Australia, Victoria, Macedon Range: Climbing The Hanging Rock

The Macedon Range in Victoria, Australia is just a place for a compassionate traveler to visit. The possibilities are great for a day in leisure combined with adventure for the whole family. The Hanging Rock (Formerly Mount Diogenes) with the hint of mystery should be at the top of the list for anyone wanting an outing spent with a friends and acquaintances.

The Hanging Rock is a former volcano, left from a few million (6.25) years as a monument on how a special kind of stiff lava can form peculiar sites. The formation is geologically called a 'mamelon' because it is formed from dense lava that does not flow away after eruption but instead forms a hill in the place.

In 1967, a novel 'Picnic at Hanging Rock', written by Joan Lindsay was published. It is a story of a party of schoolgirls and their teacher who went to a picnic at Hanging Rock in 1900. Some of the girls and later the teacher disappeared mysteriously while there. The case was never solved in anyone's satisfaction.

This story inspired a film:


'Picnic at Hanging Rock', in 1995, directed by Peter Weir. It was one of the first Australian films that truly created an international following.

The Hanging Rock has also inspired plenty of artists:


'At The Hanging Rock' by William Ford, 1885. (Picture from Wikipedia) is one of the earliest ones on display at the Victorian National Gallery.

I went looking for that particular place it was painted at and may just have found it here:


The Hanging Rock is quite a challenge to climb. I recommend sturdy shoes and great spirits.

There is a large picnic ground at the bottom, including a restaurant and a discovery centre. We found it really inspirational.

There are two ways up the rock, the stairs and the well made path. It should be easy to climb, being only 105m above the plain, even for the faint hearted, providing some rests can be had. Though, caution is recommended as always.


We found the rock really majestical and fun. The climb was vigorous activity and the discovery centre and the shop a real treat.


We inspected several cracks just to make sure that all has been done to solve the mystery of the Hanging Rock by now. Nothing suspicious was found.

At the end of the day, we had some ice-cream, the really fabulous kind, paid our $10 fee for the car to get out of the gate and left with great satisfaction.

A well recommended and enjoyable day for everyone.
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Australia, Victoria: Visiting the Historical Beechworth.

This is the second time I am visiting a dear friend at Wodonga, Victoria. Last year we started our tour of the surrounding historical Gold Rush towns by visiting Yackandandah. This year it was time to investigate the town of Beechworth made famous as the birthplace of the Australian bush-wrangler Ned Kelly and by all the stories surrounding him and his gang.

As it was my second time around, I was already prepared for the idyllic atmosphere of the town. The trees were just getting their autumn colours and the streets were full of happy and curious people. I was told that the town lives for the weekends when the tourists flood the streets and the shops in order to unwind from their worldly troubles.


By dropping into the town visitor information centre the curious traveler is able to get all the needed help about accommodations, tickets to venues, souvenirs and the latest books on the Kelly family.

In fact, I was really impressed by the compassionate attitude of the information shop attendant. She was tackling the wealth of enquires showing such knowledge and problem solving skill, well worthy of high recommendation. I am sure that the inviting manner she displayed will play a crucial part on the impression the visitor gets of the town.


Our first goal was to experience the Beechworth Bakery and taste its famous pies. I had a vegetarian Coulicolli Pie and my friend ate a Curry Pie. For the dessert, we had an apple pie, all with a nice cup of tea while watching an endless flow of people. There was a huge cycling event going on in town and everyone was milling around getting drinks and snacks.


And of course, we bought some home with us as well. Especially as it will be the Anzac Day soon and this particular bakery is so very famous for baking the Anzac Biscuits just right. I just had to have some.


Our second stop was the charming and old fashioned Burke Museum where we were able to get a warmhearted insight to the 19th Century town life through walking through the displays of shops and streets representing the history of the town.


The very famous Ned Kelly was introduced through his original death mask and the amour.

The building was originally built for the Beechworth Men's Association, later to become the Athenaeum for educating the young men of the area.

I spent some time reading a few articles on Ned Kelly's final funeral that was conducted 132 years after his death, only in January, this year (2013). I had missed that. Also I longed to buy the new book on Ellen, Ned Kelly's mother that I found in the shop. It promised to be a great read giving lots of new insights to the life and times of the historical town life and its women's blights. Unfortunately, it weighted a lot and I am flying home soon.


The rest of the day was spent wandering the historic and cultural precinct of Beechworth on the 'Echoes of History' walking tour, taking pictures and inhaling the idyllic atmosphere.

According to the Official Visitor Guide book, there is lots to do in Beechworth for curious families, including nature and ghost tours. And did you know that the famous'General' Tom Thumb who was 77 cm tall and the celebrity in his own time around the world and who was presented to Queen Victoria and the Char of Russia, was also from Beechworth?

I am quite certain that a few days holiday at any of these historical towns but especially at Beechworth will be able to help to relax anybody wanting some relief from the hurries of the big city or otherwise stressful life.

Spending some time there will be able to educate the compassionate traveler on how to preserve the historical heritage of a town in a loving, heartwarming and respectful way.
A recommended choice for great time.
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Australia, Victoria; Be Inspired by the Changing Seasons in Melbourne

Recently, I went to Melbourne for a long weekend for work. Usually, up north in Queensland, we do not get to experience the seasonal change as those who live down there do. I was really inspired by the possibility of a walk along the streets, where I could spot the falling leaves of the front gardens and experience the coming winter in Australia.

Sometimes that is the only touristy thing a person who is travelling for work can expect to experience. There might not be time for going to museums or visiting the cultural monuments or events or anything else that might be recommended. While enjoying the services of a good hotel or a wonderful restaurant, it still could feel like there might be very little time to getting to know the place.

Taking an inspired stroll from the place of your conference, hotel or work could well be the only option available to you. So, instead of taking a taxi, why not walk. It cannot really be put down as exercise if it is leisurely but it could be said to be a touristy thing to do. Besides you get to know the location for when you go there again.

If you are from the northern hemisphere where you are used to Birch, Oak and Mable trees, walking the streets of Melbourne is a treat. They are everywhere. It is even possible to spot trees like in the Lapland tundra as some are grown in a very peculiar way. The other things to watch for are the roses in bloom. The whole walk will remind you of Europe, UK in particular with the small fenced off front gardens and flowerbeds.

While walking you can marvel of how much effort, compassion and dedication the ardent gardeners put into their small front gardens. It is a pleasure to find gardens are so dear to us and that often we try to replicate of what we have liked or know even tough living on the other side of the word to our original country of birth.

In Australia, it is a real effort to grow a tree that drinks so much from the ground where there is not so much water around. So, it is a pleasure to travel to Melbourne to see that clearly the trees we wouldn’t be able to grow up north thrive and the leaves fall just like on the other side of the world. Maybe just when it is spring in my birth country, but who cares anyway. This is the seasonal change in Australia we are talking about.

So, do it. It will be jolly good fun and healthy, besides. It is highly recommended!

Australia, Victoria: Visiting the Historical Town of Yackandandah

Australia is a huge place to tackle to visit on one go.

I have heard a few stories about how people who are not so familiar with the distances have asked their friends to give messages to other friends thinking that it is only a short way to travel from one capital city to another on the Australian continent. This kind of stories are a great amusement to the Australians who of course know that it takes days by a car or the train to travel between the largest cities and that it is not possible to know everybody from your ethnic background across the nation, not even if you live in the same city.

So, when my friend said to me that she had moved to Melbourne, I believed her to mean the CBD, or there abouts and said that of course, I'll come to visit. And true to my word, I hired a car, and started driving along the Hume Highway towards Sydney. It took me three hours to reach my destination. By that time, after seeing all the beautiful countryside along the way, I was quite intrigued by what I would find.



What a person will find is a very interesting scenic drive through a few of the most adorable little historical country towns that have become a very popular destination for tourists.

On a fine sunny day, we visited Yackandandah (forgot to ask the meaning of the name), a little historical town along a route of several other similar town. We found a lovely street full of shops, including a large Buddha shop, nice cafeteria and a very interesting Art Gallery. And I should not forget to mention the the organic store and bakery, which by the way bakes rye bread in the style I am familiar with from my Scandinavian heritage. Yum!




It will be worth your while driving around the place, absorbing some Australian autumn weather by walking up and down the main streets of the little towns, visiting interesting stores, parks and art galleries. At the same time it will give you an opportunity to remember the history of the Australian Gold Rush of the 19th Century that led to the building of these towns.

It will also be a compassionate act to help the local economy by finding some cool things to buy, like for example this nice leather case from b.sirius® for an iPad to keep it safe while writing the blogs about where you have been.




I most warmly recommend to anyone a few days holiday along the Victorian Historic Towns of Indigo Shire.
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