So you’ve decided to drive from Sydney to Melbourne (or vice versa). Why not take the slow road and make it an opportunity to see a little more of Australia?
That’s what we decided to do in mid-May 2020, as COVID confined our travelling to home shores. In fact we slowed down so much that we never made it to Melbourne, but decided to continue exploring country Victoria. One of the highlights of our road trip was the Rural City of Benalla, which the main Sydney-Melbourne route (the Hume Highway) now bypasses.
It’s definitely worth slowing down and spending at least a day, maybe more, in the area.
…if bushrangers are your thing..
We were driving via Benalla on our way from the wine making region of Rutherglen to the port town of Echuca, and realised that we would be passing Glenrowan en-route (it’s about 25 minutes from Benalla township).
Most Australians will know that this was the site of the last stand of Australia’s most notorious nineteenth century bushranger, Ned Kelly. So we just had to stop. Plus, this is the location of another of those Australian BIG things!
Visitors from elsewhere, please note that Ned is one of Australia’s greatest icons. There’s plenty of information about him on the net – as you’ll soon discover, he’s known for his homemade armour. If you want an interesting, some might say hilarious, take on the Ned Kelly story, check out the official trailer for the Mick Jagger (yes, you heard right) movie from the 1970’s.
We arrived at Glenrowan very early, well before the tourist buses and crowds, and decided to take the Heritage Siege Precinct walking trail. The signage suggests that you should get a map and brochure from the local bakery but we found it very well signposted and you’ll be able to easily manage it on your own.
The half hour trail recounts the story of the last days of the Ned Kelly Gang as they faced-off against the local constabulary in an extended shoot out and is very well done.
However, if I was being perfectly frank, the town of Glenrowan itself feels a little “Disneyland”. Our lightning-quick stop left us with the impression that mainly survives as a tourist town..
There are some Ned Kelly attractions that you could also visit, if you like to immerse yourself in that kind of experience. And just about every business will claim some kind of connection to the Ned Kelly tale.
For us, the heritage walk was enough. Though perhaps we could have added a visit to Ned Kelly’s last resting place in nearby Greta, had we had more time.
the ghostly winton wetlands
Our next stop was the Winton Wetlands, which is part of the Rural City of Benalla. I have to admit this place was a real surprise. I had expected, as the name suggests, a landscape of swamps, marshes, billabongs, lagoons etc. In other words, a place of lush, natural beauty. And perhaps it was, at some time in the past.
Instead, when we first arrived it was threatening to storm and we encountered a ghostly landscape struggling to regenerate after a sad period in its history. In the process it had acquired a haunting beauty. This was made all the more poignant by the stories of a displaced community.
The wetlands were dramatically impacted by the arrival of European farmer settlers, but even more so by the tragic decision to inundate the area in the 1970’s in order to create Lake Mokoan as a water storage reservoir – only for it to be decommissioned in 2009 – after considerable pain and loss to the community and environment. It was an acknowledged failure. Hundreds of thousands of trees were destroyed, and there were regular toxic algae blooms which poisoned livestock. It’s now in the process of regeneration, which is expected to take about a hundred years. The official wetlands website has more detail on the area’s history of dispossession and is worth taking a look at before you visit.
We began at the Boggy Bridge Road entry where there are some detailed information boards and you can pick up hard copy driving and cycling maps.
We had chosen our route through the wetlands to discover the art trail, including some installations and water tank painting.
The art was great to see. But we discovered so much more, including the the last vestiges of a lost European pioneer farming history. A whole township and a community of 52 farming families disappeared to make way for the new lake. Some of their heart-wrenching stories are described along the driving route and are definitely worth stopping to read.
I can imagine that this stand of trees might well have been a shady avenue leading into town at one time. The school, post office, houses and church have all completely disappeared to be replaced only by stone markers along the ghostly street.
Of course, there’s a lot more to see of the wetlands than what I’ve outlined here. Other parts of the park have begun to regenerate and you could easily spend a day exploring the wildlife, flora, ponds and the dam wall. There are a number of walks and cycling routes as well as camping options, which can be accessed at the very informative official website. Unfortunately, we had to get on to our next destination and didn’t have the time to give this place the attention it deserved. TRy not to make the same mistake!
benalla…street art town
The main reason we had included Benalla on our must-see list was because it featured as a street art town in the silo art trail routes. And it didn’t disappoint.
It was close to lunchtime and we decided to stop in at a small cafe called The Cakemaker’s Daughter before starting our art trail walk around town. Definitely recommended!
A word of warning – we arrived at the cafe around 11:30 and every table was reserved! We were lucky that they could accommodate us on condition that we left before the booking time. Lucky for us! This little treasure of a cafe deserves its reputation. The food was interesting and homemade and delicious.
After lunch we followed a street art map that we had downloaded here and spent about an hour discovering the various imaginative murals painted in various corners throughout town. At one point a local lady stopped us to point out that her favourite had recently been replaced with a new work she didn’t particularly care for – but still it was nice that the murals changed periodically! If you can find an up to date map online that’s great, alternatively you can refer to Benalla Street Art website for information on each of the current murals and their makers.
Here is selection of the various works that we spotted on our visit in May 2021:
Also one thing not to miss on a visit to Benalla is the wonderful ceramic “mural” (it’s really a sculptural installation) by Judy Lorraine with the assistance of various community volunteers. You’ll find it in the little park on Fawkner Drive near the bridge out of town.
The work is a clear nod to Antoni Gaudi – it’s like finding a little bit of Barcelona in downtown Benalla. And it’s wonderful! The detail in the ceramic tiles is intriguing – every little tile is different. Perhaps this is where the community volunteers made their individual input to the work.
Finally, keep an eye out for some interesting modernist buildings around town.
Benalla, modernist architecture 
Benalla, modernist architecture on display at the local post office
We only spent three or so hours in town – and there was plenty more that we could have done.
the north eastern victoria silo art trail…
What we discovered on our drive through country Victoria is that there is a flourishing new art trend that’s gaining popularity – large-scale silo art. You’ll find at least two websites on the net that promote these – one specific to a particular trail through north western Victoria, the other more generally relating to sites throughout the rest of Victoria and Australia.
We had decided to take a look at the north eastern Victorian silo art trail as part our Benalla visit. Our afternoon was going to continue the art theme and would also give us an opportunity to visit some small Victorian country towns.
First stop, just out of Benalla, was the town of Goorambat and the work of Jimmy DVate which features a barking owl and Clydesdale horses.
Make sure to check both sides of the silos!
If you’re lucky you may also be able to see more of the artist’s work at the tiny Uniting Church. It’s a mural of Sophia, the female representation of God. The church is a 10 minute return walk from the silos or a short drive down the road. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day we were there so we couldn’t see her. But the lovely lady who was selling souvenirs near the silo told us that the cafe directly across the road (The Digger’s Wife) had just had a reproduction made and was intending to display it in the cafe.
We also took the opportunity to check out a little of the town – and the nearby railway line.
Couldn’t resist! Always wanted to take this shot – Niran kept a solid eye out for any oncoming trains!
And would you believe Queen Elizabeth II visited Goorambat!
Goorambat, plaque commemorating the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954 
Goorambat, local hall
Our next stop was Devenish – probably my favourite and the most poignant of the towns visited on the day.
The art by Cam Scale, which commemorates a WWI nurse and a modern day army medic was gorgeous, but the town also has an impact – mostly because the centre seems to be in its death throes, and the shops seem to have been frozen in time.
It was sad to see a For Sale sign in the front window of the last surviving store:
The silos at our next stop of St James, commemorate the life and times of GJ Coles – the very one who founded the Coles empire of today. We had seen a number of works by Tim Bowtell during the day – at the Wetlands, in Benalla and now at St James.
St James was the site of GJ Coles’ first shop which you’ll find just around the corner. You can spend some time checking out the old photos and advertisements plus more information on the man and his empire.
The silos at our next stop at Tungamah were the first to be painted in North East Victoria. Street artist Sobrane Simcock painted the brolgas in 2018 and returned in 2019 to paint the second silo.
The final silo we visited before heading off to our final stop (Echuca) for the night was at Picola – which is a little further way from the other silos.
This was probably the most vibrant of all the silo art we had seen during the day. Painted by Jimmy D’vate (the same who painted the works in Goorambat), it was photorealistic and bursting with life.
our final take
The greater Benalla area is chockful of things to do and see both for a travelling couple and for families. You could easily spend a couple of days here and the chances are that you will eat well and get a satisfying smattering of history, art and nature to boot.
find out more at the benalla website: http://www.visitbenalla.com.au/
