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Melbourne

Marysville - Mystic Mountains

by Kookaburra

A September 2005 travel journal

Last Updated: October 28, 2005

Journal Usefulness Rating 3 out of 5
Journal Usefulness Rating
5
Reviews

We took a quick holiday away from the hustle and bustle. It is a sleepy little township close enough to the Dandenongs and Yarra Valley to fill in a week, yet a quiet and peaceful country town for relaxing if you wished.

Best Things Nearby:
Bruno's Sculpture Garden and Yarra Valley National Park

Best Things About the Resort:
Quiet, with lots of native birds

Resort Experience:
It is small by American standards, and parking is a bit tight but manageable. The unit was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, with a kitchen with a cooktop and convection/microwave and laundry and large living area. There are barbecues on the grounds and a large indoor pool spa and sauna. It is walking distance to town, at the edge of town among the bush. There is a friendly staff.

  • Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
  • Activities: Good
  • Amenities: Good
  • Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
  • Family Friendliness: Very Good
  • Service: Excellent
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Kookaburra on October 28, 2005

Kerami Gardens Resort
22 Woods Point Rd. Melbourne, Australia 3779
359-634112

This whimsical garden gallery is filled with the most delightful sculptures that make you chuckle and wonder. The artist has a wonderful sense of humour, which is evident in his life-sized sculptures scattered through a magic garden, complete with babbling streams and rain forest foliage. The cost of $20 for a family was well worth the entry fee, and we also came away with a DVD to capture the majority of the work on display. The garden is only open at weekends, but, much to our distress, the works are not for sale.

Bruno, unhappy at having to sell his works, started the gardens about 10 years ago so that he could create but not have to part with his fabulous work, from quirky men on flying machines to fairies and elf-like characters to an old man in an ancient wheelchair--some of the models have been decorated with collectibles, such as the Beethoven caricature playing an old typewriter rather than a piano, or the recycled forks, shower heads, and old carpentry instruments, like planes, etc. There are pieces that are hybrids, like the cartoon character growing out of a grasshopper's body. Enjoy a leisurely hour or two. It's good for all ages

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by Kookaburra on October 28, 2005

Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden
51 Falls Rd. Melbourne, Australia 3779
(03) 5963 3513

It cost $3 for parking on the grounds. It is large and bustling, with around 300 stalls, and is held once a month. Given that it is in a foodie's area, a large percentage of stalls were given to produce or upmarket food-oriented stalls selling spice mixes, chili preserves, or even venison. We were a bit disappointed in the craft stalls, as a lot of crafts looked like they were made of cheap imported material rather than the high-quality kind, which unfortunately seems to be disappearing from these country markets. I think they are a little close to Melbourne and people are buying large amount of cheap imports to keep their stalls stocked. There were a few gems among them, like the embroiderers guild stall, but few and far between. I wish they would bring back the unique things that are truly local in nature rather than everywhere else.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Kookaburra on October 28, 2005

Yarra Glen Racecourse Market
Yarra Glen Racecourse Melbourne, Australia 3775
(03) 5974 4710

This has to be one of the most beautiful and unusual stretches of countryside in Australia. It's a steep, windy dirt road, but there are the most spectacular, following rushing mountainside streams and babbling creeks, spring-type waterfalls at every turn. There is misty bush and majestic trees, deer country, and quaint little cottages. Woods Point itself is quaint and historical, with the old petrol station and other major buildings kept in their historical place. There is a lovely park for a leg stretch or a picnic lunch. We came through in a four-wheel drive vehicle. The road is graded, but I wouldn't do it in a car with low ground clearance.

Yarra Valley Dairy

Experience

This is a dairy farm that has reinvented itself as a cheese- and wine-tasting venue. The cheese is its own product, including goat cheeses and wines from a number of smaller boutique wine-makers who don't have cellar doors. The cheeses, especially the Persian feta and some of the goat cheeses, are great. The wine host is knowledgeable and informative. Needless to say, we came away loaded with both cheese and wine. The tasting room also has a cafe-style area where you can purchase sample plates and sit and munch on these and drink a coffee while gazing over the paddocks, complete with the placid grazing cows.

About the Writer

Kookaburra
Kookaburra
Sydney, undefined

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