Explore Australia

Clunes Museum: local history museum featuring displays on the gold-rush era; open weekends and school and public holidays; Fraser St. Bottle Museum: in former South Clunes State School; open Wed–Sun; Bailey St. Queens Park: on the banks of Creswick Creek, the park was created over 100 years ago.

Talbot This delightful, historic town has many 1860–70 buildings, particularly in Camp St and Scandinavian Cres. Attractions include the Arts and Historical Museum in the former Methodist Church; the Bull and Mouth Restaurant in an old bluestone building, formerly a hotel; and a market (holds the honour of being the first farmers market in the region) selling local produce, 3rd Sun each month. 18 km NW. Mt Beckworth Scenic Reserve: popular picnic and horseriding reserve with panoramic views from the summit; 8 km W.

Lake Bolac 95 km

One of my favourite fishing activities after a hot summer day is to wander along the banks of the Barwon River in Geelong, casting lures for redfin. Redfin are feisty, competitive fish that bite readily and taste great.... Find out more

---

Inner Harbour 103 km

Following the inner harbour around from Bird Rock you pass Avalon Beach, which is little more than a collection of old huts. There is a boat ramp at the west end of Avalon Beach and the seagrass beds between the old... Find out more

---

Bird Rock 106 km

An area on the north side of the outer harbour, opposite Point Henry, from Bird Rock east to an area known as the ‘Quarries’ (due to the large quarry on the shore), produces snapper most of the year. Anglers... Find out more

---

Western Shore 107 km

Taking a southerly route around the bay from the lagoon you pass a large industrial and waterfront area. The next fishable water from shore is North Shore rocks, just outside the entrance to Corio Quay. During winter,... Find out more

---

Point Henry 108 km

Point Henry is a sand spit point on the southern shore of Corio Bay and is the demarcation between the inner and outer harbours. It is distinctive in that there is a large aluminium smelter and a long pier used to unload... Find out more

---

Barwon River 108 km

Sometimes going fishing in our southern rivers is about making the best of what is available, as is the case of the Barwon River, which flows through Geelong. Like the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers, the coffee-coloured... Find out more

---

Point Wilson 109 km

Opposite Clifton Springs, the long Commonwealth Explosives Pier easily distinguishes Point Wilson. Boaters need to stay at least  300 m away from the pier at all times. The waters surrounding the pier produce... Find out more

---

Stingray Bay 109 km

Stingray Bay on the southern shore is properly called Stingaree Bay, but many anglers simply refer to it as Limeburners, due to the boat harbour at Limeburners Point. The boundary of the bay is roughly between the... Find out more

---

Werribee 109 km

The Werribee River is popular, both as an access point to the bay and the estuary itself. Excellent catches of whiting and flathead are made inshore near the weed beds. Further offshore, the deeper reefs have a big... Find out more

---

Curlewis Bank 113 km

Curlewis Bank is well regarded for King George whiting during late summer and autumn. However, this vast bank of sand, seagrass and spoil ground also produces snapper, snook, squid and flathead. It is popular with soft... Find out more

---

Golden Nugget Discovery Tours, Ballarat 31 km

This carbon-neutral business in Ballarat runs small, personalised tours of no more than six people in the Goldfields region, with three themes – wild nature, gold history and heritage, and food and wine.... Find out more

---

Brisbane Ranges National Park 73 km

With a vibrant koala population, this relatively small national park only 80 kilometres west of Melbourne has picnic areas, walking tracks through rocky gorges and a basic camping area.... Find out more

---

Indigenous tours, Grampians National Park 113 km

Brambuk, the Grampians National Park and Cultural Centre, houses an Aboriginal cultural centre explaining much of the history and stories associated with the area. There is also a bushfoods cafe, where you can try emu,... Find out more

---

Melbourne Zoo 116 km

Melbourne has a choice of two excellent zoos: Melbourne Zoo, with more than 320 species on display; and the 225-hectare open range zoo at Werribee, about 30 minutes drive from the city centre (access from the Princes... Find out more

---

Mountain-biking around Melbourne 119 km

With 20 kilometres of tracks developed by the Mountain Bike Association of Australia, Lysterfield Lake Park has something for all standard of mountain-biker, including family-friendly loops and exciting single-track... Find out more

---

Indigenous tours - Melbourne 120 km

To grasp what Melbourne was like before the skyscrapers arrived you can take a two-hour Koori Heritage Trust walking tour. You will gain an insight into Indigenous history and the natural and cultural landscape of the... Find out more

---

Cycling around Melbourne 121 km

Melbourne has an active cycling community that has helped develop and establish some great routes and a network of cycle paths. One of the best sources of information is Bicycle Victoria. One option is to hop on the Main... Find out more

---

Grampians National Park 125 km

There are many, many reasons to go to this remarkable 1680-square-kilometre national park: its spectacular spring wildflowers, its dramatic cliffs and sandstone features, its bushwalking, the stunning views from its... Find out more

---

Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff 133 km

Primarily set up to educate school children about the marine environment, this government-run facility also has an interesting holiday program and an interactive aquarium and touch tanks. Holiday activities include... Find out more

---

Canoeing on Lake Elizabeth 140 km

For a fantastic dawn or dusk paddle in which you have a 95 per cent chance of seeing a platypus, join Otway Eco Tours on Lake Elizabeth. Half-day trips to this remote lake in the ranges depart from the small hamlet of... Find out more

---

Eynesbury Golf Club 87 km

Some golf courses, Graham Marsh believes, are created not with strategy in mind, but simply with the aim of penalising bad shots. ‘We are pitching golf at a level that is just too difficult,’ he says.... Find out more

---

Sanctuary Lakes Resort 109 km

Greg Norman stood on the balcony of a second-storey building in the late 1990s and surveyed the vast plain of salty wasteland before him. Beside him was Bob Harrison, chief course architect of Greg Norman Golf Design.... Find out more

---

The Sands, Torquay 123 km

Sands by name . . . Sands by nature. It doesn’t take long to figure out the overwhelming feature of a round at Torquay. Standing on the 1st tee of this Stuart Applebydesigned layout, a blanket of white is... Find out more

---

Thirteenth Beach Golf Links (Creek Course) 123 km

Sir Nick Faldo won six major titles, playing himself into winning positions on the back of strong shot-making, a trait that is highly prized on the courses he now designs. The Creek course at Thirteenth Beach, created... Find out more

---

Thirteenth Beach Golf Links (Beach Course) 124 km

After all the accolades Tony Cashmore received for his design work at The Dunes, on the Mornington Peninsula, he must have felt some pressure to produce an equally fine layout when it came time for his next project:... Find out more

---

Barwon Heads Golf Club 126 km

From the moment you pull up at the car park in front of the Barwon Heads clubhouse, it is as if you have travelled back in time to a more genteel era. The old-world charm is present not only in the architecture of the... Find out more

---

Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West Course) 133 km

Golf is unique in that it allows its devoted followers – no matter how good or bad their swing – the opportunity to emulate the champions of their sport on the finest arenas the game has to offer. The... Find out more

---

Royal Melbourne Golf Club (East Course) 133 km

Dr Alister MacKenzie was long gone from Royal Melbourne and construction of his West course was in full swing when the idea of a second course was mooted. Two plots of land east of the main site at Black Rock had ... Find out more

---

Riversdale Golf Club 134 km

Victoria’s second oldest club, formed 18 months after Royal Melbourne, began life in humble circumstances as the Surrey Hills Golf Club. After a brief stint at Camberwell the club moved to its present location... Find out more

---

Victoria Golf Club 134 km

Strategy wins out over brute strength every time at Victoria Golf Club, acclaimed worldwide as a fantastic shot-makers’ course. This is probably why the club has produced so many fine players. Peter Thomson... Find out more

---

Holgate Brewhouse 66 km

Paul and Natasha Holgate have travelled a decidedly different path to most other craft-brewery operators over the past decade or so. They started brewing ales from a shed adjacent to their family home in Woodend in the... Find out more

---

Purrumbete Brewing Company (Red Duck) 119 km

Scott and Vanessa Wilson-Browne are another couple of ‘ale changers’ who swapped busy Melbourne careers to move to the country, bring up their young family, and brew and market craft ales. Along the way, they... Find out more

---

3 Ravens Brewing Company 121 km

This microbrewery began operating from the basement of the successful Thornbury-based engineering company Zetkin and has proved to be an interesting diversion or sideline for the principal business. Some of the company... Find out more

---

Foster's Group (Abbotsford Brewery) 122 km

Re-branded as the Foster’s Group in the 21st century, Carlton & United Breweries was formed in 1907 through an amalgamation of the city’s six largest beer-makers: McCrackens City Brewery, Victoria... Find out more

---

Mountain Goat Brewery 123 km

Kicking off in 1997, home-brewer Dave Bonighton and music industry booking agent Cam Hines proved that two good mates can start a successful microbrewery with no money, but with unlimited enthusiasm, dogged perseverance... Find out more

---

Otway Estate Brewery 129 km

Located 12 kilometres from Colac, Otway Estate Winery was established in 1983, specialising in cool-climate wines; a microbrewery was added in 2007. Head brewer Luke Scott oversees the production of up to 15 different... Find out more

---

2 Brothers Brewery 134 km

A microbrewery is not exactly what you might expect to find tucked away among panel-beaters and sheet-metal fabricators in the industrial estates of Moorabbin, 20 minutes south-east of Melbourne. While the location may... Find out more

---

Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company 146 km

Craft brewers come from all sorts of different backgrounds but classical pianist Simon Walkenhorst and his opera singer wife Beth Williams are among the more exotic. Together, they started Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company... Find out more

---

Matilda Bay Garage Brewery 149 km

Previously operating as the Stockade Brewery, this South Dandenong-based microbrewery was acquired by the Foster’s-owned Matilda Bay Brewing in 2004 and re-badged as their ‘garage’ brewery. Then head... Find out more

---

Red Hill Brewery 163 km

Becoming hop farmers wasn’t part of their business plan when David and Karen Golding first applied to develop a microbrewery and cafe from their Mornington Peninsula property. Ultimately, though, they were advised... Find out more

---

Slaty Creek picnic and camping area 21 km

There are actually 3 camping areas spread around Slaty Creek in the south of the park: Number 1, Number 2 and Number 3 campgrounds. After you’ve taken a nap under a manna gum and panned for gold in the creek, head... Find out more

---

Lake Burrumbeet Caravan Park 24 km

When it holds water, Lake Burrumbeet attracts watersports lovers from around the region, and anglers keen on catching trout and redfin. It’s situated on the western fringe of Ballarat, the town centre of which is... Find out more

---

Karri Track camping area 25 km

There’s not much space at this camping area in the west of the park, so it’s best to contact the ranger beforehand to check the availability of sites, particularly if you have a caravan. You can walk across... Find out more

---

Mount Franklin Reserve camping area 32 km

The crater of the extinct Mt Franklin volcano makes a wonderful setting for an overnight camp. Separated from Hepburn Regional Park proper by the Midlands Hwy, the reserve is an enclave of large conifers that makes a... Find out more

---

Vaughan Springs camping area 41 km

There’s only space at Vaughan Springs for a few caravans and a half-dozen tents, so get there early if you want to stay during holiday periods. To the north are the old Spring Gully Junction Mine and a walk along... Find out more

---

Butt’s Reserve camping area 42 km

Butt’s Reserve is west of town on Mt Tarrengower Road. After visiting the collection of artefacts at the North British Mine and exploring the adjacent Carman’s Tunnel, climb the fire tower on Mt Tarrengower... Find out more

---

Bush camping 42 km

Permitted within the forest. Contact ranger for details.... Find out more

---

Warburtons Bridge camping area 42 km

This basic campground is accessed off the Vaughan–Drummond Rd. It’s in the same part of the park as the Vaughan Springs camping area, which may prove useful if Warburtons Bridge is full. Up in the north of... Find out more

---

Waterfalls picnic and camping area 43 km

The Waterfalls site, on the eastern fringe of the forest, is easily accessed from Avoca. Several easy bushwalks start here, including the 1 km Valley Walk along No. 2 Creek, and another that heads towards Sugarloaf... Find out more

---

Smiths Bridge camping area 44 km

The Smiths Bridge camping area, located on the Elmhurst–Beaufort Rd, is often used as a base by the horseriders who frequent the forest. Note that horseriders can only access existing vehicle roads, not walking... Find out more

---

BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park 27 km

This well-established, quality park is in a quiet rural area 6 km west of the city on the old Western Highway. It has a great range of facilities including a spa, sauna and tennis court. Bookings are required at Easter... Find out more

---

A Welcome Stranger Holiday Park 31 km

Located 2.5 km east of Ballarat, this is a good quality park in a quiet, easily accessible area. The park has a large number of sites, a heated pool, a spa, minigolf, an adventure playground and a tennis court. We... Find out more

---

Ballarat Goldfields Holiday Park 32 km

Centrally located (2 km from the city centre) and easily accessible, this quality park has a wide range of accommodation and very good facilities, including a heated pool and spa, and bathrooms for children and families.... Find out more

---

Lake Fyans Holiday Park 104 km

This is a spacious waterfront park on the shores of Lake Fyans, a popular watersports area to the south-west of Stawell. The park has a cafe and also canoes for hire. It is just a short drive to nearby Halls Gap and is... Find out more

---

Geelong Riverview Tourist Park 108 km

This is a great park on the south side of the Barwon River, just 2 km from the centre of Geelong. Bookings are required at Christmas, Easter and long weekends.... Find out more

---

Riverglen Holiday Park 108 km

This is a large, owner-operated park with good facilities and is located just 2 km from the centre of Geelong. Bookings are required at Christmas, Easter and long weekends, with a minimum-stay period at Easter and long... Find out more

---

Barwon River Tourist Park 109 km

On the south side of the Barwon River about 2 km from the centre of Geelong, this place has good facilities and is easily accessible. There are nicely shaded sites and it is just a short walk to the shopping centre. A... Find out more

---

Parkgate Resort 114 km

This is a very good quality tourist park less than 1.5 km from Halls Gap. With great recreational facilities including a tennis court, this is a popular holiday destination and a great base from which to explore the... Find out more

---

Halls Gap Caravan and Tourist Park 114 km

We find this large park ideal for a holiday at any time of the year and regularly stay here. Located in the centre of town, it is within easy reach of most of the area’s attractions and makes a good base for... Find out more

---

MillDuck, Harcourt North 60 km

This strawbale house won a Most Energy Efficient Home award (North West Region) when it was built. More than 1000 trees have been planted on the property since it was purchased, and it is now an alpaca stud. The B&B,... Find out more

---

Grampians Eco YHA 114 km

At this eco-hostel you sleep under roof tiles that are actually solar panels. Any extra power generated is fed back to the electricity grid. The passive solar building, featuring rammed earth walls, also has solar... Find out more

---

Alto Hotel on Bourke 118 km

Although it is not doing anything radical, this plush hotel on Bourke Street is one of the most ecologically aware in Melbourne, and should be commended for its power-saving measures, garbage sorting, supply of... Find out more

---

Apollo Bay Youth Hostel 163 km

This relatively new hostel was built with an eco-friendly design, including thermal storage banks and other passive solar heating and cooling. It also has solar hot water, rainwater tanks, a worm farm, drought-tolerant... Find out more

---

Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology 171 km

There are not many better-thought-out ecotourism ventures than this superb multi-award-winning facility on Cape Otway. It has its own 66-hectare wildlife refuge and doubles as a shelter for injured and orphaned wildlife,... Find out more

---

Pomponderoo Bush Retreat, Dimboola 181 km

With solar power, rainwater tanks and tree planting to offset carbon emissions, these three self-contained timber cabins are a great accommodation option near the north-eastern edge of Little Desert National Park.... Find out more

---

Little Desert Nature Lodge, Nhill 211 km

Set on 117 hectares of bushland beside Little Desert National Park, the lodge has 24 rooms with ensuite bathrooms, or 16 bunkrooms with shared facilities. By staying here, you are helping support projects such as the... Find out more

---

Creswick South Rest Area 19 km

3 km S of Creswick (R) or 16 km N of Ballarat (L) Small area adjacent to the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 26.581 E143 53.335... Find out more

---

Lexton South Rest Area 21 km

27 km S of Avoca (L) or 43 km N of Ballarat (R) Large area just off the highway. Only limited shade. GPS: S37 17.21 E143 32.50 ... Find out more

---

Slatey Creek Camp Area 21 km

T/O at Creswick Small secluded campground located 6 kilometres south- east of Creswick via Bungaree Road, Slatey Creek Road, and Petticoat Road. NOTE: Access road part unsealed GPS: S37 27.744 E143 54.246... Find out more

---

Mount Franklin Rest Area 32 km

26 km S of Castlemaine (L) or 10 km N of Daylesford (R) Large secluded area located 1 kilometre off the highway in a very pleasant forest setting. Good shade. GPS: S37 15.937 E144 09.044... Find out more

---

No.2 Creek Rest Area 39 km

59 km S of St Arnaud (L) or 3 km N of Avoca (R) Large area just off the highway among the trees. Good shade. GPS: S37 03.39 E143 27.39  ... Find out more

---

Smythesdale Park Area 39 km

East side of town Secluded town park situated among numerous trees well off the highway via Gardens Street. Good facilities and shade. NOTE: Camping available for a fee. GPS: S37 38.372 E143 41.141... Find out more

---

Jessie Kennedy Rest Area 41 km

6 km S of Castlemaine (R) or 30 km N of Daylesford (L) Large area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S37 06.621 E144 11.057... Find out more

---

Vaughan Springs Camp Area 41 km

T/O 9 km S of Castlemaine (L) or 27 km N of Daylesford (R) Small campground 6 kilometres east of the highway via Vaughan Springs Road. Good facilities at nearby picnic area. GPS: S37 09.576 E144 12.861... Find out more

---

Woady Yaloak Creek Rest Area 45 km

26 km E of Skipton (L) or 6 km W of Smythesdale (R) Large secluded area surrounded by scrub just off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 40.692 E143 38.337 ... Find out more

---

Middle Creek Camp Area 48 km

T/O 32 km SE of Ararat (L) or 12 km NW of Beaufort (R) Large camp area located 8 kilometres north of the highway. Good facilities and shade in an open forest setting in Mt Buangor State Park. NOTE: Access road... Find out more

---

Bailes Camp Area 48 km

T/O 32 km SE of Ararat (L) or 12 km NW of Beaufort (R) Small secluded area 9 kilometres north of the highway in the forest in Mt Buangor State Park. Good facilities and shade. NOTE: Access road unsealed. GPS: S37... Find out more

---

Clarendon Rest Area 49 km

26 km S of Ballarat (R) or 60 km N of Geelong (L) Large secluded area just off the highway behind some shady trees. GPS: S37 42.501 E143 58.964... Find out more

---

Ravenswood Rest Area 57 km

20 km S of Bendigo (R) or 130 km N of Melbourne (L) Large open area just off the motorway. Good facilities. GPS: S36 54.589 E144 13.296... Find out more

---

Jock Comini Rest Area 58 km

18 km S of Bendigo (L) southbound only Large area just off the highway. Limited shade. GPS: S36 53.57 E144 13.07... Find out more

---

Happy Jacks Rest Area 60 km

At Lockwood on Alt Calder Hwy (A790) Large grassed area around a few trees just off the highway. Good facilities located 100 metres south. GPS: S36 50.29 E144 09.20  ... Find out more

---

Mount Langi Ghiran Rest Area 61 km

17 km E of Ararat (L) or 27 km W of Beaufort (R) Large area adjacent to the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 20.14 E143 06.09 ... Find out more

---

Mount Langi Ghiran Camp Area 62 km

T/O 13 km E of Ararat (L) or 31 km W of Beaufort (R) Small but secluded area located 5 kilometres north of the highway in a natural bush setting in Mount Langi Ghiran State Park. Good facilities and shade. NOTE:... Find out more

---

Stuart Mill South Rest Area 65 km

28 km S of St Arnaud (R) or 34 km N of Avoca (L) Large area just off the highway behind bushes and trees. Good shade. GPS: S36 50.23 E143 19.10 ... Find out more

---

Meredith Park Area 66 km

West side of town Large area located in a side street (turn off at the roadhouse) at Pioneer Park. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S37 50.818 E144 04.397  ... Find out more

---

Teddington Reservoir Camp Area 68 km

T/O 24 km S of St Arnaud (R) or 38 km S of Avoca (L) Large secluded camp area in the forest 6 kilometres south- west of Stuart Mill via Teddington Road. NOTE: Access road part unsealed. GPS: S36 50.36 E143 15.46... Find out more

---

Bendigo South Park Area 69 km

South side of town Parking adjacent to the highway. Good facilities. GPS: S36 47.308 E144 14.721... Find out more

---

Greenhill Lake Camp Area 71 km

4 km E of Ararat (L) or 40 km W of Beaufort (R) Large grassed area just off the highway on the shores of the lake. Good facilities and limited shade. GPS: S37 17.53 E142 58.52 ... Find out more

---

Bendigo North Park Area 76 km

North side of town Parking area adjacent to the highway near the lake. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S36 44.820 E144 17.575... Find out more

---

Melville Caves Camp Area 77 km

T/O 29 km SE of Wedderburn (R) or 7 km NW of Bridgewater (L) Large area among the trees in Kooyoora State Park, located 21 kilometres west of Inglewood via Kingpower Road. Good facilities. GPS: S36 36.03 E143... Find out more

---

Bridgewater Park Area 78 km

North west side of town via Dunolly Road and Brewery Lane   Large area on the banks of the Loddon River. Good shade. GPS: S36 36.04 E143 56.18   ... Find out more

---

Lismore Park Area 83 km

Middle of town Parking area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S37 57.230 E143 20.596... Find out more

---

Huntly Rest Area 84 km

35 km S of Elmore (R) or 11 km N of Bendigo (L) Small parking area just off the highway among some large trees. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S36 40.203 E144 19.635... Find out more

---

Great Western Rest Area 85 km

13 km S of Stawell (L) or 17 km N of Ararat (R) Large area just off the highway. Limited shade. GPS: S37 08.41 E142 50.33  ... Find out more

---

Lake Tooliorook Camp Area 88 km

T/O 98 km W of Geelong (L) or 51 km E of Mortlake (R) Large grassed area around trees on the edge of the lake 5 kilometres south of Lismore. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S37 58.653 E143 17.079... Find out more

---

Derrinallum Park Area 88 km

East end of town Parking area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S37 56.874 E143 13.442... Find out more

---