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Getaway Walhalla DEEP within the mountain that cradles the former gold-mining town of Walhalla is the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine. Inside are all the leftovers of a frenzied period of mining that covered 50 years of activity until the mine, and town, shut down circa 1915. But some remnants persist in a way no one imagined. For many years, Ralph Richards was a guide in the Long Tunnel. Before every tour Ralph would check all the lights and make sure the walkways were clear of debris. Ralph swore he was often being followed by a presence and others say they saw a tall man carrying a lantern who continually evaded contact with mortal miners. Dubbed Fred, he’s generally considered a benevolent soul. Then there’s Rhoda Spetts, who walks the garden of her family cottage every November dressed in bridal gown waiting for her husband-to-be, who never returned from the war (or was killed in a mine accident, depending on whom you ask). All this interest has been enough to add an extra departure to the previously weekly Walhalla Ghost Tour. Michael Leaney, publican of the completely restored Star Hotel and Walhalla and Mountain Rivers Tourism Association president, is an unrepentant sceptic. The veracity of sightings tends to be directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed, he says, scoffing loudly. The hotel complete, Leaney’s new project is considerably more material. The Walhalla Goldfields Railway, a previously derelict narrow-gauge line that ran from the township to Moe in 1910, has been in constant restoration since 1993. Beginning at Thomson Station, with its impressive namesake bridge, the train makes the 20-minute, 5km trip every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday, and daily during the summer and Easter school holidays. Beyond the mine, Star Hotel and railway, the town of just 20 permanent residents is a popular bus trip and self-drive destination. It was voted one of Victoria’s Top 5 Must Do locations in an RACV and Tourism Victoria poll.
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WALHALLA Getting there Walhalla is about a two-hour drive east of Melbourne.
Staying there The Star Hotel; ph (03) 5165 6262, starhotel.com.au
Doing there For details on local attractions and accommodation options, see visitwalhalla.com.
GOLDFIELDS GLORY: Walhalla’s Star Hotel; and (below) a steam train on the Thomson River bridge. Pictures: Roderick Eime
Tip: Don’t rely on a GPS to find Walhalla as it’s in a satellite shadow. Get a map.
Spirited town steams ahead Tucked away in the narrow gullies outside of Melbourne is a former gold-mining town that refuses to lie down, writes Roderick Eime Strolling down the immaculate main street, one could easily imagine being on a movie set or period drama. It’s not uncommon to see filmmakers and location scouts , says Russell Wright, who works alongside Leaney on civic projects. Generally they are film students shooting a drama for their final assessment, but commercials and scenes from TV shows have also been filmed here. Wright has also mustered a small team of local gardeners to go on a planting spree.
In just a few months he and his team have planted more than 200 magnolia, poplar, maple and birch trees and he’s now admiring their handiwork as spring brings them all to life. ‘‘We gathered sponsors at $25 a tree and each donor gets a certificate and a little dedication ceremony for a partner, parent or pet, or whoever they want,’’ he says. Walhalla escaped destruction in the recent Victorian fires, but many buildings were destroyed by fire in 1951, hence the comprehensive
rebuilding over the past decade. The Star Hotel and surrounding structures are painstakingly researched and accurate reproductions of the original buildings razed in that blaze. While many visitors come by bus and are gone by sundown, a stay at the cosy hotel adds a homely dimension to your visit and a chance to make new friends, either from this world or the next. The writer was a guest of the Star Hotel.
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