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An adventure for us is trying something new and exciting, to visit new places, try new roads, meet interesting people, cross varied landscapes, visit historic landmarks and just immerse ourselves in nature. Frankly, we’re not interested in sitting on the front porch waiting for the world to come to us. We’re all for getting out there, and we don’t have to travel very far from home to do that.

Victoria seems to have a closer network of roads and small towns than most places in Australia. Place a map of Victoria on the wall, throw a dart at it, and you’ll find a place of interest.

That’s how we found Meredith, which is about 100km from Melbourne. “Never been there,” we said, so we rang our friends Ron and Dot and we all took off for a few days.

Meredith is a small town on the Midland Highway between Ballarat and Geelong (Hema map 45 F 11) that has not been discovered by the developers. Bring the whole town together and you might find a population of about 300 people.

Meredith makes the news when the annual Meredith Music Festival receives a decent amount of rain and turns the site into a mud bath. Over its 20-year history, the festival has developed a reputation for uninhibited enjoyment (although most people keep their clothes on).

We were there in the weeks following the festival and the locals were still glowing about all the wonderful rain they’d had that hadn’t deterred the music lovers away. We were there not for the music but for the adventure of exploration.

Pastoralists moved into this area in the 1840s, but the township itself only developed in the gold rush days of the 1850s when gold seekers travelling to Ballarat stopped to try their luck in the local creeks. The railway arrived in 1862 with the opening of the Geelong- Ballarat line.

The streets are named after pioneer settlers. In Wilson Street we found the tennis courts and in the Pioneer Park we enjoyed a meal and left the van while we walked. The old Shire Office can be found in Station Street.

Built in 1872 from basalt and limestone, it features marvellous Corinthian columns and a gabled portico, and is now used for childcare. Opposite is the old shop that has not been open for business in recent times. Ivy had found its way inside through a gap in the wall and was now growing inside the plate glass window that formed a natural hothouse.

Further along Station Street is the old railway station. The line is no longer used for passengers, but the station is of architectural interest. So is the bluestone state school, which is beautifully maintained.

The town has basic businesses catering to an agricultural district including a general store, two pubs (check out the Meredith in Staughton Street), a garage and a real estate agency.

From Meredith, we took a slowpaced trip along the sealed Meredith-Shelford Road and were captivated by the agricultural diversity ranging from paddocks of wheat to sheep, timber plantations and cattle feed lots. This country must have been heartbreaking for the early pastoralists, and even today there are paddocks with large piles of stone that had been gathered to make room for planting crops.

South of Meredith is Lethbridge, where stone was quarried in the early days for the construction of local drystone fences and buildings.

North of Meredith is Elaine, another small town, this one with a history of name-changing between Elaine and Mt Doran. We stopped to admire the buildings, including the old church and the local store. Take a tour of Ballarat while you’re exploring this pocket of Victoria, located only 30km from Elaine. There are many exciting attractions in the town, including the Eureka Centre.

Following directions in our Camps Australia book, we headed to the Hunts Bridge Camping and Picnic Area in the Lal Lal State Forest. What a great spot located right beside the West Branch of the Moorabool River. This is the place for self-contained camping. You will need to bring your own toilet, drinking water and firewood. And please don’t throw your old couch in the river as some other nong had done (Sorry, I just had to vent my spleen at that one). The area is gently sloping, so we used ramps to put us on the level.

With care a fire can be lit, preferably where a previous fire has been sited. We did, using the wood and briquettes we always carry. We wrapped potatoes in foil and cooked them in the hot coals, burned a few sausages, added some smoky toast and prepared a salad. Perfect! For dessert we had hot apples stuffed with raisins and cinnamon, all cooked to perfection in foil and served with cold custard.

While sitting around the fire, Jill spotted two huge wedge-tailed eagles in the trees. What enormous wing spans they have! And unfortunately it was just a bit too dark to take photos. Relaxing around a campfire under the stars with the soundtrack of nature and the company of good friends is my idea of heaven. Somehow, I always find that I sleep extremely well in such idyllic surroundings.

In the morning we walked on the gravel road the short distance to the actual Hunts Bridge and discovered the road on the other side was fully sealed. Were we going back to Meredith along the gravel road? We were not.

What followed was one of the highlights of our trip. Still on the Mount Doran–Edgerton Road, we drove across the bridge and followed the sealed road through prime pastoral land. We saw more eagles, as well as sheep, well-fed cattle, glorious clouds and very little traffic. In fact, one farm ute stopped to make sure we were not lost. He was obviously surprised to see travellers taking photographs of his back yard, though one person’s backyard is another person’s exotic destination.

We climbed out of the river valley to the T-intersection with the road connecting Bungal and Ballark. Turning right, we passed Gluepot Road and headed for Morrisons with its great photo opportunities, and so back to Meredith.

From Meredith we took the road to Durdidwarrah, stopping at the Upper Stony Creek Reservoir to boil the whistling kettle. On we travelled through the Brisbane Ranges with its evidence of bushfires in recent years, until we saw the You Yangs. This group of remnant mountains may not be tall at 348m, but we had never visited them before.

They can be clearly seen from Mt Macedon in the north, Melbourne in the east, and from anywhere around Port Phillip, but like most Victorians, we had not climbed Flinders Peak, so named after Matthew Flinders who climbed it to view the surrounding countryside. Using our trekking poles, we climbed the 458 steps and at the top is a lookout providing 360° views.

From one of the lookouts we could see the geoglyph, a stone structure created as a tribute to the Creator Spirit Bunjil. The creation of the Kulin Land and the Wathaurong Aboriginal people was the work of the Great Ancestral Sprit, Bunjil the wedge-tailed Eagle. Bunjil now watches over the land from Tharangalk-bek (the heavens), but can be seen from time to time as the eagle.

Nearing the top, we were passed by St Thomas’s School from La Trobe, all 80 students and staff. Even the preppies jogged past looking fresh and happy, and not one of them used a trekking pole. They climbed the final lookout tower, played, shouted and behaved like normal happy kids. A credit to their school!

Having conquered the mountain, we stopped in the You Yangs picnic area for a sandwich before heading home. After three nights out, and having covered 300km all up, we were delighted with our adventure to Meredith and the district.

CHEAP TREATS

MEREDITH HOTEL
Relax with a beer and some pub grub at the local.
51 Staughton Street, Meredith, 3333
(03) 52861311

MOORABOOL VALLEY
Sample some local wines and have a relaxing lunch at one of the many wineries in the region.

MEREDITH GOLF CLUB
Tee off on a course surrounded by kangaroos, echidnas and koalas.
Green fee is $6.
Midland Highway, Meredith 3333 VIC
(03) 5286 1477

NATIONAL WOOL MUSEUM
Adults $7.50
26 Moorabool Street, Geelong, VIC
(03) 5272 4701

THE EUREKA CENTRE
Adults $8
Corner of Eureka & Rodier Streets Ballarat, VIC, (03) 5333 1854

GETTING THERE

From Melbourne: take the Princes Fwy towards Geelong. Take the exit to the Midland Highway (A300) by following the signs to Ballarat. Meredith is about 45 minutes from Geelong, halfway to Ballarat.

WHERE WE STAYED

Hunts Bridge Camping and Picnic Area in the Lal Lal State Forest. BYO toilet, drinking water and firewood.

FREE ACTIVITIES

HERITAGE WALK
Scattered around Meredith are information plaques detailing the history of the town.

THE PATH OF THE IBIS
A walk along the Coolebarghurk Creek, where you can observe the local wildlife and amazing artwork that lines the path.

MOORABOOL RIVER
Wash away your worries by relaxing in the Moorabool River. Favourite local spots include Coopers Bridge, Morrisons and Slate Quarry Road.

FLINDERS PEAK
In the You Yangs Regional Park is the Flinders Peak, a 3.2km walk. You can view the Bunjil geoglyph, and on a clear day Melbourne’s buildings.

ANAKIE GORGE WALK
At the Brisbane Ranges National Park, it’s a 3km walk to Nelsons Lookout. The walk has small footbridges to cross several creeks.