Qdos Fine Arts, Vic
Qdos Fine Arts is a modern gallery, cafe and accommodation, situated in Lorne, just before you start on the Great Ocean Road. It’s a perfect place to have lunch and stretch your legs if you are travelling from Melbourne.
The art gallery is substantial and worth the detour, and the gardens are dotted with interesting sculptures, veggie gardens and chickens!
Belgrave, Dandenong Ranges, Vic
We chose to stay in beautiful Belgrave because it is just an hour’s drive to Melbourne Airport, where we were rendezvousing with son, Finn, the following day. We loved the lush and mossy Dandenong Ranges instantly and, yes, started checking real estate prices immediately!
We visited the gorgeous village of Sassafras, where I stumbled over the very ceramics shop that I’ve been stalking online for years – Angus & Celeste. And made some purchases. Then we found an incredibly well stocked hat shop called Truffaux, owned by an Australian, Oska, who discovered his passion for hatmaking while living with his young family in Equador. On our visit to his shop, Oska had enthusiastic observations to make about large-headed Scots and Germans. Somewhere in his shop there remains a beautiful forest green felted wool fedora that was professionally stretched to Rob’s head size to demonstrate Oska’s points. Meanwhile, on Rob’s head, there is a durable, navy blue, cotton hat that looks superb and keeps the head cool in warmer climes than Sassafras.
Oh, and Sassafras also has a tearoom called Miss Marple’s.
When do we move in?
Hall’s Gap, Grampians, Vic
Hall’s Gap is a tourist getaway in the heart of the Grampians National Park. It’s a mecca for walkers, hikers, rockclimbers and lovers of the Australian bush.
One of us took full advantage of the location to tackle a popular walking track for a magnificent vista over the national park. The other one stayed in our fabulous luxury cabin, with the fire roaring, watching the gentle rain and kangaroos grazing outside.
Nick Cave and silo art, Vic
The birthplace of Nick Cave is Warracknabeal, in regional Victoria. No, we we weren’t aware either. We only saw the outskirts of Warracknabeal, which were flat, scrubby and, to be honest, pretty charmless. Not sure what this says about Nick’s youth but I guess we all start somewhere.
The Silo Art Trail is a national art movement that seeks to encapsulate the unwavering spirit of regional Australia by creating giant artworks on the most iconic of regional buildings – silos and water towers.
The trail makes for a visual treat that breaks up long drives through Australia’s country – in our case, the long inland drive from the Victorian coast to South Australia’s regional heart. There are many silos to gawk at so, even if you don’t slavishly follow the trail, you will be sure to come across a few impressively pimped up silos, just like we did.
Travel Mum 