Wangaratta is renowned for its retail therapy, historic sights, bike and walking trails and good food and wine.

Less than half an hour from the King Valley, Rutherglen and Beechworth wine areas, Wangaratta makes a great base and you'll have a hard time deciding what you should do first.

The Ovens-Warby Ranges are also nearby and offer bushwalking trails of various lengths and difficulties.

After decent rains you can enjoy cascading waterfalls and rushing streams and at various times throughout the year, you will hear up to half a dozen different calls of local frog species.

Dropping in a line and teaching the kids to fish is easy with the Ovens and King Rivers flowing in and around Wangaratta and there are various spots you can settle your camping chair as you wait for a bite.

Bike and walking tracks criss-cross the city, making it easy to find your way from one end to the other and rail trails will take you to Everton, Myrtleford, Oxley and Milawa.

A number of information boards are placed along the tracks and give information about the Aboriginal people of the area.

New street scaping and water tower art in Norton and Docker Streets greet visitors at the railway precinct and down past the Wangaratta Library and the Cathedral.