I like visiting the quiet, small towns of Victoria. Too quiet you don't seem to hear squirks, blaring horns, loud music or boisterous laughter. You don't see people roaming the streets or walking through the grasslands. From all appearances, they look deserted. But they are not.
What used to be mining towns or business centers at the height of the gold rush in the 1800s are now townships that have reverted to being agricultural in nature. They are now sleepy towns and that quaintness and historic charm are what lure visitors to these villages northwest of Melbourne.
There is a unique music cafe in the town of Gordon and it is called While The Billy Boils. Here you can listen to country music from local entertainers while sipping locally-produced coffee. Or you can recite love poems in a specially designated corner. Or you may want to see the old hotel still operating in the area. Or buy Irish hat at Wild Trout's Gordon Hat Shop. Or you may go fly fishing.
At the main road of the town of Dean is a very old hotel which had shut down but tourists still take time to visit. A farm with fine horses roaming freely can be viewed from the road. In Ballan, a farm has big Llamas, which are animals related to the camel. Ballan, in the days of the Victorian gold rush, served as a trading center for gold and a stopover point for those doing business in Ballarat. It is said that gold discovered here and other parts of the Goldfield region was more than the gold discovered in California for that particular era.
The township of Buninyong came into the limelight first before the big ones like Ballarat and Bendigo came into the picture. This is on account of the gold discovery. Here is another story: Before that much heralded Victorian gold rush in the 1850s, residents of the above-mentioned inland towns were already digging gold secretly and did not report this to authorities for fear that their valuable find would be confiscated by the government.
After the gold rush, economic activity in this region dwindled and the residents began tilling again the land. The villages returned to being peaceful with the inhabitants contented with other resources that mother nature has endowed these inland towns. Population decreased as others moved elsewhere.
Of these hitherto mining towns, Ballarat became the most progressive and is now classified as a city. Actually, it is not a small town. In fact, it is the largest inland town. What with the tons and tons of gold discovered there, it is now one of the richest cities in the state of Victoria.
- Konted
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Road leading to the town of Gordon |
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Big country house in Gordon |
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Typical house in Gordon and in nearby areas |
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Extra cautious not to cause deadly bushfires |
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Cemetery is not congested |
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Vast farrm land is what you normally see in Gordon and in the neighboring towns |
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Wild Trout makes fine Irish/Scottish hats |
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Wild Trout is housed in what used to be an Anglican church |
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Sports Cap for $88 at Wild Trout |
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Floppy Breton Cap for $88 at Wild Trout |
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Old Gordon Hotel |
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Drive- in liquor store adjacent to the hotel |
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Gordon''s General Store. Gordon has a population of about one thousand. |
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The lone General Store in the entire town |
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Clarke's makes square pies |
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Pauls' Milk is a famous Australian brand |
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Unique music cafe in Gordon--While The Billy Boils |
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Music Cafe has real countryside setting |
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Reminiscent of good old English casual get2gether |
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"Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, and the rock melts wi' the sun; i will luve thee still, my dear, While the sands o' life shall run.. " |
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Gravel walkway |
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There is an indoor food and drinks station plus an antique shop |
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Gordon's Old Post Office built in 1890 |
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A very old structure in the town of Gordon |
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Police Station looks like a private house |
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To the next town |
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Kryal Castle is located on the foothills of Mount Warrenheip. It is a replica of a medieval castle. |
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Kryal Castle functions as an inn, museum as well as the site of various social events |
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Wide farmland can be seen in background |
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An uphill country road |
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Wealth of the town partly comes from agricultural activities |
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Agricultural equipment helps maximize farm yield |
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Road to the town of Dean |
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Bales seen in the town of Dean
Closer shot of a bale of hay John Deere is popular in Australia |
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Dean's main road |
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General Store at Dean |
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Old Hotel Dean which had shut down |
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Dean Hall & Mechanical Institute erected in 1891 |
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Horses can be seen from the main street |
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Patiently waiting for the photographer |
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Entry point to the town of Buninyong |
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Town center of Buninyong |
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Buninyong was the center of gold diggings in Victoria before Ballarat and Bendigo grabbed the limelight |
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Bakeshop in Buninyong |
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Buninyong's old town hall |
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Served as Councillor for 40 years !!! |
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Old Post Office built in 1845 |
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Crown Hotel near a roundabout in Buninyong |
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Story of Buninyong |