For these two mini adventures we had to do them solo as Benny wasn’t permitted, particularly within the Mount Pilot National Park near Chiltern. Woolshed Falls near BeechworthWe may not have been able to see a waterfall along our Rawes Track walk, but we did have the opportunity to drive up to Woolshed Falls lookout. We tag-teamed in and out of the car as we ran across the carpark in slight drizzly rain to see this natural beauty. Mount Pilot Lookout near Chiltern
Located not far from where we were staying at Yackandandah is the Nine Mile Creek Historic Area and on this adventure, Cherry got to get her shoes dirty as we took her off road onto dirt roads and through a little river crossing to the start of Rawes Track. Despite the promise of a waterfall ending we were unable to make it to the waterfall, as past the river crossing the track became very overgrown and as we were in the height of snake season decided against pushing on and turned back along the way we had come. The AllTrails app said about this track, “it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring,” which offered insight into the reason for the overgrowth. It’s always fun to get out in nature however and we made the most of the walk, taking in the sights and sounds of the Victorian high country.
To say Benny was excited to be untethered from the lead for this 9km approx. out and back walk was an understatement. His entire demeaner changes when free to wander at his pace and sniff or eat kangaroo poo at his leisure, it’s also awesome for us as we can keep walking knowing he’ll sprint to catch up, rather than mindless waiting for him to do this dog thang before continuing; so it’s smiles all round and this trail didn’t disappoint, the trail meanders beside the creek and rural properties, and we saw many others, cycling, walking dogs, running.
The home of Australia’s favourite outlaw Ned Kelly, we were looking forward to soaking up the historic magic that is, Beechworth! On this adventure an intriguing bar caught my attention, and I couldn’t resist a peak; the exposed internal red brick and timber slatted ceiling created a rustic charm ambiance, and I was even more delighted to discover the bar was in fact a soda bar, specialising in Billson’s cordials and serving classic spiders, milkshakes, and sodas. I had the Elderflower soda and was hooked! George Billson developed cordial receipts with a local pharmacist in the 1870s yet sold the factory in 1914. The new owners who purchased the factory in 2018 have reinstated the brand and Billson’s has made a comeback with a Brewery, and the Soda Bar, which opened in Camp Street in 2022, and we are grateful they did. It was lovely to enjoy a drink at a venue, without it having to be either coffee or beer (although Shovel opted for the coffee). Such a fun place! Speaking of beer we couldn’t resist a visit to Bridge Road Brewers in the main street of Beechworth, brewers of our favourite beer, the Robust Porter. This was the first beer Shovel and I drank together in 2018 and whilst living in Mount Isa we would get a slab of it delivered and enjoy one together on Saturday evenings. Step back in time to our previous visits of Beechworth It was the Melbourne Cup public holiday weekend in Victoria which coincided with our birthdays, and although we don’t celebrate (either event), we do like to get way and where better to spend four glorious days than in Yackandandah, nestled within the Victorian high country, a short distance from another favourite place of ours, Beechworth. We’d had the caravan park in Yackandandah booked for months and are so grateful we did; it was packed (for our first three nights) and despite the less than satisfactory amenities the location adjacent to the creek and short stroll to town made it more than perfect. The Yackandandah Star Hotel radio jingle had been reverberating as an ear worm in the lead up to our adventure into the mountains and we were elated to discover the vibe hadn’t changed since we last visited in 2018 and that the food on offer was even better than we remembered; dinning in for the four nights of our stay, indulging in the beef brisket and barramundi, most likely the best we have tasted (although I did say this about the barramundi we ate at the Threeways Roadhouse, NT). Just out of the main town centre we discovered a groovy little coffee shop, located in an old train carriage called The Guard which serves toasties and hot drinks in mugs, this place doesn’t believe in takeaway cups and we loved that; having to drink in from a mug chosen from an odd assortment, rather than get a takeaway paper cup made us slow down and enjoy the moment of being in this beautiful town. We love everything about Yackandandah! Colbinabbin Silo ArtColbinabbin Around TownRushworth Around Town
Kokoda Track Memorial WalkTo be honest it's probably more like 800 steps rather than 1,000, but the 1.5 kilometre walk up the 290 metre accent will definitely raise your heart rate and your appreciation for the diggers who fought under treacherous conditions in Papa New Guinea during WWII.
Glenrowan was the scene of the 'Final Shootout' between Law Enforcement and the Kelly Gang. Ned and the crew had devised a plan to derail a train carrying Police Officers. The cops found out and foiled their attempt, but not before an epic gun battle ensued at the Glenrowan Inn. During the seven hour siege, Dan Kelly, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart died. Ned was shot several times, but fought right to the end, eventually being detained by the cops and was later hanged in the Melbourne Gaol on 11 November 1880. The township of Glenrowan boasts an animatronic reenactment of Ned Kelly's final stand, which was closed on the day we visited town and a massive sculpture of Ned in his trademark homemade armour. Shovel seized the opportunity to have a photo with the original hipster himself. The road from Glenrowan towards Bendigo called the C345 was horrendously bumpy and narrow with barely a shoulder. Had we had known we would have looked into going through Shepparton instead. During the ordeal we heard a thud. We pulled off to the side where we could to discover the door to the front side compartment had broken off. Further back along the road we found the door in multiple pieces, one larger piece baring the marks of tyre tread from a truck. We picked up the pieces and made our way into Bendigo, thankful no other damaged was done or no one was injured.
Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town that thrived in the gold rush days back in the 1850’s. The region was originally known as Mayday Hills until regular findings of gold transformed the grazing land into a thriving gold rush town, officially being called Beechworth on the 1st of January 1854. The boom times brought in a large variety of industries to the town, this included a tannery, jewellers, boot makers, a brewery, blacksmiths and livestock sale yards. It had schools, a convent, hotels, a prison with imposing stone walls, a hospital, a mental hospital, court house, police barracks, stage coach companies and a powder magazine. Echos of History Guided Walking TourThis is an Apple Box, But But Eucalyptus Tree measuring approx. 8m in diameter and standing at 23m high. It is said to be over 300 years old and the result of two trees merging together. In the gold-rush era the tree was used as a message board, with messages nailed to the tree. Evidence of which is still visible and is listed on the heritage national trust database.
The gold rush days brought people in from the United States, United Kingdom and China, all to try and get a slice of the golden cake. Mining Camps and leases popped up around the region, seeing a population of 3100 soar to 22000 people. Two well known figures of Beechworth are bushranger Ned Kelly, who had many links to the town and Robert O’Hara Burke, the local police officer who embarked on the ill fated Burke and Wills expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The winding narrow challenging roads from Canberra brought us into Beechworth in the afternoon, which welcomed us with blooming autumn flora and streets filled with Victorian Colonial architecture. It was extremely pleasant and even the caravan park was nestled in behind the local Lake Sambell, giving us a beautiful place to stay.
The our day kicked off with a run out to Lake Kerferd, which provided great views and a hard fall to the ground that left Gumby with a few nasty scars on the leg which are still with us to this day. The injury brought her much pain but she soldiered on refusing to let it stop any exploring. We got ourselves out to the town and enjoyed a walking tour by a knowledgeable local. The tour was hours of information on Beechworth’s eventful history. Every part of the town had a story to it, of course every building does, but things you would just walk past like an apple box butt butt eucalyptus tree that was used to pin messages on, or a hook on the wall of one of the shops, used to hang dead cattle so it could get pickled to avoid maggots and flies.
We got to know the notable locals a bit better. Robert O’Hara Burke was not just a famous explorer but one of the local policemen of the town. Although known for leading explorations, he wasn’t too good of a navigator when finding his way around Beechworth constantly getting lost out bush. Another well-known figure in Beechworth was Ned Kelly; the notorious bushranger had many links to the town. He was a regular visitor of the courthouse and spent two years in the local HM prison, where four of his other gang members and his mother also spent time. Beneath the town hall is a cell where Ned Kelly’s mentor and Bushranger Harry Power spent time in 1863 and 1864. One of his most famous Beechworth events was a boxing match with Isaiah Wright to settle an argument over a horse. The bare-knuckle match endured for an astonishing 20 rounds seeing Kelly come out on top. He created a lot of history in the region with countless acts against the law, from as small as riding over a footpath drunk to being part of one of the most famous gangs in Australian history. His life of 25 years has more documented history than Queen Victoria and most of it lies within the region. It was a big day on the history so we thought the best way to see in the night was a pizza from the local Bridge Road brewery. We also had our first ever beer together, which was the Bridge Road Robust Porter, unbelievably delicious! The only thing that we found disappointing about Beechworth is that we only spent one day there, we were in love with the town. It surprised us with beautiful architecture, scenery and endless chapters of history. The food is amazing and local beer so good that we even gave it a try. Our journey today of 380 kilometres had us traverse the Hume Highway, traveling from the Territory of Canberra, through the State of New South Wales, crossing the border near Albury / Wodonga into the State of Victoria. We stopped at the small township of Tarcutta to reflect at the Truck Driver's Memorial, a unique winding red brick wall, which holds plaques with the names of Truck Drivers who have died 'in the line of duty' Truck Drivers really do 'Keep Australia Moving' and it was important for us to stop and pay our respects to these sometimes overlooked pilers of the economy. I was completing loving the owner of the caravan park at Beechworth who after a long day on the road assisted me to reverse Florence into her home for the next few nights, by guiding me with solid directions. We had Florence set up in next to no time, in stark contrast to many other caravan park sites we have endured on our venture down the East Coast. We noticed after the first night, Florence had sprung a leak. Over the next few days we discovered a blocked water pipe a result of connecting the water filter backwards... oops
|
The JourneyChoose Curiosity The Catalogue
November 2023
The Tags
All
|