Beechworth and Surrounds, Vic

We love Beechworth so much we came back a second time. Click the button to read about our first visit to the region...

Beechworth

We heart Lake Sambell Caravan Park

Superb spring-time weather, a gorgeous camp site, delicious pizza and a pot of Porter from Beechworth Brewery. What else could you ask for!

Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum

Beechworth Gold Fever was raging in 1867 when the Lunatic Asylum on Mayday Hills a few kilometres out of town was opened. It took only two signatures to have you admitted for as little as being presumed to be a lady of the night for wearing red, having epilepsy, being homeless or suffering from asthma. At its peak, the "hospital" housed up to 1200 patients and 600 staff members in 67 buildings on 106 hectares of farmland. Staggeringly the facility closed as a hospital for the mentally insane as recently as 1996, when it became listed on the Heritage Registry and the patiences moved to the Beechworth hospital. The buildings were sold to private investors in 2013 and have since been subdivided and sold to individuals as accommodation. Yes, that is correct, some of the buildings are now actual homes! Shovel and I participated in a night ghost tour, the admission fee assists to preserve the women's building, and we were told this section of the grounds will be restored and maintained over-time. The architecture of the women's building and the other buildings we visited is impressive, but much of the interiors have been guttered by Latrobe University the previous owners, so it was left to our imagination as to room layouts and actual uses. Having enjoyed such a interesting ghost tour of the Geelong Gaol earlier this year, I have to say I was a little underwhelmed and was confused at times with the disjointed re-telling of the asylum's history and the characters involved. We didn't see any ghosts or experience any ghostly activity, but the tour took an odd turn when three elderly ladies were 'kicked off' the tour for having a laugh and grew further odd when we were stuck listening to the tour guide in a completely pitch black 'cell' for longer than was necessary. I did learn that lunatic actually means 'a person effect by a full-moon' and that as a direct correlation to this, timber shutters were secured to the window's of patient's rooms to ensure they weren't effected by the moon, and that you needed eight signatures to have you discharged from the hospital. But, with people being admitted into the hospital for simply being human, it's no wonder they went insane.

Beechworth to Myrtleford 43km Bike Ride

An awesome 43km bike ride through stunning country-side, a grave visit, a bite to eat, then a relaxed ride back in the Bike Hire Shuttle Bus. Oh, and I certainly won't look at Magpies again the same way... SWOOOPPP!!

Shout out to the Yackandandah Star Hotel for hooking us up with a mad feed of Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Smokey Beef Ribs. Saturday night Beechworth was packed with Octoberfest revellers, so we opted for quieter surrounds and were so happy we did.