Maryborough

Located in the heart of Victoria's Goldfields region, Maryborough is central to Ballarat and Bendigo. Maryborough is a progressive town where contemporary architecture is combined with the ornate facades of gold rush buildings of the nineteenth century. In the compact central business district, the Bull and Mouth Hotel and the Old State Bank building stand beside a myriad of craft shops, bakeries and cafés. Mark Twain once described Maryborough as a 'railway station with a town attached'. The historic railway station, which has one of the southern hemisphere's longest platforms, still stands and is home to an antique emporium, art gallery, wood-work gallery and café. A quarterly antique market is held under the platform's broad roof, attracting thousands who browse collectables, books and old wares. Visit the Central Goldfields Regional Art Gallery and its regular changing contemporary exhibitions housed in the old fire station. Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the Jajawurrong Aborigines, part of the Djajawurrong clan. Head south out of Maryborough to the rock water wells along Wells Track, regarded as some of Victoria's best examples of Aboriginal rock water wells. Look out for the scarred trunks of 'canoe trees' in the area. Head for the bush and take a walk in the Paddys Ranges State Park, go fossicking for gold or fish for trout in one of the nearby reservoirs. Dine among the vines at Tipperary Hill Estate, just five kilometres from the town, or explore the nearby wineries of the Pyrenees region. Maryborough is 165 kilometres north-west of Melbourne or approximately two hours by car via Kyneton and Castlemaine on the Pyrenees Highway or via Ballarat on the Western Freeway.