Agnes Falls Scenic Reserve

Turning off the South Gippsland Hwy at Toora, we headed up past the giant wind turbines and towards the Strzelecki Ranges.

The rolling green hills, usually the greenest of green,  were a shade of late Summer gold on the day of our visit, but still very picturesque.

Dairy farms are big business around here and hundreds of black and white cows dotted the hills.

These bovine beauties looked like they were living the good life in their little patch of paradise.

A short walk from the carpark, an easy trail led us to a viewing area of Agnes Falls, the highest single span falls in Victoria. We could hear the cascades as we walked, and caught glimpses of the waterfall through the trees.

The water flows down the side of the Strzeleckis and into the Agnes River. At the time of our visit, it cascaded heavily in sections and lighter in others. It would look even more amazing in the cooler months, with all the extra rain flowing through.

It was too long to capture the entire 59 metre fall in one photo, you'll just have to tilt your head -> that way to imagine its height :P

A lovely picnic area by the river was the perfect spot to have a snack and a drink, before heading off on our next adventure.

What: Agnes Falls Scenic Reserve
Where: via Silcocks Hill Rd, near Toora 
When: Daily
Why: waterfall
How much: FREE

Avenel Maze

We'd checked the weather app that morning, it was all good - maybe  a little light shower, but nothing more than that. We explored Avenel town, then headed across the Hume and 4km down the road to reach Avenel Maze. The Ned Kelly themed park looked like a fun place to visit and we had a few hours up our sleeve.
Armed with our quiz sheet/score card and a little pink pen, we began our journey into the Bushrangers Hedge Maze.

 We looked for clues...

...and learned about the Kelly Gang's antics in the local area.

Dead ends, high hedges and spider sentries, we were doing great with our checklist. We pushed our kids through ahead of us to clear the way past the spiders   turned back and tried another way to avoid the 8 legged residents of the maze. 

A few droplets of rain fell, but only lasted a moment or two. It was all good.

We moved on to the Police Trackers Rope Maze, which held a series of items to look for. Letters, horsehoes and bullet casings were ticked off until we only had a couple more left.
And then...the rain started again. Just softly at first...it's fine, we thought, it will pass in a minute.

It wasn't fine. We ran for shelter under a tree gazebo type thing at the Mini Golf area. It wasn't fine there, either. It was pouring by now. Bucket loads. We ran for the undercover seating area and waited for it to pass. If only we'd packed some food. Or a bottle of wine.

We checked the BOM radar. The only giant raincloud in all of Victoria seemed to be sitting above us.
We waited...

..and waited...

 ...and waited some more until it finally stopped. By this time the ground was so wet, we couldn't resume our fun. But on the bright side, we were in a beautiful spot, with amazing views across the ranges.
Ok, you'll have to take my word for it, but amongst all that white rainy mist is rolling hills and lush green grasslands. Gorgeous. Seriously.
If only I'd taken a before photo.
We still had fun and enjoyed our visit, even if we left a little soggier than when we arrived.

What: Avenel Maze 
Where: 471 Upton Rd

When: Weekends, Public Holidays, School Holidays     

Why: Ned Kelly theme
How much: $14
Nearby: Avenel

Avenel

The tiny town of Avenel sits in the midst of Kelly Country. For a few years, it was home to 'Red' Kelly and his wife and young children, including Ned - and has a few stories to tell about our famous bushranger.

We parked on the roadside next to the old Avenel Stone Bridge and began our visit to this town tucked behind the trees, just off the Hume.  The bridge itself is an impressive 6 arch stone expanse, crossing Hughes Creek. No longer in use, it sits adjacent to its modern replacement...

...well, almost no longer in use - there was obviously some heavy duty truck business happening that day. The driver's cab was empty - maybe he'd knocked off for the day and had gone to 'ave an ale at the Avenel Pub.

A little further along over the bridge, the Royal Mail Hotel sits. Built in 1847, it was the home of the Shelton family. Their 7 year old son fell into the creek and was rescued by 11 year old Ned Kelly. The parents gave Ned a green sash for his bravery and Ned was wearing it under his armour at the seige in Glenrowan.

The two giant peppercorn trees out front are probably as old as the building, and they were laden with the most fragrant pink berries. I've had this bunch sitting on my desk for a couple of weeks, but after just now searching for info about the trees,  the internet is telling me they are poisonous and may kill me, so they won't be going in any meals at my place.
My Mum tells me she has been picking them for years and throwing them in a stew and they haven't done her any harm. 
We crossed back over to the other side of the road and took a short walk around Stewart Park, alongside the creek. The track was an even dirt path,  birds were everywhere and it was a nice tranquil part of town to explore for half an hour. 

Around town, there were nice old buildings to see, like the Harvest Home Hotel. It's currently for lease - tree change, anyone?

I loved the colours of the the old Grain Store. The peeling paint, faded bricks and ghost signs of yesteryear, all sitting behind a lush, bright garden.

Our last stop, and also Red Kelly's, was the Avenel Cemetery. In the top corner, the Avenel Historical Society has erected a headstone on a gravesite to mark where Ned Kelly's father was laid to rest in 1866. I've been told his actual grave was under the road.

Next door, a park beckoned us with its carpet of crimson and gold leaves. We kicked them, we lay down in them and made leaf angels, we threw them up in the air, we threw them at each other, we took 500 photos of them. They were seriously good looking leaves and we left Avenel with some fun memories of a lovely old town.

What: Avenel

Where:Hume Hwy

When: Daily      

Why: Ned Kelly Trail
How much: FREE  
Nearby: Avenel Maze