Explore Australia

The Jetty: fine dining, lakeside apartments and spa; High St. The Grapevine by the Lake: sales of nuts and local produce; High St. Nagambie Lakes Entertainment Centre: reno ­vated 1890s building with bars, gaming lounge and non-motorised boat hire; High St.

Nagambie wine region Tahbilk Winery has a small pocket of its original 1860 shiraz vines, which continue to produce wine that’s worth its weight in gold. The winery also makes stunning marsanne and cabernet franc. It is worth spending some time at Tahbilk to explore the winery’s wetland, wildlife reserve and three-tiered chateau that is classified by the National Trust. You can then hop on a cruise along the Goulburn River to the other big name in the area, Mitchelton. This winery has excellent shiraz and shiraz viognier. Within the grounds is Mitchelton’s famous tower with views of the Goulburn River, a lovely art gallery and Mitchelton Restaurant. You can also buy a picnic hamper or pack your own for a lunch outing by the river.

Goulburn Weir The construction of this weir resulted in the creation of Lake Nagambie. It is the diversion weir on the Goulburn River for the Goulburn Valley Irrigation area and feeds water by channel and pipeline to Bendigo, among other places. A walkway runs across the weir offering views of the structure and lake. Picnic and barbecue facilities are available; 12 km N.

Goulburn River 71 km

The Goulburn River from Eildon Pondage to Alexandra is one of the most popular stretches of trout water in Victoria. Places like Thornton, ‘Gilmore’s Bridge’ and the Breakaway, where the Acheron River... Find out more

---

Rubicon River 80 km

The Rubicon, one of Victoria’s legendary trout waters, is popular with trout anglers who fish using all methods available. Rising in forested hills with a steep gradient in the headwaters, the river varies from... Find out more

---

Lake Eildon 84 km

Lake Eildon is Victoria’s most popular freshwater fishing spot. Part of its popularity is due to its proximity to metropolitan Melbourne. Lilydale is just a 90 min drive away, either over the Black Spur or via Yea.... Find out more

---

Eildon Pondage 84 km

Boating is not allowed on Eildon Pondage, which is just below the dam wall at Eildon. Nevertheless, it is one of the most heavily fished waters in the state and is an ideal family spot, with barbecues and toilet... Find out more

---

Maribyrnong River 115 km

The age-old adage about the grass supposedly being greener somewhere else applies to fishing around Melbourne. Many anglers who head out of town do so because they don’t believe any serious fishing is possible... Find out more

---

Yarra River 119 km

Mulloway are one of the most sought and least caught Victorian species. Anglers often put in hundreds of hours in unsuccessful quests for a trophy of this enigmatic species. During autumn, reports tell of mulloway being... Find out more

---

Lake Mulwala 119 km

Lake Mulwala separates the Victorian and NSW towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwala. It is a little over three hours’ drive from Melbourne and is popular with anglers seeking native fish such as Murray cod and... Find out more

---

St Kilda 122 km

St Kilda Marina gives boat anglers easy access to excellent snapper and whiting grounds. Inshore there is plenty of seagrass and sand areas for whiting while the deeper waters offer reef areas for snapper. The St Kilda... Find out more

---

Altona to Williamstown 123 km

The skyline stretching around the shore from Altona to Williamstown provides an unlikely backdrop for top fishing. Industry dominates, in particular refineries, with flames burning off gases. However, anglers who fish... Find out more

---

Lake Buffalo 135 km

Two productive lakes in this region are Lake Buffalo, 20 km south of Myrtleford, and Lake William Hovell, 60 km south of Wangaratta. Both waters have boat-launching facilities, but fishing here can be difficult during... Find out more

---

Indigenous tour - Shepparton 50 km

A free, short, bush-tucker tour is available from the Bangerang Cultural Centre in Shepparton. You will need to book, but you can visit the centre on weekdays to see the wide range of artefacts from the area, and from... Find out more

---

Bicentennial National Trail - Healesville starting point 102 km

Acclaimed as the longest-marked, nonmotorised, multi-use trekking route in the world, this track traverses an incredible 5330 kilometres from Healesville to Cooktown in north Queensland, passing through 18 national... Find out more

---

Melbourne Zoo 112 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

---

Cycling - Murray to the Mountains and High Country Rail Trails 115 km

With 100 kilometres of safe, sealed bitumen surface to pedal on, the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail is the most developed rail trail in the state, and therefore very popular, with more than 40 000 people estimated to... Find out more

---

Mountain-biking around Melbourne 115 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 116 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 117 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

---

Dandenong Ranges National Park 119 km

About an hour’s drive out of Melbourne, some 35 kilometres east of the city, this park has forests of towering mountain ash and lush, damp fern gullies. Around 300 kilometres of walking tracks crisscross the park,... Find out more

---

Wine-tasting - Rutherglen region 142 km

The Rutherglen region in the far north of the state is renowned particularly for its fortified ports and muscats, perfect for a winter’s night. There are no organically certified wineries in the area, although... Find out more

---

Golden Nugget Discovery Tours, Ballarat 143 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

---

RACV Healesville Country Club 101 km

Of the 120 golf courses featured throughout these pages, the new layout at Healesville is the odd one out. It could, in fact, be considered a minnow among giants, for this par-68 measures only 4872 metres from the... Find out more

---

The Heritage Golf & Country Club (St John course) 104 km

Jack Nicklaus, the golfer, was the most powerful player of his generation and also its finest strategist, a man who could win a tournament based on smart play and at other times on pure heroics. Jack Nicklaus, the... Find out more

---

Riversdale Golf Club 121 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

---

Eynesbury Golf Club 124 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

---

Metropolitan Golf Club 125 km

Metropolitan has changed dramatically over the past century but has never been short of plaudits. The club, the second oldest on the Melbourne sandbelt, was established in 1908. J. B. Mackenzie was one of the founding... Find out more

---

Huntingdale Golf Club 126 km

Huntingdale – Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath aside – is arguably the most famous of Melbourne’s sandbelt courses, home to the Australian Masters for 30 years. A parade of the game’s best... Find out more

---

Commonwealth Golf Club 127 km

It is nearly 90 years since the first rounds were played where the Commonwealth Golf Club now lies. The club was constituted in 1920 and land – regarded as scrub country, and comprising only 89 acres – was... Find out more

---

Yarra Yarra Golf Club 127 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

---

Sanctuary Lakes Resort 128 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

---

Spring Valley Golf Club 130 km

The story of Spring Valley Golf Club’s early days is not dissimilar to that of many clubs which now call Melbourne’s sandbelt home. Spring Valley began its existence outside the sandbelt, as Forest Hills... Find out more

---

Mitchelton Wines

With its imposing observation tower and sprawling, whitewashed Spanish-style buildings, Mitchelton is easy to find and hard to forget. The restaurant is located in an airy high-ceilinged room with a large open fireplace... Find out more

---

Tahbilk Wetlands Cafe

Located in a dramatic ironbark, stone and corrugated-iron building with a large deck overlooking beautifully restored wetlands, the Tahbilk Wetlands Cafe is the perfect place to fortify yourself before setting off for a... Find out more

---

The Jetty

Part of a lakeside complex comprising apartment-style accommodation and a health retreat with views over Lake Nagambie, this modern cafe-style restaurant offers casual dining under market umbrellas in a courtyard –... Find out more

---

Holgate Brewhouse 84 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

---

Hargreaves Hill Brewing Company 99 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

---

Jamieson Brewery 103 km

Looking for a drawcard to attract tourists to their Victorian High Country pub, owners Jeff and Jeanette Whyte installed a microbrewery into the Jamieson Hotel and started knocking out house beers in 2001. The equipment... Find out more

---

3 Ravens Brewing Company 108 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) 114 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 115 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

---

2 Brothers Brewery 129 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

---

Matilda Bay Garage Brewery 139 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

---

Bridge Road Brewers 145 km

Ben Kraus originally trained as a winemaker but his head was turned in the direction of craft brewing during a stint working in Western Australia’s Margaret River region. The cluster of microbreweries in this... Find out more

---

Bright Brewery 162 km

The original Bright Brewery shut down in 1916 and this modern incarnation was started by a quartet of ‘ale changers’ – couples David and Julie Cocks, and Scott Brandon and Fiona Reddaway – some 90... Find out more

---

Major Creek Reserve camping area 10 km

The camping area at Major Creek Reserve is accessed via Mitchellstown Rd, which departs the Goulburn Valley Hwy about 6 km south of Nagambie and heads west through an old quartz mining area. There’s plenty of flat... Find out more

---

Greens Campground 19 km

From Rushworth, follow the Rushworth–Nagambie Rd and then turn onto Green Rd to reach the campground. Once you’ve settled in, walk through the Balaclava open-cut mine and past the remains of puddling machines... Find out more

---

Dargile camping and picnic area 37 km

The Dargile camping area is accessed from the Heathcote–North Costerfield Rd. On the way there, head up Mt Ida or to the Viewing Rock Lookout in the McIvor Range for some great views; from the latter you can hike... Find out more

---

Falls Creek Reservoir camping area 37 km

You’ll need a 4WD to get out to Falls Creek Reservoir, an old water storage at the northern edge of the forest. Drive along Main Rd and turn onto East Falls Rd. For some good views of the surrounding area, head up... Find out more

---

Freemans picnic and camping area 42 km

Formerly the site of a forestry camp, Freemans is now regularly occupied by picnickers and other daytrippers. The open nature of the site makes it good for families and other large groups. Get onto Main Rd from Ennis Rd,... Find out more

---

Strayleaves Caravan Park 50 km

Strayleaves is a peaceful park in Shepparton with flat, grassy campsites that are scrupulously tended, and – as befits the name – lots of foliage. Each of the sites has sullage, and there’s a... Find out more

---

Molesworth camping ground 55 km

There are decent facilities in the Molesworth camping ground, including a laundry, showers and barbecues. This riverside reserve is signposted north off the highway to the west of the bridge over the Goulburn River.... Find out more

---

Englishs Bridge camping area 56 km

The Campaspe River, which flows out of the Great Dividing Range to eventually join the Murray River to the north, makes a nice setting for an overnight stop. The camping area in the English’s Bridge Streamside... Find out more

---

No. 1 Camp camping area 59 km

Gatherings of horseriders and other large groups often base themselves at No. 1 Camp, which is a spacious open site – you’re likely to have company if you stay here. Turn east on North Mountain Rd at... Find out more

---

Goulburn River Tourist Park 27 km

This park is about 1 km from the town centre in a quiet off-highway location on the banks of the Goulburn River. The park offers good clean facilities and is easily accessible. There are canoes for hire. Bookings... Find out more

---

Euroa Caravan Park 38 km

Just a short walk to the centre of town, this park stretches along the banks of the creek. It is a good spot in a lovely setting and has a large number of tourist sites. Bookings are required in peak periods.... Find out more

---

BIG4 Shepparton Parklands 45 km

Located on the southern approaches to Shepparton, this park has undergone substantial redevelopment and is now a tourist park with great facilities. Bookings are required in peak periods.... Find out more

---

Victoria Lake Holiday Park 49 km

Set on the shores of Victoria Park Lake, this picturesque place is centrally located on the main highway 1 km south of the city centre. With good facilities and great waterfront sites, it is the park we like to stay at... Find out more

---

BIG4 Shepparton East Holiday Park 51 km

On the Midland Highway 5 km to the east of Shepparton, and close to the Shepparton bypass, this quality park in a rural setting has great amenities and facilities including a tennis court. As with most parks in this... Find out more

---

Honeysuckle Caravan Village 54 km

Easily accessible from the Hume Freeway, this smaller park has good facilities and is ideal for a one- or two-night stay in this quiet rural environment.... Find out more

---

Echuca Holiday Park 83 km

This is a popular, quality riverside park just a short walk from Echuca’s historic port precinct on the Murray River. The spacious park has a range of accommodation and great facilities. With its excellent... Find out more

---

Melbourne BIG4 Holiday Park 105 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

---

RACV Cobram Resort 105 km

This is a very highly rated resort complex with some 35 powered sites. Set on sprawling but well-cared-for lawns, there is a selection of accommodation; the park is a picture and we highly recommend it. Bookings are... Find out more

---

Blackwood Park 
Country House

Nestled in the heart of the well-established Mitchelton vineyards, on the banks of the meandering Goulburn River, is the former estate manager’s home in what was originally the Blackwood Park Grazing Estate.... Find out more

---

Nagambie Lakes Leisure Park

This new concept leisure park is designed to encourage guests to stay and enjoy its country location and family-based facilities. With Lake Nagambie on one side and the lovely Goulburn River on the other, it offers 33... Find out more

---

MillDuck, Harcourt North 80 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

---

Alto Hotel on Bourke 116 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

---

The Buckland, Bright 155 km

With the same architect as The Odd Frog, The Buckland’s four luxury studio retreats have similar eco-design principles, and thousands of trees have been planted on the site. They are also powered by green energy.... Find out more

---

The Odd Frog, Bright 161 km

This place comprises five funky new luxury studios on a 4-hectare Land for Wildlife property. The studios have been architecturally designed to have minimal impact on the environment, with thought even given to their... Find out more

---

Grampians Eco YHA 238 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

---

Arthur’s Cottage, Cudgewa 243 km

This historic mudbrick, two-bedroom cottage was built around 1897, but now has solar-powered lights and a gas kitchen. It sits quietly on the Cudgewa Creek, with platypus drifting past. You will need to bring your own... Find out more

---

Taungurung Rest Area 18 km

19 km S of Nagambie (L) southbound only Large area just off the highway. Good facilities. Limited shade. GPS: S36 56.894 E145 08.707... Find out more

---

Coach Road Rest Area 18 km

90 km S of Benalla (L) southbound only Large area just off the highway. Good facilities. Limited shade. GPS: S36 56.537 E145 12.767... Find out more

---

Grass Tree Rest Area 20 km

25 km NE of Seymour (L) northbound only Large area just off the highway. Excellent facilities. Limited shade. GPS: S36 57.783 E145 10.839 ... Find out more

---

Calder Woodburn Rest Area 29 km

31 km N of Nagambie (L) northbound only Large area adjacent to the highway. Good facilities. GPS: S36 34.425 E145 20.558 ... Find out more

---

Trawool Rest Area 34 km

10 km SE of Seymour (L) or 28 km NW of Yea (R) Small area just off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 05.445 E145 12.149... Find out more

---

Stanhope Park Area 40 km

East side of town Small area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S36 26.842 E144 59.213... Find out more

---

King Parrot Creek Rest Area 41 km

21 km SE of Seymour (L) or 17 km NW of Yea (R) Large area well off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 08.741 E145 16.08... Find out more

---

Balmattum Rest Area 44 km

67 km NE of Seymour (L) northbound only Large area just off the highway. Good facilities. Limited shade. GPS: S36 42.821 E145 38.131  ... Find out more

---

Mooroopna Rest Area 47 km

Middle of town Large town park adjacent to the highway. Good facilities. GPS: S36 23.726 E145 21.246 ... Find out more

---

Green Lake Recreation Reserve Camp Area 48 km

T/O 12 km W of Stanhope (R) or 24 km E of Elmore (L) Large open camp area located 2.5 kilometres north of the highway around a few trees. NOTE: Access road part unsealed. GPS: S36 26.310 E144 49.702... Find out more

---

Sheepwash Lagoon Rest Area 53 km

11 km E of Yea (R) or 20 km W of Alexandra (L) Large area adjacent to the highway. Limited shade. GPS: S37 09.841 E145 31.421  ... Find out more

---

Yea East Rest Area 54 km

1 km E of Yea (R) or 30 km W of Alexandra (L) Large area just off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 12.758 E145 26.283... Find out more

---

Aysons Reserve Camp Area 56 km

T/O 31 km W of Stanhope (R) or 5 km E of Elmore (L) Large camp area 3 kilometres north-east of the highway on the banks of the river. Good shade. GPS: S36 27.621 E144 40.116 ... Find out more

---

Goornong Park Area 61 km

Middle of town Small area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S36 36.923 E144 30.273... Find out more

---

Claires Rest Area 61 km

25 km E of Yea (L) or 6 km NW of Alexandra (R) Large area adjacent to the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 09.466 E145 39.699 ... Find out more

---

Nalinga Rest Area 63 km

33 km NW of Benalla (L) or 28 km SE of Shepparton (R) Large area just off the highway around a few trees. Good shade. GPS: S36 25.769 E145 41.763 ... Find out more

---

Goulburn River Rest Area 67 km

38 km E of Echuca (L) or 19 km S of Nathalia (R) Large area just off the highway around a few trees on the banks of the river. Good shade. GPS: S36 10.714 E145 06.937... Find out more

---

Wunghnu Park Area 74 km

Middle of town Small parking area adjacent to the highway. Good facilities. Limited shade. GPS: S36 09.170 E145 25.894... Find out more

---

Huntly Rest Area 75 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

---

Bendigo North Park Area 77 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

---

Casey Weir Rest Area 79 km

9 km NW of Benalla (L) or 52 km SE of Shepparton (R) Large secluded area well off the highway among some large trees on the banks of Broken River. Good shade. GPS: S36 28.526 E145 56.633 ... Find out more

---

Bendigo South Park Area 81 km

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

---

Jock Comini Rest Area 84 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

---

Ravenswood Rest Area 84 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

---

Happy Jacks Rest Area 89 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

---

Mokoan Rest Area 91 km

27 km SW of Wangaratta (L) or 15 km NE of Benalla (L) Large areas on both sides of the highway. Excellent facilities but only limited shade. GPS: S36 30.078 E146 06.206... Find out more

---

Wharparilla Flora Reserve Rest Area 91 km

93 km SE of Kerang (L) or 3 km W of Echuca (R) Large area just off the highway among the trees. Good shade. GPS: S36 07.20 E144 43.10... Find out more

---

Vaughan Springs Camp Area 93 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

---

Jessie Kennedy Rest Area 94 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

---

Mount Franklin Rest Area 104 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

---