If you’re in the mood to take a little road trip in the hire car you picked up at Hertz Melbourne Airport Car Hire, Walhalla is an easy two-hour drive from Melbourne and well worth the effort.
Walhalla is a small town in the Gippsland district’s Baw Baw Ranges. It is a picturesque town with a steep history dating back to pioneer goldfield days. It was founded in 1863 as a gold-mining community. Once home to 5,000, Walhalla now only has a handful of permanent residents.
Walking into Walhalla is like walking back through time. The town has been carefully restored to showcase the heritage buildings and to provide you with an authentic and exciting experience. You can have a go at panning for gold, take tours of the surrounding areas and explore the old hotels, shops, schools and churches. There’s the Cohen’s Reef, a three kilometre long vein of gold running through the town.
Things to Do
Walhalla offers a range of things to do, to keep you entertained and make your trip worthwhile. These include:
Walhalla Goldfields Railway - take a ride on the historic Walhalla Goldfields Railway through the scenic Stringers Creek Gorge.
Poverty Point Bridge Walk – a stunning walk along the Thomson River.
Erica Mountain Bike Park – if you’re looking for a bit of physical fun, Erica Mountain Bike Park lets you ride along challenging rough dirt tracks
Great Walhalla Alpine Trail – a tour along a 40 kilometre walking track through the Australian Alps which runs over two days if you’re really keen to explore the Australian wilderness
Things to See
A number of structures in Walhalla are original structures from the 1800s or are exact replicas. For example, the railway station is an exact replica of the original. The Walhalla Fire Station was reconstructed in the early 1960s and the Band Rotunda was built in 1896.
Getting There
Walhalla is a fun drive in the rental car you picked up at Hertz at Melbourne Airport Car Rental. The drive to Walhalla from Melbourne will take about 2 and a half hours but is worth it for the scenery you will encounter along the way.
