Bright has been named as one the best walking towns in Australia according to a Channel Seven and Health Prevention magazine competition.
Bright was recently revealed as one of two Victorian towns to make the final ten of the competition. Council is encouraging all residents, and visitors to help Bright claim the title of best walking town in Australia by voting online.
Council CEO Ian Nicholls said the nomination was great recognition for the Alpine Shire's range of walking trails.
"These trails are an under valued asset which Council must recognise and work with the Government to upgrade," he said.
"Our draft budget has allocated $65,000 to developing the Kiewa Valley River Walk and $25,000 to further investigate a shared path between Bright and Harrietville.
"The final stage of the Bright to Wandiligong trail is also about to begin.
The local tourism industry looks to be in great shape after a successful autumn. Record numbers of people walked through the Mount Beauty, Myrtleford and Alpine Visitor Information Centres during this period, with walking trails just one of many tourist attractions.
Manager Visitor Information Centre's Jason Sharp said while the Murray to the Mountains trail was one of most well-known trails in the shire, there are plenty of other walking options.
"Bright's Canyon Walk and Bennets Walk are among the most popular" he said.
"The Reform Hill and Discovery Walks in Myrtleford are great tourist attractions as are the Fainter Falls, Mountain Creek and Pondage Walks around Mount Beauty.
The competition closes on 30 June with the winner announced on the Sunrise program on Monday, 2 August and in Prevention magazines September issue. Esperance, Port Macquarie, Narooma, Canberra, Adelaide, Shepparton, Launceston, Noosa and Townsville are the other finalists.