IT IS easy to pass off Maldon as a sleepy country town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But spend half a day following various brown and blue signs and you will find there are plenty of tourist attractions to be drawn in by.
Even on a warm Monday afternoon in summer there are tourists buzzing up and down the main street with cameras out and clicking.
Heritage trains on the Victorian Goldfields Railway run every Wednesday and Sunday from the historic Maldon station.
It departs Maldon at 10.30am and, including a stop a Muckleford, arrives at Castlemaine at 11.45am.
The alternative is to catch the heritage train from Castlemaine at 11.45am arrive in Maldon at 12.30pm and have lunch before leaving Maldon on the 2.30pm train.
But even if the heritage trains aren’t running, the station is still worth a look. It is a step back in time.
A short drive around the town CBD reveals a host of mines and walking tracks.
In the middle of town the Beehive Mine and Chimney towers over the town.
It is 30 metres high, was completed in 1863 and is the only one of its age and size still standing in Victoria.
Just near the turn-off to Bendigo, on the Bendigo-Maldon Road, is the dredge and dragline.
The Porcupine Flat site began its works in 1958 but the dredge wasn’t fully operational until 1973.
The dredge allowed for more large-scale mining than was in the 1850s.
It shut down in 1984 after some success and the dredge that stands there today is a smaller reconstruction of the one that operated in the Jim Crowe Creek, near Newstead.
For people who prefer to focus above ground, Mount Tarrengower is the way to go.
After following a winding road up the mountain, there are plenty of picnic areas available and the 360-degree view from the ground is impressive.
The tower that was opened in 1964 has been there since 1923. People who decide to climb it are rewarded with a panoramic view of central Victoria.
Two mines were developed at the top of Mount Tarrengower, while several others were both north and south of the peak.
After an afternoon in historic Maldon, it s clear there are no shortage of attractions.
For more head to www.maldon.org.au
