IT’S almost 160 years to the day since a band of irritated gold miners made a stand on Ballarat’s Eureka diggings. The group was angry about the steep licence fees charged to prospect, paying taxes without being allowed to vote, and the fact police were neglecting the rights of miners and making life difficult inContinue reading “Solid gold history …”
Category Archives: Victoria
Garden Tap House …
Where … The Garden Tap House, Kyneton When … Thursday, September 2, 2014 What … The setting sun shines through an upstairs window at The Garden Tap House, one of the comfortable self-contained properties available to those looking to spend a few days in Kyneton’s Piper Street. Visit the Piper Street website … posted OctoberContinue reading “Garden Tap House …”
Park at Pullman …
→ A plot close to Melbourne’s metropolitan lake provides a nice position for a stay at the Pullman Albery Park … THE Pullman Albert Park, set beside Melbourne’s Albert Park Lake and the back straight of the city’s Formula One track, is an agreeable hotel that’s perfect for both business and leisure travellers. The 169-roomContinue reading “Park at Pullman …”
Murray River …
Where … Gol Gol on the Murray River When … Monday, May 13, 2013 What … An early-morning storm throws a rainbow over the southern bank of the Murray River near just a stone’s throw from the historic Gol Gol Hotel. Visit the Gol Gol Hotel website … posted Sunday. October 4, 2014
Shepherds Flat …
Where … Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm in Shepherds Flat, Victoria. When … Monday, December 13, 2010 What … Lavender growing in a pasture at Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, in Shepherds Flat near Daylesford, shows that summer has arrived in central Victoria. Visit the Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm website … posted Monday, September 22, 2014
Top chef returns …
CHEF Jim McDougall always knew Mildura was a food bowl but it wasn’t until he left his home town for the big smoke that he realised just how good the ingredients were in the Murray River settlement. The Mildura native, who started his career with the great Stefano de Pieri at the river city’s iconicContinue reading “Top chef returns …”
Good cheese and good cheer …
THERE’S no shortage of great places to dine in the Yarra Valley. Almost every winery in this esteemed grape-growing region — said to be Victoria’s first winemaking enclave with a history stretching back more than 160 years — has a restaurant or cafe worth visiting at meal times. So it wouldn’t occur to mostContinue reading “Good cheese and good cheer …”
Majestic migration …
IT’S when the weather turns cold that the whale-watching action heats up in Australia as pods of the marine mammals head north to escape the icy chill of Antarctica. Every state plays host to humpbacks and southern right whales from May and November, with destinations from Bruny Island in Tasmania’s southeast corner to Cape LevequeContinue reading “Majestic migration …”
Surf coast …
GEELONG was named in 1827, surveyed in 1838 and proclaimed a city in 1910 with everyone from pastoralists and lighthouse keepers to gold miners and mariners playing a part in growing the port settlement. That history is celebrated in Geelong and around the Bellarine Peninsula with vintage estates and thoughtfully curated museums recalling the daysContinue reading “Surf coast …”
Discover Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula …
THE Mornington Peninsula offers a feast of opportunities for people looking to escape. Sarah Nicholson reports on the best of the best. BEST FOR GOLF FORGET the best in Victoria, or even the best in Australia, the Mornington Peninsula is one of the best places in the world for golf. While it’s hard toContinue reading “Discover Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula …”
Black Saturday survivor …
KIM Rycroft is a Black Saturday survivor. The Narbethong resident, and the force behind Saladin Lodge, one of the region’s most delightful B&B properties, lost her home in 2009 when one of the February 7 fires burst out of the Black Range State Forest and tore across her bucolic block. Rycroft lost the historicContinue reading “Black Saturday survivor …”
High country history …
→ When visiting an historic hilltop hamlet it’s only right to stay in an historic cottage … THERE are not a lot of options when it comes to accommodation in a little spot like Walhalla. The Star Hotel offers pub-style digs, there are a couple of B&Bs around the place, and those who really wantContinue reading “High country history …”
Glamping at the Prom …
I HAVE introduced my dad to something new today. He is no stranger to camping, having slept on the ground from one end of Australia to the other, but tonight is the first time he’s engaged in the very civilised activity of glamping. Instead of pitching our own tent, and then curling up in aContinue reading “Glamping at the Prom …”
Far Near Or Here 