Explore Australia

Historic walk: self-guide tour, map from visitor centre. Giant Mullock Heaps: indicate how deep mines went; Ullina Rd. Creswick Museum: photos and memorabilia from the town's goldmining past as well as an exhibition of Lindsay paintings; open Sun, public holidays or by appt; Albert St. Gold Battery: est. 1897; Battery Cres. Creswick Woollen Mills: last coloured woollen mill of its type in Australia; offers product sales, regular demonstrations and exhibitions; Railway Pde.

Creswick Regional Park After La Gerche replanted the denuded hills around Creswick in the 1890s, the state established a nursery that it continues to operate today. Further natural history can be explored on the various walking trails, including the 30 min Landcare Trail or the longer La Gerche Forest Walk. Visit St Georges Lake, once a mining dam and now popular for picnics and watersports, and Koala Park, an old breeding ground for koalas that was highly unsuccessful (they escaped over the fences). Slaty Creek is great for gold panning or picnics, with abundant birdlife. The park stretches east and south-east of town. Contact Parks Victoria on 13 1963 or the Creswick Landcare Centre, located within the park, on (03) 5345 2200.Tangled Maze: a maze formed by climbing plants; 5 km E. Smeaton: pretty little town with the historic Smeaton House, the Tuki Trout Farm and Anderson's Mill; 16 km NE.

Inner Harbour 85 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

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Bird Rock 89 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

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Western Shore 90 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

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Point Henry 91 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

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Barwon River 91 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

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Point Wilson 92 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

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Stingray Bay 92 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

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Werribee 93 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

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Curlewis Bank 95 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

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Lake Bolac 98 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

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Golden Nugget Discovery Tours, Ballarat 16 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

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Brisbane Ranges National Park 55 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

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Melbourne Zoo 101 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

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Mountain-biking around Melbourne 104 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

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Indigenous tours - Melbourne 105 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

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Cycling around Melbourne 106 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

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Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff 115 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

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Indigenous tours, Grampians National Park 125 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

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Canoeing on Lake Elizabeth 126 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

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Swim with dolphins, Sorrento 126 km

In the warmer six months of the year, the eco-accredited Moonraker Charters will help you get in the water, swimming alongside Australian fur-seals and bottlenose dolphins. Of course, swimming is not compulsory on the... Find out more

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Eynesbury Golf Club 71 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

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Sanctuary Lakes Resort 93 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

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Thirteenth Beach Golf Links (Creek Course) 106 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

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The Sands, Torquay 106 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

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Thirteenth Beach Golf Links (Beach Course) 107 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

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Barwon Heads Golf Club 109 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

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Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West Course) 117 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

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Royal Melbourne Golf Club (East Course) 117 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

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Victoria Golf Club 118 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

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Yarra Yarra Golf Club 118 km

First-time visitors to Yarra Yarra Golf Club, expecting the river with the similar name to play a pivotal role, might be surprised. The closest the Yarra gets to this acclaimed sandbelt course is the spot where it... Find out more

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Harvest 383

This contemporary dining room is the in-house restaurant for the new Novotel Forest Resort. The name was developed in line with the environmental philosophies of both the resort and executive chef Glenn Krumb, the number... Find out more

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Holgate Brewhouse 57 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

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3 Ravens Brewing Company 107 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

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Foster's Group (Abbotsford Brewery) 107 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

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Mountain Goat Brewery 108 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

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Purrumbete Brewing Company (Red Duck) 111 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

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Otway Estate Brewery 117 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

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2 Brothers Brewery 118 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

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Matilda Bay Garage Brewery 133 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

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Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company 133 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

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Red Hill Brewery 146 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

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Slaty Creek picnic and camping area 4 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

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Lake Burrumbeet Caravan Park 21 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

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Mount Franklin Reserve camping area 29 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

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Bush camping 29 km

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

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Blackwood Mineral Springs Caravan Park 37 km

Blackwood struck it big (albeit briefly) as a goldmining area in the 1850s and visitors can still pan for gold here. They can also take numerous walks in the area, including to the springs, along the Lerderderg River and... Find out more

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Surface Point camping area 41 km

A Chinese settlement was located at Surface Point in the gold-rush days, and there’s still some evidence of it scattered throughout the bush. Try your hand at fossicking along Misery Creek – don’t let... Find out more

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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

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Warburtons Bridge camping area 41 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

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Karri Track camping area 42 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

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A Welcome Stranger Holiday Park 15 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

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BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park 16 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

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Ballarat Goldfields Holiday Park 17 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

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Geelong Riverview Tourist Park 91 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

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Riverglen Holiday Park 91 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

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Barwon River Tourist Park 92 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

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Geelong Surfcoast Highway Holiday Park 98 km

This park between Geelong and Torquay has been rejuvenated as a tourist park and importantly for those who travel with pets is one of the very few parks in the region that takes pets. It is easily accessible from the... Find out more

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Bellarine Bayside Holiday Parks - Portarlington 101 km

This beachfront park with a large number of powered sites is a very popular summerholiday park on a safe, bayside beach, with loads of appeal for families. The park has extensive facilities and is just 1.25 km from the... Find out more

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Melbourne BIG4 Holiday Park 102 km

This is a tourist park in a quiet area of Melbourne’s northern suburbs, just 9 km from Melbourne’s CBD. The park has relatively easy access to the Hume Highway and other northern approaches and is a popular... Find out more

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Novotel Forest Resort Creswick

This new luxury resort is part of a $250 million forest resort development, which also includes a boutique day spa, restaurants, residential community and fishing village. All 144 rooms and suites have balconies and... Find out more

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Rossmore Cottage

This charming 1860s miners cottage dates from the region’s bonanza gold-rush days and, while now restored to offer comfortable accommodation for up to four guests in two bedrooms, still retains its historic... Find out more

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MillDuck, Harcourt North 65 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

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Alto Hotel on Bourke 103 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

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Grampians Eco YHA 126 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

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Apollo Bay Youth Hostel 149 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

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Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology 159 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

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Pomponderoo Bush Retreat, Dimboola 197 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

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Little Desert Nature Lodge, Nhill 226 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

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Creswick South Rest Area 2 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

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Slatey Creek Camp Area 4 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

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Mount Franklin Rest Area 29 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

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Smythesdale Park Area 30 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

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Clarendon Rest Area 32 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

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Lexton South Rest Area 34 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

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Woady Yaloak Creek Rest Area 36 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

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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

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Jessie Kennedy Rest Area 43 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

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Meredith Park Area 50 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

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No.2 Creek Rest Area 56 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

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Middle Creek Camp Area 58 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

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Bailes Camp Area 59 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

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Ravenswood Rest Area 64 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

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Jock Comini Rest Area 65 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

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Happy Jacks Rest Area 69 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

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Mount Langi Ghiran Rest Area 71 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

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Mount Langi Ghiran Camp Area 73 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

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Lismore Park Area 76 km

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

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Leigh River Rest Area 76 km

27 km W of Geelong (R) or 122 km E of Mortlake (L) Large grassed area just off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S38 05.945 E144 03.855  ... Find out more

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Bendigo South Park Area 77 km

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

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Lake Tooliorook Camp Area 82 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

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Greenhill Lake Camp Area 82 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

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Stuart Mill South Rest Area 83 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

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Derrinallum Park Area 83 km

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

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Bendigo North Park Area 83 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

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Deep Lake Camp Area 85 km

T/O at Derrinallum Large grassed area around trees of the edge of the lake 4 kilometres north of the highway. GPS: S37 55.887 E143 10.611... Find out more

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Teddington Reservoir Camp Area 85 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

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Winchelsea Park Area 91 km

On the riverbank Large grassed area just off the highway. Very good shade and facilities. GPS: S38 14.19 E143 49.18 ... Find out more

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Bridgewater Park Area 91 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

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