the backdoor, a paved entertainment area and a pool that's solar-heated from October to May when old Sol shows his face.

The miners may have rested at Harrietville or idly attacked an outcrop with their picks and shovels. For us it was a base from which to tackle the mountain somewhere up behind our back door.

There are ski-hire outlets in towns on the way up, and chains are available at a couple of places in Harrietville, including the well-stocked and helpful Hoys, which does the works for would-be skiers. A bus company is nearby if you don't want to conquer snow-bound Hotham in the family car.

Heading uphill at 8am next day, the dampness in Harrietville gives way to dirty snow patches among the misty eucalypts and finally becomes glorious, sundrenched snowy fields stretching across to Mount Feathertop.

They reckon you can do the 30 kilometres in 45 minutes in good conditions. It took an experienced bus driver getting on two hours to drop us at Hotham village after a wayward grader had blocked the icy road - one end of it sticking over the side of valley as road crews fought to haul it back.

It was a blizzard at the village but magic in the way snow always is. Not cheap but hang the expense, we crossed a Swedish instructor's palm with gold and had a day's great sport - and felt a bit sad for those stuck down the mountain in gloomy drizzle.

Soon we were back down there too, in far quicker time than the ascent. Over two nights we enjoyed meals at both Harrietville pubs; innovative pizzas at one; steaks at the other - grillers in the mist.

On the Sunday morning the sky above the trees seemed blue, matching the bedroom's eggshell blue and white colour scheme. Soon sun shone white and bright through the bush around us. What a day this would be on Hotham, we all say. If there was time, and perhaps not in snow season, there is a 1922-metre track to Feathertop and the hardy can attempt a 1863-metre walk to Hotham. The cottage's tourist literature lists some great walks out to mining ruins where dredge buckets now sit filled with flowers.

There are wonderful drives in the fresh alpine air. As we backtrack to the big smoke, Bright is bountiful and beaming and tourists mill around. Wandiligong, many of its buildings classified by the National Trust, is a quick drive out from there or you can amble to the settlement along the banks of Morse's Creek.

Soon we are enjoying a coffee outside at Smoko. Far off, sun shines on the white-capped peaks above Harrietville.

The Verdict

The place: Pick & Shovel Cottage, 1 Pick & Shovel Rise, Harrietville, 3741

Cost: Weekends, $135 per couple per night, $30 extra person, $15 child under 15; weekdays, $110,$30,$15. Weekly rates available. Continental breakfast $10; cooked $15.

Contact: Phone/fax (03) 57592627, mobile 0401125125
info@pickandshovel.com.au , www.pickandshovel.com.au

Getting there: Harrietville is 332 kilometres, or about four hours, north-east of Melbourne.

Cards: BC MC V