Page 456 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

454  VIC T ORIA

a bygone era. Many of the old home of Henry Handel
buildings are now restaurants, Richardson, the pen name
and bed-and-breakfasts. Dine of Ethel Richardson (see p39),
in the stately old bank which is who wrote The Getting of
now the Provenance restaurant Wisdom . Chiltern was her
(see p532), stand in the dock of childhood home. The house,
the courthouse where Ned Kelly on Lake Alexander, has been
was finally committed for his restored with period furniture,
trial in Melbourne (see p398) and gives an insight into the
and marvel at the old channel life of the wealthy at the turn
blasted through the granite to of the 20th century.
create a flow of water in which An unusual sight is the
Typical 19th-century honey granite miners panned for gold. Grapevine museum. This shows
building in Beechworth The evocative Chinese the oldest and largest grapevine
cemetery is also worth a visit in the southern hemisphere –
wBeechworth as a poignant reminder of the it once covered Chiltern’s Star
hundreds of Chinese who Hotel in its entirety.
* 3,500. @ n Town Hall,
Ford St (03) 5728 8064. worked and died on the gold For opening hours and other
∑ beechworth.com fields (see pp58–9). information on these attrac-
tions, check with the tourist
Beautifully sited in the foothills of information office in the town.
the Victorian Alps, Beechworth eChiltern
was the centre of the great * 1,500. £ n 30 Main St (03) 5726
Ovens gold fields during the 1611. ∑ chilternvic.com
1850s and 1860s (see pp58–9).
At the height of its boom, the This sleepy village was once
town had a population of a booming gold-mining town
42,000 and 61 hotels. with 14 suburbs. Only 1 km
Today, visiting Beechworth is (half a mile) off the Hume
like stepping back in time. One Highway, halfway between Lakeview House in Chiltern
of the state’s best-preserved the major towns of Wangaratta
gold rush towns, it contains and Wodonga, today its colonial rNortheastern
more than 30 19th-century architecture and quiet atmo- Wineries
buildings now classified by sphere, as yet unspoiled by
the National Trust. Its tree-lined large numbers of tourists, make £ Wangaratta & Rutherglen.
streets feature granite banks a visit to this pleasant town @ Wangaratta & Rutherglen.
and a courthouse, hotels with a worthwhile experience. n Rutherglen (02) 6033 6300;
wide verandas and dignified Chiltern has three National Wangaratta (03) 5721 5711.
Campbells Winery: Tel (03) 6033 6000.
brick buildings on either side. Trust properties: Dow’s Open 9am–5pm Mon–Sat, 10am–
The majority of these are still Pharmacy; the Federal Standard 5pm Sun. Closed Good Fri, 25 Dec.
in daily use, modern life newspaper office; and Lakeview Chambers Rosewood Winery:
continuing within edifices of House. The last is the former Tel (02) 6032 8641. Open 9am–5pm
Mon–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun & public
hols. Closed Good Fri, 25 Dec.
Brown Brothers: Tel (03) 5720 5500.
Open 9am–5pm daily.
Closed Good Fri, 25 Dec.
∑ brownbrothers.com.au
The Northeastern area of
Victoria is famous throughout
the world for its vineyards
and wineries (see pp382–3).
In a region that now spreads
south to encompass the King
and Ovens valleys around
Glenrowan, Milawa, Everton,
Rutherglen and Whitfield, the
wines produced can vary in
style enormously, depending
on the elevation and micro-
climate of each vineyard.
Rutherglen is best known for
Rows of grapevines in one of northeastern Victoria’s many vineyards its full-bodied “Rutherglen Reds”,
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp495–6 and pp531–3