Goldfields Guides Attractions Events in Victoria

Nestled at the eastern base of the Pyrenees Ranges to the north-west of Melbourne, Avoca is known for fine wines and horse races.

Sample the wines in the cool-climate Pyrenees wine region. Noted cellar doors include Blue Pyrenees, Taltarni Vineyard, Dalwhinnie Vineyard and Warrenmang Vineyard and Resort. There are wineries that offer accommodation or restaurants, even a game of petanque. Keep an eye out for winery events.

The Avoca Shire Turf Club hosts fantastic country race meets – often combined with the wines of the region. See the field and have a tipple at the Pink Lamb and Purple Shiraz Race Day in March, the Mount Avoca Anzac Day Races in April and the Taltarni Avoca Cup in October.

Avoca was one of the first goldfields in the north-western area of Victoria. Discover the rich goldfields past by following the Avoca Historic Walk past the historic buildings, including the courthouse (1857) and the Avoca Primary School (built in the 1870s). Pick up a brochure at the Avoca Visitor Information Centre, and look out for plaques at each historic site.

Avoca is 187 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, approximately two hours by car, and is situated at the crossroads of the Pyrenees and Sunraysia highways.

Take a trip to Ballarat in Victoria's Goldfields and discover rich history and heritage and a friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Ballarat is Victoria's largest inland city and is famous as the site of the world's largest deposit of alluvial gold. The legacy of the gold rush is evident in the majestic architecture and wide tree-lined streets of the town today. Admire the city's Victorian and Edwardian architecture, parks, gardens, statues and churches by following the visitor information centre's self-guided Heritage Walk.

Pan for gold and watch the hustle and bustle of an 1850s gold mining settlement at Sovereign Hill. The 35-acre site includes shops, hotels, schools, a theatre, crafts, steam-driven machinery and two underground mines. Don't miss the dramatic Blood on the Southern Cross sound and light show, telling the story of the Eureka Rebellion.

Visit the Gold Museum, located across the road from Sovereign Hill, and view the extensive and valuable collection of gold nuggets, alluvial gold deposits, gold ornaments and coins.

Admire the magnificent collection of Australian art and the original Eureka flag at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Australia's oldest and largest regional gallery. Catch a show at Her Majesty's Theatre which originally opened in 1875.

Wander through the lovely Ballarat Botanical Gardens, on the western side of Lake Wendouree, the oldest inland botanic gardens in regional Victoria. The Ballarat Begonia Festival is held in the gardens each March.

Take the family to meet koalas and kangaroos at the Ballarat Wildlife Park and walk or cycle along the tracks and trails in the region. Tempt your tastebuds with food and wine at laid-back cafés, award-winning restaurants, country pubs, and nearby wineries.

Ballarat is 110 kilometres west of Melbourne, just over an hour by car via the Western Highway. Daily rail and coach services are available from Melbourne.

Bendigo is a charming and elegant regional city in central Victoria and an ideal base to explore Victoria's golden heritage. In the centre of town, gold era architecture nestles among century-old gardens, sidewalk cafés, art galleries and antique stores.

Take a walk and explore the city's heritage buildings and sites, including the Alexandra Fountain, the magnificent former post office that now houses the Bendigo Visitor Information Centre, the law courts, and the ornate Shamrock Hotel. Take a break in Rosalind Park with its open air fernery, cascade waterfall and conservatory.

Head up View Street and discover Bendigo's arts precinct. It's headlined by the Bendigo Art Gallery (1887) containing a collection of Australian art dating back to the 1850s. Also, check out the Performing Arts Centre (1873) and a host of smaller galleries and antique stores.

Go underground at the restored Central Deborah Gold Mine, where visitors descend the equivalent of a thirty-storey building to explore the main vertical shaft. Take a ride on Bendigo's talking tram and explore the Chinese Dragon Museum, home to the world's oldest and longest imperial Chinese dragon, Sun Loong. Attend Bendigo's Easter Festival and see Sun Loong winding down the street as hero of the street parade.

The Bendigo wine region is home to approximately 30 wineries and is known for its tasty reds. Most wineries are small, friendly and family-run, so the people who pour your wine are the people who made it. The region's food and wine is showcased at the Bendigo Wine Festival in April and Bendigo Heritage Uncorked in October.

Bendigo is just under two hours from Melbourne on the Calder Highway. Trains operate daily services to Bendigo.

Paved by gold, Castlemaine's history and heritage is visible in its fine public buildings, wide streets, ornate hotels and century-old shops selling everything from gourmet food to antiques and art.

Castlemaine has a thriving arts and cultural community and has made its mark as a leading regional arts centre. Attend a show at Australia's oldest continually operating theatre, the Theatre Royal. View major Australian artworks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries at the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum, or visit one of the city's many private galleries.

Whether your love is for formal gardens or natural landscapes, you'll find them in Castlemaine. Take a picnic and enjoy a relaxing afternoon by the lake in the Botanical Gardens, established in 1856. Visit the Buda Historic Home and Garden with its magnificent nineteenth century gardens, and the Kaweka Wildflower Reserve, vividly coloured in spring.

Follow the Mt Alexander Diggings heritage trail and find out about life on the goldfields. Pick up a brochure from the historic Market Building in Mostyn Street.

Castlemaine is 119 kilometres north-west of Melbourne o rjust under 90 minutes via the Calder Highway. Alternatively you can travel via the Western Highway to the Midland Highway passing through Daylesford.

Rich in gold history, Dunolly is situated in stunning bushland in the centre of Victoria's goldfields.

During gold rush times Dunolly and the surrounding district turned up more gold nuggets than any other region in Australia and became known as the “Golden Triangle”. Gold found in the area included the then largest gold nugget in the world, the 69 kilogram “Welcome Stranger”', which was found in 1869 in nearby Moliagul. See a replica of the famous nugget at the Goldfields Historical and Arts Museum and then try your luck at prospecting for gold. Hire a metal detector and pick up a map from Dunolly's prospecting store.

Today Dunolly's attractive main street is lined with kurrajongs and gold rush architecture. Take a wander along Broadway, pick up a brochure from the visitor information centre located in the Welcome Stranger Café, and learn about the historic Cobb and Co building and Railway and Royal hotels. Browse through the collectible shops as you explore.

Get on your bike and ride the Dunolly Cycle Tracks, a series of signed forest roads and tracks varying in length between 14 and 47 kilometres. As well as Dunolly, routes pass through the old gold towns of Tarnagulla, Bealiba, Waanyarra, Betley and Goldsborough.

Dunolly is 178 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, just under two hours by car. Take the Castlemaine exit off the Calder Highway and travel via Castlemaine, Maldon and Eddington.

Located in Victoria's Goldfields region, Maldon is a quaint goldmining town that looks like it still belongs to the 19th century.

The National Trust declared Maldon Australia's first "notable town" in 1966 because of its well-preserved 19th century buildings. Visitors to the town find broad footpaths shaded by corrugated iron verandahs, buildings and cottages made from local stone, old-fashioned shop fronts and deep stone gutters. High Street is cool and verdant in summer with its swathe of deciduous European trees that strike brilliant colours in autumn.
Located in Victoria's Goldfields region, Maldon is a quaint goldmining town that looks like it still belongs to the 19th century.

The National Trust declared Maldon Australia's first "notable town" in 1966 because of its well-preserved 19th century buildings. Visitors to the town find broad footpaths shaded by corrugated iron verandahs, buildings and cottages made from local stone, old-fashioned shop fronts and deep stone gutters. High Street is cool and verdant in summer with its swathe of deciduous European trees that strike brilliant colours in autumn.

Pick up a brochure from the visitor information centre to guide you around the town's historic streetscape and fine old buildings. See the Post Office, Penny School, Battery, churches (Welsh, Anglican and Uniting) and the Court House.

High Street forks into two main streets, both of which offer excellent shopping. Unearth a treasure in one of the many antique and collectibles shops and galleries. Discover homewares, books, both new and second hand, gorgeous chocolates, herbal remedies and beautiful imported lace.

For a taste of gold history visit the recreated 1850s goldmining town at Porcupine Township, wander around the North British Mine, visit the Beehive Mine Chimney and tour Carman's Tunnel.

Take a drive up Mt Tarrangower and get a 360 degree view of Maldon and the surrounding countryside from the lookout tower. Get on board a steam-era train from Maldon to Muckleford and back with the Victorian Goldfields Railway. Alternatively, taste local wines at winery cellar doors, including Nuggetty and Welshman's Reef.

Maldon is 137 kilometres north-west of Melbourne or about 90 minutes by car via the Calder and Pyrenees highways.

Located in the heart of Victoria's Goldfields region, Maryborough is central to Ballarat and Bendigo.

Maryborough is a progressive town where contemporary architecture is combined with the ornate facades of gold rush buildings of the nineteenth century. In the compact central business district, the Bull and Mouth Hotel and the Old State Bank building stand beside a myriad of craft shops, bakeries and cafés.

Mark Twain once described Maryborough as a "railway station with a town attached". The historic railway station, which has one of the southern hemisphere's longest platforms, still stands and is home to an antique emporium, art gallery, wood-work gallery and café. A quarterly antique market is held under the platform's broad roof, attracting thousands who browse collectables, books and old wares.

Visit the Central Goldfields Regional Art Gallery and its regular changing contemporary exhibitions housed in the old fire station.

Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the Jajawurrong Aborigines, part of the Djajawurrong clan. Head south out of Maryborough to the rock water wells along Wells Track, regarded as some of Victoria's best examples of Aboriginal rock water wells. Look out for the scarred trunks of "canoe trees" in the area.

Head for the bush and take a walk in the Paddys Ranges State Park, go fossicking for gold or fish for trout in one of the nearby reservoirs.

Dine among the vines at Tipperary Hill Estate, just five kilometres from the town, or explore the nearby wineries of the Pyrenees region.

Maryborough is 165 kilometres north-west of Melbourne or approximately two hours by car via Kyneton and Castlemaine on the Pyrenees Highway or via Ballarat on the Western Freeway.

Rushworth is an old goldmining town in central Victoria that still displays its original character in its many historic buildings.

Now a service centre for the surrounding farming community, Rushworth still retains its golden past and High Street and its adjacent streets are a National Trust Urban Conservation Area. Take the High Street Heritage Walk and explore the town's history through its impressive, restored architecture and historical landmarks.

Enjoy a scenic view of the town, the Waranga Reservoir, the Rushworth Forest and the Goulburn Valley from the fire lookout tower at Growlers Hill.

Head south out of town and discover the remains of a thriving gold rush township at the Whroo Historic Reserve, including a 25 metre open-cut mine on the hill.

The Rushworth State Forest, to the south of town via Whroo Road, consists of red ironbark, yellow gum and grey box eucalypts. Take a walk in autumn and spring and see a profusion of wildflowers and orchids amid the towering eucalypts. Keep an eye out for the kangaroos, wallabies, possums, wallaroos and the 100 bird species that call the forest home.

Rushworth is located 166 kilometres north of Melbourne via Murchison, just under two hours along the Goulburn Valley Highway.