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Obviously in this part of the world it is important to plan your trip carefully weather-wise … it’s great to visit at any time as long as you know what to expect! Brrrrrrr! As you’d imagine, there’s some top free camping spots for the budget conscious. There’s three or four along the Ovens River, one at Edi Cutting on the King River and, in the Warby Ranges, the camping spot known as the Wenhams has decent facilities. Out towards the fossicking town of El Dorado, there are also many ideal camping sites along the Reid or Reedy Creek. Naturally, there are also some very attractive and very reasonably priced caravan parks at Wangaratta itself, nearby Glenrowan and even El Dorado. In this neck of the woods, there are most definitely some great places to stay and some great places to see. Right then, let’s talk about those attractions. Major historical interest. Oh, yes, this place is rich in history all right. In fact, when you talk about Australian history it’s never long until the name of Ned Kelly crops up. The township of Glenrowan is the spot where, in June 1880, the infamous bushranger and his gang were involved in a dramatic shoot out with police …. Ned was captured on that day and later hung at the Old Melbourne Gaol. Such is life. If you’re visiting the area at the end of June, make sure of two things. Firstly, you bring your jumpers and, secondly, that you check out some of the Ned Kelly events and lectures that take place each year. There are also museums at Glenrowan where you can re-live the drama and you can even visit the spot where the Kelly gang, complete with home-made armour, made their last stand. Real bushranger junkies can also visit the grave of Mad Dog Morgan at the Wangaratta Cemetery. The area is also rich in goldmining history and work has even begun on restoring the Eldorado Dredge which was built in 1936 for deep mining gold and tin. And, if you don’t have much luck finding your fortune, you may have better luck finding a picking job … there’s plenty about in the right season. But if harvesting fruits such as cherries, peaches and apricots to boost your budget doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, why not just enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labour at a very reasonable price from the local growers. Oh, you still want to know about the wineries, do you? Well, they are numerous and wonderful. From Glenrowan to Beeechworth to King Valley itself, the area’s climate and soil helps produce a robust style of red and rich fortified wine. So pull up the van, pull up a glass, and drink in all this magnificent district has to offer. Cheers. Don’t miss (if you’re in the area) Jan … Wangaratta Rodeo |
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When grey nomads are drawing up their wish lists of attractions that preferred destinations might have they would probably include … stunning natural beauty, major historical interest, affordability, perhaps the possibility of doing some fossicking for gems and gold, or maybe even the chance to visit some wonderful local wineries. Bingo, guys! The Wangaratta region of Victoria, not far from Albury-Wodonga and the New South Wales border ticks all of the boxes. And the magnificent Mt Buffalo National Park isn’t a million miles away, either.