Trentham

The gold rush brought prosperity to the Macedon Ranges town of Trentham, but the wealth flowed more from above than below the ground. At the height of the fever, twenty Trentham sawmills were working round the clock to meet the demand for timber to prop up mine shafts and for other construction on the goldfields. Today Trentham retains that pioneer character through its old-style shops and wooden buildings. The hills round the township are still heavily wooded and the village's most enduring tourist trap is found on the community outskirts in the form of the Trentham Falls. The waters of the Coliban River tumble 33 metres down a sheer basalt cliff face to take the title as Victoria's longest, single-drop cascade. The region, which takes in such towns as Daylesford and Kyneton, abounds in spectacular gorges, lakes, creeks and waterfalls and when the day's adventure is over you can relax over a local wine. Sprawling over 69,200ha, the Wombat State Forest anchors a 50km scenic drive which begins at Blackwood - 14km south of Trentham - and embraces a chain of lookouts, mineral springs and gardens and offers access to a range of walking tracks.