Bendigo & Surrounds

Bendigo:

• major rural centre in the heart of the Victoria's gold mining region ~1.5hrs drive from Melbourne
• gold mining relics
• Bendigo Pottery
• Lake Werroon
•  

North:

• Loddon Valley Highway:
  • Sandhurst Town:
    • 12km north-west of Bendigo
    • a tourist centre celebrating both the 1850's gold rush & the battling years of 1920's & 30's
    • open everyday except 24th & 25th Dec & Fridays unless Vic. school hols: 10am-5pm
  • Inglewood
  • Wedderburn
  • Charlton

South:

• Maldon:
  • 
  • historic gold mining town, now a tourism town with rejuvenated historic shops, many selling antiques & collectables
  • Australia's 1st "notable town"
  • gold mine tours:
    • Carman's Tunnel Goldmine:
      • 570m tunnel driven through solid rock in 1882-84
      • 25min tour of tunnel: ~$3pp weekends, pub.hols & school hols 1.30-4pm
  • 45min steam train rides:
    • Sundays & most pub. hols @ 12.30pm, 2pm & 3.30pm (no service in Feb or Fire Ban/severe hot weather)
  • Muckleford Meadows Honey Farm
  • Maldon Folk Festival - held annually on the long weekend preceding Melbourne Cup
• Castlemaine:
  • 
  • historic gold mining town
  • nice gardens & lake
  • historic homes including:
    • "Buda" built in 1862 and surrounded by 4.5 acres of garden whose character has been maintained
      • open to public 9.30am - 5pm daily
  • historic gold mining heritage park with its rural villages Vaughan Springs, Strathloddon, Irishtown, Fryerstown, Chewton.
  • 
• Harcourt:
  • Mt Alexander Regional Park:
    • Leanganook Koala Park
    • ruins of a silkworm farm est. 1873 but abandoned in 1877

East:

• Heathcote:
  • Central Vic. Yabbie Farm
  • Boundary Park - farm on 1200 acres surrounded by State Forest - can be rented for night or week for up to 6 ppl
  • Pink Cliffs - a mini-Grand Canyon
  • Wintercreek Herbs & Craft - set in an 1860's stone cottage
  • Insectarium
  • wineries, bakery
  • Astronomical Society of Victoria's dark sky site
  • real estate:
    • Robert Gordon
    • Connally's Real Estate
• Lake Eppalock:
  • camping, fishing, water-sports
• Elmore:
  • lies NE of Bendigo and 2hrs (160km) from Melbourne via Sunbury, Lancefield then the Northern Hway
  • Campaspe Run museum including the development of the Sunshine Stripper/Harvester, a machine much under-rated in Australia's history
  • Campaspe River forms its eastern boundary
  • historic 1870 train station
  • explorers Burke & Wills stayed in the Elmore Hotel (built in 1846) on their travels north

West:

• the Pyrenee Ranges, Avoca wine district and then onto Stawell and Ararat - see Grampians