Goldrush Country Drive
The discovery of gold in the 1850s and 60s was the most significant event in the evolution of the state of Victoria. Fuelled by extravagant stories of wealth gained at the 1849 Californian gold rush, gold fever hit Victoria following the early gold discoveries in and around Clunes, Warrandyte and Ballarat. This drive takes you into the heart of where it all happened - the town and cities that the rush created. Provided you don't want to stop and look at too many things, this drive can be condensed into two days, with the overnight stop being at Castlemaine or somewhere in that vicinity. Distance: 432 km.Day 1: Leave Melbourne via Citylink to the east of the Melbourne CBD or enter Calder Fwy. at Keilor Park. Opposite Calder Park Raceway is the Organ Pipes National Park, with a set of basalt columns as straight and regular as organ pipes in a deep gorge. Proceed to Macedon where you can make a diversion to the eerie Mt. Macedon, the setting for the acclaimed novel and movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock. Macedon is wine country, and home to a number of boutique family-run wineries specialising in cool-climate varieties - mainly sparkling whites, chardonnay, pinot noir and reisling. Continue north to Woodend and Kyneton, both of which feature historic bluestone architecture.
When you reach Malmsbury you are entering goldrush country, but the gold most visitors come and seek today is in bottles on the shelves of the local wineries. Upon reaching the quaint goldmining town of Elphinstone where time appears to have stood still, stay on Calder Hwy and head for Harcourt. Once an apple growing centre, Harcourt is today the hub of a fast-growing cool-climate wine region.
The Taste of Gold Food and Wine Trail brochure, available from the Harcourt Visitor Information Centre, will guide you to the wineries nearby offering cellar door tastings and sales. From Harcourt, continue north to Bendigo, a rich goldmining city that services the agricultural region around it. 158 km
Day 2: Bendigo's attractions include numerous gold related museums, a vintage tram ride through town, a real gold mine with an authentic deep-shaft mine experience, and Australia's best regional gallery. After seeing what Bendigo has to offer, head west to Marong, then south to Lockwood and Maldon via Bendigo-Maldon Rd.
Maldon
An 1850s' goldmining town that still looks like the frontier town it was during the goldrush, Maldon has everything from Heritage buildings, Antique shops, Art Galleries, Speciality and Craft shops, Gold mine tours, Vintage steam train rides on weekends and more cool climate wineries. If you can pull yourself away, head down to Castlemaine (18 km) for the night, otherwise have fun exploring this genuine goldmining town, stay the night there, and move on to Castlemaine in the morning. 70 km
Day 3: Renowned for the arts, Castlemaine and the region is abuzz with quality cafes, eclectic shops, historic homes, festivals, gracious gardens and art galleries. Castlemaine's Visitor Information Centre has plenty of information about the places worth visiting before you head south along the Midland Hwy to Daylesford, another former goldmining town in a region that contains Australia's largest concentration of natural mineral springs.
Every Sunday a restored heritage train journeys through the scenic countryside and forests around Daylesford; a Sunday Market is held each week at the Daylesford Station. Hepburn Regional Park contains natural mineral springs and significant relics of the gold mining era, all set in bush surroundings. Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa has a range of indoor heated pools, spas and bathing environments, all providing the health-giving benefits of using water from the abundant local mineral springs. Passing through Hepburn Springs on its route between Daylesford and Castlemaine is the Dry Diggings Track, a 57 km section of the Great Dividing Walking Trail which traverses Victoria.
When you leave Daylesford, if you are ready to return to Melbourne, head south along the Daylesford-Ballan Rd to Ballan, then take the Western Fwy. If you find you are still struck with gold fever, you may like to take a detour via Midland Hwy through Creswick to another major goldmining city - Ballarat, but you'll need to add an extra day into your itinerary to do it justice. 89 km
Day 4: Ballarat is full of heritage buildings, goldrush-related historical sites and regional Victoria's biggest attraction, Sovereign Hill, an award-winning history-themed park that is a recreation of a goldmining town. From Ballarat, take Western Fwy. past Kyral Castle to Melbourne. On the way you'll pass Werribee Gorge State Park. Popular among bushwalkers and rock climbers, it has a walking track through a gorge alongside the Werribee River, leading to a picnic area and popular swimming holes. 115 km
