Places to see, Things to do

So you're in Clunes for the day and wondering what's around the area? Well the first thing we should do is direct you to the Clunes Visitor Information Center. Housed in the Bottle Museum building (itself a must see attraction) on the Clunes-Talbot road, the center is a valuable resource for anyone wanting information and maps on sights and activities in the Clunes area.

Bushwalking, Climbing and Camping

Numerous walks, rides, climbs and camp spots are dotted around the Clunes area. The most notable of which is the Mount Beckworth nature reserve. The site of bushranger Captain Moonlight's hold out, the reserve has everything the outdoors adventurer could wish for. You don't have to be the super fit type to enjoy the beauty of this parkland, there are plenty of family picnic spots, light walks, wildflowers and wildlife, and a reasonably sturdy vehicle can access most places. For a good low down on this huge park visit the Parks Victoria website. Other activities adventurers get up to at Mount Beckworth are horse riding, rock climbing, bushwalking, bike riding, caving, bird watching and abseiling.

History

Clunes is steeped in history and heritage, almost the entire town is heritage listed and numerous grand old gold era buildings can be found throughout the town. For history buffs the first stop would have to be the Clunes Museum on Fraser Street. The Museum contains exhibits of life during the gold rush and early settlement as well as maps, brochures and tourist information.

Also of interest would be the Port Phillip mine, the site of Australia's first gold rush. You can't actually walk over the mine fields (mine shafts and all) but there is a scenic drive and walk around the area, and plenty of plaques to read and old mining equipment to look at.

For genealogy buffs the Clunes Cemetery can be found just off the Ballarat - Maryborough road on the way to Talbot.

Collecting and Antiques

What better place to pick up that rare antique collectable than the heart of Victoria's goldfields? Need a garden ornament? Perhaps an old early settler plough? Horse buggy? Wagon wheel? Rustic old furniture? Forget about those expensive inner city dealers, this is where the source is. The local chickens regularly scratch up antique bottles from the soil, kitchen collectables line the shelves of bulging antique stores. The shops themselves are heritage items. Crawl down into some dusty blue stone basement, fight off the bats and snare yourself that long lost item, you'll never look at Ebay again (except maybe to sell your treasure)!

Wineries and Vineyards

Central Victoria is a great place to go on a wine tasting tour, pleasant country driving, good food and premium wines all make for the perfect day trip. Mt Coghill vineyard, Mount Beckworth and Eastern Peake are all located in the Clunes area. Mount Beckworth Wines operates a cellar door (Enoteca) in the Clunes main street (Fraser Street), there you can taste the latest award winning wines and pick up brochures and maps for other local wineries. Enoteca is open Friday to Sunday.