Week 5 - Still in Victoria Goldfields, Heading into Bushranger Country

We started week 5 of our trip in Glenlyon, not too far away from Haddon, and certainly less windy. The drive was only short, which gave us time to relax both in the morning before we left and when we arrived early afternoon. First stop was Daylesford Public Dump Point – remember Ballarat area has no public dump points - only 60 km away, then another 12 km to Glenlyon Recreation Reserve – a donation camp, with toilets, it is located on a paddock next to the oval. There was a lot of roo poo, but we didn't see any kangaroos the two nights we stayed. It was a little windy the first night, but not like the winds at Hadden. There is also a natural mineral water pump next to the oval. 

We did a circuit into Kyneton via historic Malmsbury. Originally a pastoral run (Coliban) in 1837, the area became a travellers stop in the 1850's on the way to Melbourne from the Castlemaine goldfields. The town soon developed with accommodation and food supplies, and itself became a gold field area. It also became famous for the supply of bluestone not only for the local area, but also for buildings in Melbourne. The Mansions was originally built as a wooden hotel named Junction Hotel in the 1850's. In 1872 after a fire it was re-built in bluestone. It has been a bank, boarding house and even a cannery over the years. Sadly it is in bad shape and no longer usable. The railway station was established in 1862, and is still used today. The Commerical Hotel, between the Mansions and the Railway Station (top right photo) was established in 1866 and closed in 1936. Malmsbury was also the site of a Caroline Chisholm Shelter Shed, to provide accommodation for travelers from the gold fields, especially the women and children. Caroline Chisholm wanted 16 sheds built along the 'goldfields' road, but settled for 10. They were situated approximately a day's walk from each other.

For a small village it has a lot of history. See here for PDF self guided walk.

Arriving in Kyneton we had a few hours before catching up with our niece and grand-niece in the afternoon. We walked up and down Piper Street and around the corner. Around the corner is the remains of the house that Caroline Chisholm lived in when she returned from England in the 1850's. We had a lovely lunch in cafe, got some groceries, and had a lovely visit with family.

While looking at the lovely old buildings in Piper Street, I wanted to go to the LQS that I had been to last June - sadly it was closed, only two days before. So when we got back to the van I got on their FB page and asked if they were going to be there and could I pop in. They said yes, so on our way to our next camp I popped in while Peter got a coffee, and got some more fabric - like I need more, but at $5 a metre, I did 😊.

Leaving Glenlyon we detoured again to Kyneton so I could visit a quilt shop that had closed, and then we had a lovely drive past the Macedon Ranges, close to Hanging Rock. Due to the weather we decided not to have a picnic at Hanging Rock, second time the weather has been a factor for our visit – next time!! We spent the night in a free camp across the Goulburn River from Seymour. We have stayed here before, and I think it was in the same spot. There are no toilets and vans need to be fully self-contained. There were a lot of trees down, but we had a quiet spot beside river. I could have stayed longer – I like the peacefulness of the free camps, but the boys wanted their amenities, so we left the next morning., no amenities, so Peter didn't want to stay another night. The next morning we went back across the river to the town of Seymour. We spent almost three hours in Seymour. We went to the Vietnam Memorial again. Jonnie had never been here so he was interested. The trees have grown a lot since the last time we were here.

At the end of the memorial, across the road, was a log cabin. I don't recall seeing that before, but it was apparently there for years! . It was the old gaol (jail) lockup, and still standing. It was built about 1853 on the banks of the Goulburn River, it was used right up until 1962. It was relocated to this site in 1994.

Just behind the Log Cabin Lockup is 'The Nursery Rhyme Mural', completed in 2006 – I don't know why I have not seen this before. Also in the same park is the old court house which is now the tourist information centre. Built in 1864, and used right up to 1973 when the new courthouse was opened. The building is heritage-listed. We also found a whole lot of Seymour we didn't know existed, if we had we probably would have spent another day here.

We did some shopping at Coles and then headed north on the Hume Hwy to Benalla. We were going to stay the night in the free camp on the Benalla Lake, but it is only available for 3 vans, and when we got there there were already 4, so we went to the show grounds. We met some lovely people there and happy hour was very happy. There are toilets, which suits the boys, and big flat open areas. The cost is $12 per night, no power, but water is available for topping up. One must be fully self contained. We actually enjoyed it here, so stayed three days. The limit is two but the lovely lady at the info centre phoned and asked if it was ok to stay for three – woo hoo.

We went to the airport where the Aviation Museum and, a surprise for us, the Benalla Migrant Camp that operated from 1947 to 1967. Only 9 buildings remain from the original camp, and it is estimated that 60,000 migrants came to call this their first home in Australia over the years.

We then ventured a little further out of town to Winton Raceway, and there were cars practicing. Peter and Jonnie had a walk around, I stayed in the quiet car doing a crossword.

Back in Benalla, we went to the information centre and the lady was so lovely there. We had a look at the Ned Kelly cell and the blood stained green silk scarf Ned always carried. There was also a War Room with history of 'Weary' Dunlop; and a 1930's era of fashion and accessories room. All museum areas are at a cost of $5 each. The information centre is well worth a visit.

Just outside the info centre is a mosaic mural. What a great art work. It has a lot of nooks and grannys to play in and it is so interesting to look at.

There is also a lot of street art in Benalla, they even have an annual festival for street art.

The last full day looked a bit gloomy, but we had planned a trip to Stringy Bark Creek, so off we went. Benalla was having a Craft Market, so we stopped to have a look. It was not so much a craft market, more a home produce market and it didn't take long to walk around it. The lady in the information centre said the site was well signposted at Tatong, so we headed the 26km to Tatong. Not a lot there, but an interesting Tudor looking pub – that has camping behind it – and a sign for the Kelly Tree and Stringy Bark Creek pointing 26kms further south … and no one said anything about the 20km of uphill gravel road. Once almost at the top of the range there is an historic grave site. Emma Heller was a local resident who had a farm nearby. She died in 1889 and is buried near her farm. The information boards tell of her life and why she is buried where she is. She may have known Ned Kelly and his gang. Next stop was Stringy Bark Creek Historic day area. What a great job has been done clearing a good pathway and signs explaining the history. This is where it was alleged that the Kelly Gang shot three policemen, Kennedy, Scanlon, and Longigan. There is a 760m walking loop that takes one past the Kelly Tree, which is suppose to mark the site of the shooting, but that was later proved incorrect as reports state the shooting took place the other side of the creek. However the tree was officially identified as having been marked by a stray bullet and stands as a memorial to the Kelly Gang. The loop then has a track leading off it to the actual shoot out at the police camp. Back on the loop the track goes past the gold diggings where the Kelly gang were gold panning to find gold to make bail for Ned's mother. A very interesting story, is that of Ned Kelly.

After leaving the picnic area, we went to have a look at the camping area. It is lovely big area with tables and permanent fireplaces, but I don't think we would tow the van up the narrow gravel road to get there. Maybe coming from south would be easier. Driving back down the range, it started to rain, and the rain got very heavy.

We went back to the van and had lunch, then Peter and I went to the Art Gallery in the Botanical Gardens. It was too rainy to walk in the gardens, but the art gallery was interesting. There was a 3D Milk Bar – Icon of Suburbia – display, along with an area to create your own icon and place it in the milk bar stock room. There was another room in the gallery that was dedicated to 'The Legends'. There is also a small cafe. We got take away coffee and hot chocolate as it was way too cold inside.