Being a Melburnian, I am proud to say that our city was born thanks to the Gold mine boom. You have probably heard of Ballarat or Bendigo as a gold mine town. How about Walhalla?

Walhalla is an ex gold mine town located approximately 2.5 hours drive (approximately 180 km) east of Melbourne, passing Moe and Rawson.

What’s so special about Walhalla? When you visit this small town where the tourists are not around, you feel that you are stepping back in town – there are still the original gold mine and historic buildings.

Walhalla was a booming town from 1863 – 1900. Gold mine brings all sort of settlements and activities – from shops, entertainments, sports and any kind of trades. Today, Walhalla is a small quaint little town with only approximately 15 permanent residents.

Walhalla can easily be explored in a day although 2 days will give you a more relaxed way to really enjoy the place.

You can explore the town on foot easily. There are many original historic buildings and one thing not to be missed on yur walk is to visit Walhalla cemetery. I noticed visiting cemetery in a historic town tells you a lot about the place such as the average age of its population and whether there are any major diseases swept over the town.

Other than walking around the town itself, Here are some of my other things to see and do in Walhalla -

Scones

I once drove 2.5 hours one way to Walhalla just to have their scones! In the past 10 years, this cafe went through so many owners but the scones recipe seems to stay the same.  You can get 2 scones with jam and cream with a pot of tea, simply divine.

Long Tunnel Gold Mine Tour

Once you are well fed, be sure to check when is the next Gold Mine Tour at the Long Tunnel Extended Mine. The mine was started in 1863 and as the name suggested, the mine’s extended up to 8.5 km underground. The tour takes you down to 300 meters underground which enables visitors to see the top of the main shaft. The tour is worth every cents as you really get the feeling of how hard those miners work. The miners work 18 hours a day underground with candles as lightning. You also get to see some of the items and equipments used to extract 13.69 tonnes of gold from 859,540 tonnes of ore valued in excess of $150,000,000 at the 1984 gold price of $350 – troy ounce (31.1 grams). The gold mine share holders got a pay out of today’s equivalent of 20 million each. When you do your tour, keep an eye on glow worms .

Today, the Long Tunnel Gold Mine exploration is starting. I was told there are still many gold there.

Cricket Ground

Whether you play cricket or not, Walhalla cricket ground is worth a visit. It is located on top of the hill which is the only flat land within the township during the gold mine boom to hold any sporting events as the rest of the land was taken for buildings and population during the increased mining activity. You have to be moderately fit - as to get to the cricket ground, you have to climb a very steep walking path that certainly will raise your heartbeat. The return walk takes about 45 minutes.

When you have more time or an extra day, try to also fit in the following -

Walhalla Goldfields railway

The Walhalla line was built in 1904 but was not completed until 1910.By the time it’s completed, the gold mine boom was over. The train is a diesel locomotive will take you return from either the entrance of Walhalla town to Thomson River. it’s a beautiful scenery.

Thomson River

Thomson River is located on the bottom of the hill approximately 10 minutes drive before you arrive at Walhalla. In summer, this river is very popular as people swim or keep themselves cool. Nearby is also the train station which takes you to Walhalla train stop.

Bush Walking  – The Great Australian Alps Walking Track

There are many walking trek around Walhalla. Some takes you a full circle around the town. One of my favourite starting point of the bush walking trek’s from the Long Tunnel Gold Mine. However for a die hard bush walker, you can take the challenge of tackling the 650 km Australian Alps Walking Track which can take you all the way near Canberra.

Camping and staying overnight

Walhalla is a perfect town for camping, come early and choose your ground. The last time I was in Walhalla when I came unprepared for my camping trip, I ended up sleeping in a really hard ground hoping that my tent didn’t get blown away. On that trip, I ended up having a left over birthday cake for dinner and stayed until the only pub in Walhalla closed because it’s raining and as I said, I was unprepared.

Having said that, you will get the best camping night with twinkling stars and really quiet ambient to get you very close to the nature. Beware of ghost sightings and make sure you get plenty of water in stock as the creek water is not drinkable.

If you are not a keen camper, you can stay in Walhalla luxury boutique Star Hotel located right at the heart of the town, rent one of the bed and breakfast cottages or drive 35 minutes to the nearest major country town of Moe. When I first visited Moe, I could not stand the strong smell which came from the nearby electricity generator but after couple days, you’ll get used to the smell. Make sure you also join the town’s night ghost tour to experience Walhalla from a different point of view .

I guarantee you will fall in love with Walhalla like I do and you will return possibly like me just to feast on scones .

Related posts:

1. Czech Republic – Cesky Krumlov Medieval Town
2. Canada – Niagara Express Tour (Niagara on the lake town and Vineyards)
3. Leiden, The Netherlands
4. Italy – Naples (Amalfi and Positano)
5. Czech Republic – Prague by night