Around Daylesford

On Sunday morning we joined the locals and many other visitors at the Daylesford Railway Heritage Markets. A real mix of Trash & Treasure, Craft & Produce. Lots of woolly mittens, gloves, scarfs & socks were on sale and selling well in the very chilly weather. We succumbed to buying some yummy cookies, homemade Peanut Butter and really nice orange blossom Honey. Love visiting the country just for the homemade goodies. On the way to the markets we stopped of in Eganstown for a quick look at the very old St Francis Xavier church and Graveyard.

Once we were marketed out we hit the road again this time heading for Creswick Regional Park. We stopped and had a look at the Twin Bridges Reserve on the way. Not too much to see here as the area had been hit pretty hard last year with the storms and floods. I'm sure in time these places will all be beautiful again but at the moment some are a real mess with fallen trees and broken paths making it a little challenging to get around.

The drive to Creswick was very pleasant and I particularly loved the old windmill with the very picturesque patchwork hill behind it. This was around the Newlyn area. Creswick itself was a sleepy little country town and just like Daylesford full of historic buildings some dating back to the Gold Rush of the 1850's. We had a picnic lunch at St Georges Lake and then a walk across the spillway before taking a drive through the Forrest that surrounds the lake. Next stop was Koala Park which was another area that had been devastated by the wild weather last year. This little area was closed so we could only wander around the edges before admitting defeat and heading off to see what we could find at Slaty Creek. Lots of campers here so we decided that we would move on driving through the park until we decided that it was time to go.

Our next stop was at Mount Franklin where a drive to the summit, while lovely, was not all we hoped for. From the top the view was all but obscured by trees and glimpses was all you could see. It's a shame as the bits that we could see looking towards Castlemaine, Maryborough & the Pyrenees would have made some nice photo's. Still we can't fight nature and we need the trees to keep the planet healthy so I won't complain too much. We had been hoping to see the sunset from there but after checking out the George Barron monument (?) and a quick look at the bits we could see we headed back down to watch the Sunset from the base of the mountain. It seemed to be the popular spot as a few other cars were parked and watching as well. After spending 30 or so mins snapping away we were freezing so didn't need much encouragement to get back in the car, crank the heater and head home to our cozy carriage once more. We had had a lovely day just quietly wandering around the countryside. We had decided that we would self cater that night and stay warm so did just that. Thank goodness for fresh bread and the Peanut Butter & Honey bought this morning were delicious. The telly, the books and the photo's kept us amused for the night until it was time to visit the land of nod once more.

We woke on Monday to another glorious though very chilly morning and soon it was time to say goodbye to our gorgeous 'Red Rattler'. A drive through town for a couple of last minute photo's - you never know where you might find a Redback - and then it was time to hit the road for the next part of our trip. We were off to Trentham driving through the Hepburn Regional Park. It was a lovely drive and not long before we had arrived at our first stop, Trentham Falls. Here a 32 metre single drop waterfall is where the Coliban River cascades over the gigantic basalt columns into an ancient pool. It is a pretty cool place to visit. And my most favourite thing is as there is no direct access to the bottom there are not so many steps to climb up and down. My legs were still recovering from visiting Sailors Falls on Saturday.

After leaving the falls we went on into Trentham and had a look at the little town. The streets of Trentham are often used in Movies and television shows such as The Man from Snowy River, Halifax FP and even the US television western series Ponderosa. Now that one was a surprise to me. While the street scape looks pretty rustic up close it is a little disappointing as many of the shops are empty and decaying. We did find one little gem though. The most interesting shop called Two Fat Wombats with the most amazing & eclectic mix of things for sale. Almost like a museum but it was a shop. The pig outside is just a taste of some of the oddities inside. The other must do place in town is the Redrock Bakery down the lane way. The Pea & Ham soup was so good and the sourdough bread just wonderful. We brought a loaf home and the peanut butter and honey featured again that night.

Leaving Trentham we took a drive through the Wombat State Forest before we started on our trip home. Along the way we took one detour to a little town called Blackwood and found another little hidden gem. This tiny town is just off the highway and is another place that just invites you to stay and relax for a while. No time now but maybe another day.

Just over an hour later we were home again, unpacked and the washing was on. What a way to crash back to reality. We had had a lovely time with three days of R & R away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Loved our stay in such a quirky place and enjoyed looking around at the surrounding areas. Now we just have to wait for the next long weekend. And in the meantime I'm buying Lotto tickets.

until next time............