Holiday day trips not far from home

OVER the spring and summer seasons, your usual travel plans could be restricted due to COVID-19, but the region offers its own diverse tourist attractions.

Historical and natural locations are waiting to be discovered, perfect for day trips with children or without.

 

Bannockburn Bush Reserve

The 405-hectare Bannockburn Bush Reserve offers varied terrain, with red and yellow gum woodlands, casuarina forest, snowy mint bushes, rare indigenous grasses, orchids exclusively indigenous to the region and even plantation timber.

Friends of Bannockburn Bush convenor Stuart McCallum said “environmentally sensitive clientele” are welcome to ensure wildlife are protected and appreciated.

“The more people are using it for good healthy recreation, and the less people are using it for burning petrol, the healthier the place is,” he said.

The reserve will soon be a little more accessible in summer. Upcoming grading works planned for November will fill in potholes and mean prams, pushers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters can easily get around.

 

Inverleigh Flora and Fauna Reserve

Inverleigh Flora and Fauna Reserve offers a similar bush experience with native birds and iconic wildlife like koalas and wallabies.

It’s more than 1000 hectares amongst the grassy eucalypt woodlands of the Volcanic Plains, with tens of species of unusual orchids, and a walking track between eight and nine kilometres.

Only one per cent of these woodland areas with native gums and unique wildlife like the striped legless lizard, growling grass frog and golden sun moth remain, following development post-European settlement.

 

The Moorabool Valley

To the far east of the Shire, the Moorabool Valley offers rolling hills, cool-climate wineries and food experiences, where visitors can meet the families behind businesses.

Lethbridge Wines and Clyde Park Vineyard are just off the Midland Highway. Clyde Park’s grapes grow next to the Moorabool River, while Lethbridge Wines is based just north of Lethbridge itself.

On Steiglitz Road in Sutherlands Creek is Austin’s Wines, run by second generation winemaker Scott Austin and his wife Belinda.

Mrs Austin said the Moorabool Valley has some of the “best wines in Australia but it’s completely undiscovered.”

“It’s like this little hidden secret and when real wine lovers discover it, they become loyal fans,” she said.

“It’s a region of wineries that’s such high calibre, and you’ll find they’re all still small-batch and really passionate about the wines in the region, so we’re really fortunate.

“On top of that, you’ve got amazing food producers, so we’re lucky. It’s still rustic, the owners are behind the counters, so that makes it pretty special too.”

 

Steiglitz

Turn out of Austin’s to travel north and you’ll reach Steiglitz, a historic gold and quartz mining town in the Brisbane Ranges.

A sleepy village in the bush, including an old courthouse, it once boomed in the second half of the 1800s, and is now all part of the Steiglitz Historic Park.

Mostly managed by Parks Victoria, Steiglitz has lots of picnic and hiking options including Deadmans Loop, Steiglitz Circuit, Beards Gully and township walks.

 

Enfield State Park

To the west is Enfield State Park between Berringa and Mount Mercer. Now a safe space for wildlife, it was another goldrush hotspot.

With walking tracks and separate bike tracks covering varying terrain, wildlife and spring wildflowers can be spotted.

The Enfield and Surface Point picnic areas are ideal for a break, some food and a drink.

 

Devil’s Kitchen

Devil’s Kitchen Geological Reserve near Piggoreet is impressive in its own right, but surrounded by other protected natural areas; Mount Erip Nature Conservation Reserve, Linton Nature Conservation Reserve, Clarkesdale Bird Sanctuary and Clarkesdale Bushland Reserve.

The Woady Yaloak River threads through Devil’s Kitchen which features basalt column cliffs and is home to peregrine falcons. An old gold area, mullock heaps are around, as are mine shafts.

 

Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail

Perfect for walking or riding, the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail begins in Alfredton and winds its way down through Haddon, Smythesdale, Scarsdale, Happy Valley, Pittong and beyond.

Whether on foot or with a bike, smaller sections can be covered, visiting townships along the way for refreshments or unique shops.