Historic Beechworth, where time can at least slow if not stand still. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
Feeling like the pace of change is overwhelming, world affairs are terrifying and the year is getting away from you? Try a little time travel.
It will also help to avoid capital cities, put a bit of distance between wherever you are and add a couple of border crossings.
That’s what we did recently and it worked a treat.
The historic town of Beechworth (pop. 3290), in Victoria’s north-east, is about a four-hour scoot down the Hume to Wodonga before heading south-west. It sits in a therapeutic time warp of heritage storefronts and stone buildings.
It’s quiet, sleep-easy quiet, and if you have a mind to, you can walk just about anywhere. There are plenty listed around town, including guided history walks and bush trails. Grab a street map from the information centre and if you still get lost there are plenty of friendly locals to set you right.
The town’s stone buildings are a feature of its historic precinct.
Not that Beechworth is sleepy, because there is more than enough to do and a long weekend was nowhere near sufficient time to discover all of its attractions.
In fact, Beechworth is also pretty hip, with a foodie scene, plenty of cafes and restaurants, several pubs, a couple of craft breweries, wine bars and wineries just out of town.
But it’s not a place to rush, that went out with gold in the 19th century. Even though you could say Beechworth is still mining its historical legacy.
That includes our accommodation – an 1860s timber cottage reassembled and augmented with recycled timbers, including beautiful jarrah floors, close to town and near the old gaol (take a tour) where Ned Kelly was held.
We had hoped to use the fireplace but the March hot spell ruined that idea. But the place was remarkably well insulated and kept cool through the day. But time travel doesn’t have to be air-con free.
The digs were 19th-century wooden.
Accommodation ranges from cottages to B&Bs, pubs and motels. There is even a resort, if that takes your fancy.
Our first taste of the town was afternoon tea on arrival, and not just an overpriced teabag and a piece of generic cake. Moments and Memories is an English-style tearoom with any number of tea varieties, cakes, biscuits, Devonshire teas and, for the really indulgent, a High Tea that will be the meal of the day.
You also buy a range of things tea related, from tea itself to drapery and tea sets to delicious home-made jam.
It caters for all dietary requirements, with the award-winning owner producing gluten- and even dairy-free offerings that people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Just ask.
With a nostalgic soundtrack in the background and a window table, it was the perfect start to a relaxing weekend.
Devonshire tea at Moments and Memories tearoom is a must.
If shopping is your thing, Beechworth has boutique stores, an old-style emporium for country fashion, a sweet shop, an ice creamery, a bakery and vintage goods.
The Edwardian-styled Finer Things of Life is a trap for antique jewellery and elegant-homeware buffs, while across the road at Beechworth Gold in the old Bank of Victoria building, where you can inspect the original vault where gold was stored, you’ll find fine jewellery and gemstones.
You can even take a look at a pair of golden horseshoes.
The other gold in town is the sweet kind, at the Beechworth Honey Shop. Here you can taste more than 40 varieties, discover honey drinks, browse all kinds of honey- and bee-related products, and learn a lot about bees.
Favorities are orange blossom on the lighter side to darker ones like Tasmanian leatherwood.
Ned Kelly is an unlikely guard at Beechworth Gold.
Across from the Anglican church is a bibliophile’s paradise, the Beechworth community book store. It’s home to quality second-hand books and an easy place to while away a few hours and collect an armful of absolute must-have volumes.
For those who like their books fresh, there is Beechworth Books down the street. Beechworth is the kind of place where you should have a book on hand for some downtime.
Fine food at Glenbosch Wine Estate.
As I said, there are plenty of good food options. We chose Glenbosch Wine Estate, a short drive out of town on the Wangaratta road, for our centrepiece dining experience.
Enjoy a pre-lunch wine tasting to get you in the mood and select from a fine-food menu that has everybody covered, including for plant-based diets.
For a more street-based affair, Coffee Staines in town offered its Big Breakfast, with a vegan option, for a lazy Sunday brunch.
But if you really want to lash out, there is the Provenance in the original Bank of Australasia building, which offers a Japanese-influenced set menu of 18 small dishes over four courses at $170 per head.
Where previous visitors spent some idle time.
Among the great legacies of previous Beechworth generations are the many magnificent European and North American trees throughout the town, to the point that there are specific tree walks.
A trip to the old mental asylum grounds on the Mayday Hills is a must to experience what is now an arboretum. Beechworth’s garment changes through the seasons, and was just starting to turn despite summer refusing to go.
Plenty of interesting shopping in stores that capture the heritage essence.
As mentioned, there are bushwalks nearby, and Woolshed Falls in the granite country off the Chiltern Road is worth a visit.
Another fun thing to do is visit the old Telegraph Station and museum in Ford Street and send a telegram to a friend or family member. You can watch an actual operator tap out the message in Morse code.
Modern comms can be unreliable here, so the tip is to carry some of the folding stuff in case the card fails.
Sydney Baker runs the honey-tasting station at the Beechworth Honey Shop.
Beechworth is one of a cluster of historic towns in the north-east and we took a diversion south on our way home, via Stanley to Myrtleford and back through Yackandandah to Wadonga and the Hume.
This took us through kinder, forested country and chestnut, berry and apple orchards. We were even gifted the sighting of a curious koala on a log extending from an embankment.
There are farmgate stalls along the way. At Jimjams, just past Stanley, we stocked up with pantry items like jam, relish and apple cider vinegar, while a little further along we added apples, frozen boysenberries and walnuts to our haul. Look out for the signs.
One of several classic bush hotels in Beechworth.
At Mytleford, in the shadow of the Alps, Greystones Antiques will have you intrigued and enthralled with its collection of furniture, fine china and homewares.
For a touch of the exotic, the Cafe Fez is a surprising find with a travel-inspired decor and menu. Don’t miss the Persian love cake.
Our time still flew, but perhaps not as quickly as before. Some delving into the past, quiet country pastimes and great food and wine can do that.
What more do you need? Maybe a flickering fireplace. Next time.
To learn more, visit the Explore Beechworth website.
