Exploring Yackandandah and more...

The long weekend in March was the ideal opportunity to get out and about once again and find another little corner of Victoria to explore. We decided we would head to North East Victoria and see what we could find. With no idea of what to expect I jumped on the Internet to find us a bed for the weekend and what a little gem I found. Maple Grove B & B is just 5 mins from the main st in Yackandandah's making it an ideal base for a weekend of exploring. We drove up after work on Friday night joining the usual crush of traffic escaping the city and 3 1/2hrs later we were arriving at our destination.

Maple Grove B & B is a lovely place to stay. An old house has been renovated to provide 5 rooms & en suites. The Terrace where we were staying had it own entrance and a little self contained kitchen. On the porch a lovely bench seat facing a delightful garden was just the place to sit and reflect on the day's activities. The gardens surrounding the house are beautiful and with a dam and a path along the river it was a lovely place to wander. If there was a down side it was the tiny bathroom aka cupboard, but not enough to put me off visiting again.

After breakfast on Saturday we were ready to start exploring and we made the main street our first stop. Yackandandah is a pretty village nestled in the foothills of the Stanley State Forest. Once a busy Gold mining town it is now a home to many people who just love the heritage, history, arts & crafts lifestyle of the thriving community. A walk along the main street is a step back in time as you take a look at some of the 37 National Trust buildings. The Athenaeum, Court House, Post Office & the Bank Of Australia are just some of the old buildings which have been preserved and together with the lots of old photo's on display you can get a real feel for the history of the little town. The two hotels and the old stone bridge add to the heritage feel and of course no visit to a country town is complete without a visit to the local bakery & cake shop. We had coffee and scones at Sticky Tarts and what I can say but Yum!

Armed with some sandwiches for lunch we left the little township of Yackandandah and headed out into the state forest to see some of the natural attractions. The state forest is home to lots of birds and wildlife and kept us amused for an hour or two as we drove through the many forest drives. Lunch was enjoyed beside the river at one of the many camping areas and then a stop at Cohn's track where Billy Kohn worked a mining lease until he died in 1986. Here we looked for the remains of the hydraulic elevator which was used in conjunction with the sluicing activities. It took a while but we did find them and marveled at how they did things in the old days.

Coming through the state forest we found that we were very near to the tiny town of Stanley so a drive through was in order. A tiny township with a tiny pub and a cool store was all we found so we kept on going until we came in to Beechworth. Another historic village known as the "Elegant Dame' among the family of high country villages. A bigger town than neighbouring Yackandandah it still has a village feel with it's wide tree lined streets and shady verandahs. And of course the famous Beechworth Bakery which was celebrating it's 27th birthday so of course we had to help. A coffee and one of their famous Bee stings took care of a half hour in the sun. Leaving there our next stop was to take a look at the equally famous Sweet Shop. 3 rooms of all the lollies you can think of most from your childhood as well as some newly created concoctions. Of course we left with a coupe of samples. The chocolate frogs are just delicious. Our short visit did not do the town justice so it is another place we must return to.

With the evening closing in we decided we would return home for some quiet time in the garden before heading off to the Star Hotel for dinner that night. It seemed that we had made the right decision and dinner was worth waiting for our table. Bill's mixed grill and my hamburger were so big but wonderfully cooked and the local Shiraz Durif just the thing after a hard days touring. After we had made a dent in dinner it was time to head back to our little home to recuperate for the next day. Lots more places to discover.

until then.........