Taradale is a tiny community, about 45 mins drive from my house, on the old Calder Highway, between Bendigo and Melbourne. Being off the Freeway,  I had never been there at all until today.

Today’s walk around Taradale and it’s surrounding area, was one of the most enjoyable walks, so far from the 150 Walks in Victoria book. As a result I have fallen in love with this area, and will definitely go back and repeat this walk.

The start was at a park near the creek, on walking paths and very  beautiful green lawns with large trees.

This soon led to a heavily forested area, and into the gorgeous Enchanted Forest. Other than the trees, a highlight of the Enchanted Forest was the very cute and novel Gnome Garden.

The trail then went through the Royal Oak Walk which was planted to commemorate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Edward to Alexandra of Denmark and then led under the very impressive railway viaduct

I then took a sealed road out of town, veering off into bushland, using four wheel drive tracks and rough paths. Eventually the path led back to the river, which was crossed by a small footbridge.

It was just a few ks back to town, passing the old Anglican church, high on a hill overlooking over town. This church was built in 1858, but is now privately owned and used as a wedding venue/function centre with the name Churchill. I couldn’t help thinking how magnificent it would be to be married and also have the wedding reception there.

Taradale is an old gold mining town. I came across this photo of the town taken c1870. The Main Street looks nothing like this today. These days, it’s really just a sleepy hollow.

As I was walking around the central area and through the park, I couldn’t help noticing how green and healthy the lawn and trees were. It was a lovely oasis on a hot summer day. There were also many footbridges which added a charming touch to the walk.

#150 Walks in Victoria by Tyrone Thomas and Andrew Close
*Wikipedia