This was the main reason that I made a trip up to Bendigo for a weekend, not just because I like…read moreart galleries (which I do), but because they had an exhibition of Greek artifacts which would instantly catch my attention, as well as a booking for an entire weekend. It also gave me a good excuse to go and wonder around the town just to get the vibe of the place. I must say that the Greek exhibition was outstanding, not so the other exhibition on Victorian underwear (I really don't like fashion). However, the gallery also had a pretty decent art collection as well, with paintings both from Australia and abroad (but no Picasso, though there were a couple of impressionists). The incense burners from China were also pretty cool, as where the neo-classical statues out the back, which depicted scenes from Ovid's Metamorphosis.

Bendigo art gallery is a great space as it recently had a redevelopment…read more We were lucky enough to see the 'Imagining Ned' exhibit. With artists on display like Sir Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Adam Cullen, Juan Davila and Norman Lindsay. Amazing art displayed on whether some like it or not, an Australian icon. You can also see it's collection which includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, decorative arts, photography, works on paper, and Australian art. This really is worth a trip to Bendigo to experience.

This is actually a part of the Golden Dragon museum, though it also happens to be free to enter…read more(unlike the museum). The gardens are actually quite nice, and they are certainly a lovely place to wander around. Mind you, it also happens to be a shrine of sorts, though I don't believe that it is an active one. Rather, it is a garden that has been set up to mimic the gardens one would find back in China. It certainly does have a lot to do with there having once been a huge Chinese population here. Yeah, this garden is rather rather nice and peaceful, and it is certainly a place to check out.

You know, I love gardens that happen to have sculptures in them, and this place is no exception…read more Sure, it isn't anywhere near as impressive as some of the gardens in Paris, but it is certainly a delightful place with some magnificent sculptures there in. There is also a green house here as well, and they tend to be rather delightful too, though when I was here the greenhouse happened to be closed. However, it was a lovely place to spend some time, and it certainly had an awful lot of charm about it as well.

A boutique winery specialising in red wine. A great cellar door with views over the vines and lake…read more Friendly owner on site and worth a visit if in the area.

This is one of the more notable wineries in Heathcote, because you can buy a meal here as well…read more That's a welcome rarity in this wine region, however its popularity - also attributable to its position on Heathcote's central strip - means what you'll experience here is far more mainstream and slick than a lot of the smaller, boutique wineries out of town. Don't expect to talk to any winemakers here. The selection of wines was average, tasting pours were tiny but in line with larger wineries, and the staff seemed knowledgable even if reading from a mental script. Their premium 'slaughterhouse' Shiraz was wonderful. We stopped off for a meal here as well, and picked up a lamb, and a chicken dish. Both were tasty, although the the rice with the chicken was undercooked and clustered into lumps. The dining room is located in a lovely space with exposed brickwork hosting local artwork you can buy off the wall, all in front of an open fire. I'd recommend this place for a meal, and not just because it's one of the very few places in the region in which you can sit down to eat. It's a great eatery in its own right. If you're sorted for food, pass this by when it comes to wine - there are lots of smaller, more welcoming wineries in the area.

Brilliant wines and excellent, knowledgeable staff members! Try the Mail Coach Shiraz!read more

My past experiences at Australia's oldest theatre have been positive but this morning very nearly…read moreearned it a 2 star rating. The Theatre Royal resonates old world charm from every corner. The theatre still plays host to film screening and will pack out when the right bands are playing (sorry that you had to cancel your show, Kasey Chambers). They serve local wines and brews from Harcourt. Actually, that's something I enjoy about most establishments in Castlemaine. But the food is what nearly earned them a 2 star rating. Castlemaine has been affectionately nicknamed "North Northcote". The hipsters are flocking out this way and the cafés are in abundance so if you're going to serve cafe food you really need to be on your game. I traded in my go to meal at Saff's to try somewhere else and I was let down. Ricotta pancakes with bacon, banana and maple syrup. The pancakes were sloppy and way too sweet. Much sweeter than the maple syrup itself. And the bacon just wasn't salty enough to cut through that sweetness. I could hardly stomach it but I finished half purely because I was hungry. This was all washed down with a pretty mediocre coffee. Sigh! You've got to get out there and try the world but sometimes you should stick to what you know!

Curated wine tasting! We visited the Heathcote Wine Hub at…read moretheir new location in a converted chapel and had a really enjoyable wine tasting. We spent almost 2 hours there and tasted 10 local wines selected by Toby after discussing our preferences and tastes. This is a great way to taste the best of the local wines without driving all over the region! He makes a really good coffee too!!

I was sceptical of this place when we drove into Heathcote town on a whim the other weekend. The…read morelady at the tourist office pointed us in this direction, saying they housed *all* the wines from the whole area, but we figured this would be for drive-by tourists and we'd prefer to visit some cellar doors, so off we went, and a lovely time was had. On the way back though we had a little bit of time before the Wine Hub shut up shop, so we popped in to give it a try. Very impressive wine store indeed. They had 24 wines on free tasting (!!) and the wine guy there took us through all of them letting us know a bit about the wineries behind them. Instead of being an alternative to visiting cellar doors, it really compliments it, and we found we now have a list of cellar doors we must visit next time. Needless to say our car was a little heavier on the drive home than up!

The obligatory cafe at a winery, that produces very nice Heathcote region reds and some whites as…read morewell. The cafe has a variety of high quality choices and uses a number of locally grown produce including some of their own. I recommend that you try the semi-dried olives made themselves. I had never come across these before and I had a second helping; they were that good. The owners and staff are friendly and relaxed and makes for a nice drive in the country.

I'm really split on this place because it was beautiful but with a couple of glitches. The food was…read morereally tasty and the cellar door women Georgie down to earth . As soon we sat down they offered us bread , which we later realised wasn't complimentary; we thought that was a bit cheeky. The lamb shank was great, but we had to send back the sticky date because it was cold, which seemed a bit dodge. Overall good although the discount advertised for staying in their motel didn't get applied.