Victoria's Macedon ranges

Less than an hour's drive along the Calder Highway north west of Melbourne are the serene and ever green Macedon Ranges and here can be found a wealth of attractions among the small old gold towns and surrounding gold rich, unspoilt bushland (so take your metal detector with you).

Leaving Melbourne, you will pass through the pleasant country town of Gisborne, then the road takes a right turn and you'll soon arrive in Macedon. Take the turnoff to Mount Macedon and, as one moves up the hill, watch out for the magnificent, award winning gardens around the lovely homes
to be seen here. There are grand views from miles around from the lookout on the top of the mount, where also can be seen the tall war memorial.

Close by is the rugged and mysterious Hanging Rock, made world famous in the film "Picnic at Hanging Rock". It can be climbed, with care, in good weather. Often koalas can be spotted in the tall eucalypts of this area.

At its base is the Hanging Rock Race Course and picnic grounds and the grand new Hanging Rock Discovery Centre. There is also the well stocked Barringo Wildlife Reserve, open daily, a hillside caravan park and the Mountain Inn Hotel, which offers warm fires and period charm. The all new Blue Ridge Inn also has much to offer guests, on 10 acres, high above Hanging Rock.

Then there is Dryden's Run Winery Retreat, offering superior accommodation in a vineyard and a number of excellent cottages to rent on a B&B basis. Another vineyard to visit is the Hanging Rock Winery for tastings and Central Highland Safaris offer good short tours of the area. There are also night walking tours for those staying overnight.

Further on is the pleasant country township of Woodend, with its ultra wide main street. The big old Bentink Country House here is very popular with bed and breakfast devotees who enjoy a spacious, cosy guest house. There is no bar, but guests are allowed to bring their own alcoholic drinks to sample at anytime, including with their meals, or before the roaring fire in the lounge. An alternative place to stay is Paramoor Farm Country Retreat, with quiet bush cabins offering all mod cons on a farm worked by Clydesdale horses.

Lovely old Kyneton is the next town on this route, with a visitors information centre in the main street. Many of the locally quarried bluestone town buildings date back to the 19th century and have been well preserved. One of these now houses the Kyneton Historical Museum. And don't miss the quaint historic cottage alongside it. There is a caravan park and numerous bed and breakfast establishments in town or close by, including Woodbine Gardens, Kinsale Waters, Kyneton Country House, Kyneton Ridge Estate and Kyneton Bushland Retreat.

For those who like fine china, there's Kyneton Fine China & Ceramics at 50 Wedge Street and for antique lovers there's Kyneton Provender in Piper Street. Also on Piper is Trio Station Winery, which offers a warm welcome to visitors. If you enjoy country racing, you'll want to attend the Kyneton Cup and all its excitement and fashions in early November. But Kyneton doesn't stop there. It has an annual Antiques Fair in early September and a Daffodil & Arts Festival also in early September. In fact, in most months of the year it has some interesting annual event in operation.

The local town gardens are worth a browse too. And for those with a sweet tooth, Sweet Cravings at 65a High Street offers plenty of fine cakes and pastries, as well as all the favourite types of fresh baked pies.

Keep driving along the highway and you'll soon come into Malmsbury, with its massive old bluestone mill, built in 1860 on your right, set well back from the road. This has now been totally refurbished in real style and offers very comfortable bed and breakfast accommodation, plus a top class restaurant and art gallery.

Malmsbury has a viaduct over the Coliban river that's worth a photograph (it has a National Trust A classification) and beside the nearby reservoirs anglers can often be seen throwing a line into the water The botanic gardens beside the river are an excellent spot for a picnic. The variety of
old European trees there is well worth a little studying. Malmsbury, like Kyneton is, of course, another town that sprang out of the gold rush era of the 1850s.

Every second Sunday of each month there is a market held outside the town hall and there is a twilight market held on the village green twice a year, in autumn and spring. There are 20 wineries in the Macedon Ranges and several of them are quite close to Malmsbury. Malmsbury Bakery offers fresh baked country tucker for the peckish and there's the Malmsbury Hotel, Mere Dream Herb Farm and Craft Centre, Brick Nog Market, Grayson Antiques, cosy tearooms and Knock on Wood, offering beautiful local timber products. For history buffs, Malmsbury Railway Station dates back to 1859, the town hall to 1867 and The Mansions to 1870. A brochure can be obtained leading you around two recommended local walks with delightful features to enjoy.

For those who want to stay and explore the area, there's Holcombe Lodge Country Retreat, Springbank Farm B&B and Hopewell Cottage ready to offer a warm welcome. At nearby Lancefield there's some of the most photogenic countryside in Australia and a couple of good places at which to stay - Glen Erin Vineyard Retreat and Lancemore Hill Country Estate.

Half an hour distant is Victoria's spa country incorporating Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, so it is a good idea to make a real holiday out of combining these areas, spending a few days each, if possible.

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