MARYSVILLE, BUXTON, NARBETHONG
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
Marysville, Buxton and Narbethong are about a 1.5 hour drive north east of Melbourne. Marysville is the largest of these towns and is a popular tourist destination about a 25 minute drive from Lake Mountain Alpine Resort. These towns were first established in the 1860’s and became stopovers for travellers on their way to the goldfields of Woods Point and beyond.
Marysville attracts nature lovers to its stunning waterfalls, numerous walking trails through mountain ash and rainforest, picturesque picnic areas, scenic lookouts and native flora and fauna. Driving along Lady Talbot Drive is a highlight for many, providing access to walking trails to Phantom Falls and Keppel Falls. The magnificent view over Marysville from Keppel Lookout is accessed via Paradise Plains Road and then onto Keppel Lookout Road, which leads to the lookout.
Steavenson Falls are a series of 5 cascades that descend over 120 metres and are named after John Steavenson, who visited the site of Marysville in 1862 when researching where the new road would be built to the Woods Point goldfields. His Wife, Mary, was with him on this trip and Marysville is named after her. Easy access can be found along Falls Road leading to a carpark ($3 fee per car) where an easy walk, of only 350 metres one way, takes you to a viewing platform at the base of the falls.
Marysville, Buxton and Narbethong have a variety of accommodation, local food and wine, country pubs, stores (including a supermarket in Marysville), ski equipment and snow chain hire outlets. Buxton and Narbethong are located on the Maroondah Highway and are about 30 minutes from Lake Eildon.
Cyclists enjoy the sealed roads that link the 3 towns, forming a triangle, covering about 36kms and from Marysville a popular and challenging 22km (one way) ride up to Lake Mountain Alpine Resort is also on the bucket list of keen cyclists. A magnificent stand of poplars line both sides of the Buxton to Marysville Road about 5 kms from Marysville and is one of the finest autumn scenes in the High Country.
Other attractions include beautiful trout fishing streams across the district, campgrounds, picnic areas and the nearby Cathedral Range State Park. The Cathedral Range is a striking 7km long ridge that is around 10kms north of Buxton and features several bushwalking trails of varying length. Well equipped campgrounds within the park need to be booked in advance (fees apply).
The Black Spur is a scenic, winding road between Healesville and Narbethong that is a beautiful drive which features towering mountain ash and huge tree ferns for about 15kms of the drive. This road has been a highlight for travellers en route from Melbourne & Healesville since the early 1900’s and is a great place to start your journey into the High Country.
Enjoy the video below from the team at ‘North South’, cycling the Black Spur.
