We are running early for our Christmas rendezvous at Terang so we decide to head north-west to spend some time in the gold fields area of Victoria. This sees us enjoy a few days in Bendigo with side trips to Ballarat and Daylesford.

Bendigo is a city that we have passed through before but not stopped at for any amount of time to enjoy its hospitality. There is a really nice feel to the place with its historic building facades and a large garden area central to the city.

It’s the gardens that draw our attention first. The leafy green space reminds us a little of Central Park in New York but obviously on a smaller scale. A walk along the pathways is cool and relaxing but raises a few questions. In the middle of the park is a fenced off area that seems to be a natural habitat for bats. You can hear their screeches well before you arrive which seems out of place given the surrounds.

On the other side of a canal we spot a rose garden where the blooms are fragrant and the flowers amazing in the vibrant colours and variety. The central gardens are certainly a place of contrasts.

We cross the street is the heart of town and its there that the historical charm of the buildings come to light. The old post office, town hall and various hotels have kept their original looks while they have been internally renovated to still be usable in today’s busy commercialised world.

A bonus for us is the Sacred Heart Cathedral which on the edge of the town centre but stands tall with the high spires. The church is open so we were able to wander in and marvel at the architecture while listening to the pipe organ player practice for Christmas services. They certainly know how to build very grand structures around here.

One of our day trips takes us through the town of Maryborough (Victoria not Queensland) and we spy more ornate buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. We wander into the old Bull & Mouth hotel, which has been recently renovated over a period of 10 years. The interior is as striking as the exterior with soaring ceilings and exposed roof trusses that have be retained and even highlighted.

We continue on to Ballarat where they have also captured their architectural history. Beautiful old buildings sit happily in the heart of the city and are currently decorated for Christmas. We are lucky to be allowed into several of them for a look around and are even invited to take a few photos of The Regent which is the city’s cinema complex, now updated but still very formal in its style. We top our visit off with a trip out to the Avenue of Honour where a archway has been built to remember the many young people from the area who went to war.

On our way back we stop in at Daylesford to have a late lunch and also look at the springs and lakes that are in the heart of the town. The spring is not quite as impressive as we had expected but did give a chance to take a nice relaxing walk around the lake.

From Bendigo we will continue to head west with the next stop in Stawell to have a look around the Grampians and then, from there we’ll head down towards the coastline again.