While checking out the gold fields in and around Bendigo and Ballarat in north-central Victoria I discovered that these two gold towns are linked by a number of roads. One in particular is known as the Goldfields Way. And if I drove Goldfields Way I would learn heaps about this part of Victoria that was built on gold. As this part of Victoria was the scene of Australia’s gold rush of the 1850s that has produced the most gold of any area in the world. As I was visiting Bendigo I decided the opportunity to drive the Goldfields Way road trip to Ballarat was something I could not miss out on. So jump in my car, and let’s go discover the Victorian gold fields.

Goldfields Way is about 144 km (about 90 miles) in length depending on which towns you visit. If you drive direct it will only take about two hours. I planned to visit the towns along the way and budgeted a whole day for the drive. The best towns I panned to visit included Dunolly, Maryborough, Clunes and Creswick as they have a rich history based around gold. If you are driving in Victoria or on a big lap of Australia try to include a drive along the Goldfields Way linking Ballarat to Bendigo.

This Goldfields Way road trip is best done in your own vehicle. If you don’t have your own vehicle check out rates and availability of a rental vehicle at DiscoverCars. V-Line Buses operates a daily bus service between Ballarat and Bendigo. If you need accommodation in Bendigo, Ballarat or any of the towns along the Goldfields Way check out Booking.com for a bed in a hostel or a hotel room. There are also caravan parks and free camping spots along the way.

Where is Goldfields Way?

You will find Goldfields Way in north-central Victoria. It is just one road linking Bendigo to Ballarat.

Bendigo to Dunolly

Distance Bendigo to Dunolly – 58.6km (36 miles) taking around 45 minutes. Leaving Bendigo head to Kangaroo Flat, a suburb of Bendigo and look out for the C277. This is the Goldfields Way. You will pass through a couple of small towns on this part of the road trip. Mostly you will be driving through flat farming land.

road to Dunolly

Dunolly

Dunolly is a small town and is world famous for the 1869 discovery of the Welcome Stranger Gold Nugget. It was actually found a little north of Dunolly in Moliagul. The ‘Welcome Stranger’ is the largest gold nugget ever found. It weighed 72 kilograms (11 stone) and measured 61cm (24 inches) long. At the time it was discovered it was worth £10,000, which is around $3-4 million in today’s money. The nugget was found by Cornish miners John Deason and Richard Oates. 

The story I heard how the Welcome Stranger got its name was. One of the miners took the nugget home for safe keeping. As he arrived home very late his wife accused him of being out late and questioned which stranger he had brought home. To which the miner yelled ‘it is a welcome stranger’ or words to that effect.

outside Dunolly Museum where the original anvil that helped break up the Welcome Stranger sits

Maryborough

At Dunolly you come to a T-section. If you turn right you will drive into Dunolly town. And if you keep going you can drive Fossickers Way another drive through the gold fields. As I only learnt about the road trip through the gold fields on arrival in Dunolly, I hadn’t budgeted time-wise to drive it. So I turned left and continued to Maryborough.

Distance from Dunolly to Maryborough is only 22 kms (14 miles) and takes under 20 minutes to drive.

Maryborough is found in the heart of the Victorian Goldfields region. It is know for its grand gold rush architecture, art galleries, lush gardens, antiques, growing food and wine scene and its gorgeous 19th Century Queen Anne Style Train Station. Maryborough Train Station was my first stop and grand she is. It is like stepping back in time. I kept looking down the tracks waiting for a steam train to arrive. As I was getting hungry by this stage of the drive along Goldfields Way I headed into town to enjoy some late lunch before heading to Clunes.

Maryborough Train Station

Clunes

Distance Maryborough to Clunes – 32.4km (around 20 miles) taking around 25 minutes to drive.

Even though gold had been discovered in other areas of Victoria, the first officially recognised gold discover in Victoria was in Clunes. This was 1851. This recognised discovery helped, along by the Victorian government offering rewards for gold discoveries within 200 miles of Melbourne, set off the Victorian gold rush. With gold being found in Ballarat and Bendigo shortly after.

Driving into Clunes I thought I was stepping into the gold rush days. The main street looks very similar to how it would have looked in the 1800s. The main street is wide with the original cobblestone gutters. Today Clunes is known as a book town with a number of bookstores. And each May it has a book fair where thousands arrive to check out the books.

Clunes also has a great information centre with a museum. In one section you can watch a short film on the history of gold in the area. I found this film extremely interesting and I learnt a lot about gold. The biggest fact I learnt was that gold is primarily formed through cosmic events like supernova explosions and neutron star collisions. These explosions and collisions have sent hot particles from space to land on our earth. These hot particles or fluids got into cracks and veins in rocks and have turned into gold. Wow!

Clunes is also home to the House of Bottles. Unfortunately, it was closed when I was there.

step back in time on the main street of Clunes

Creswick

Distance Clunes to Creswick –  18.4km (11.5 miles) taking around 20 minutes to drive.

The last town on my list of best towns to visit on the Goldfields Way is Creswick. Creswick is a former gold-mining town, being established, like most of the other towns in the area during the Victorian gold rushes in the 1850s. I found the Creswick Wool Mill and Mill Museum very interesting here. You can walk around seeing how the wool is made and then wander through the shop to purchase woolen products.

lots of great wool products in the wool factory

To Ballarat

Distance Creswick to Ballarat – 18.4km taking around 20 minutes.

Ballarat was my destination and Ballarat, like Bendigo was built from gold proceeds. There are grand buildings and the wonderful Sovereign Hill. Sovereign Hill is a town recreated in the gold rush days. It employs many people helping to provide a glimpse into life of those who lived in the gold fields hoping to make their fortune.

Final Thoughts on the Goldfields Way Road Trip

So that is the Goldfields Way road trip you can drive in Victoria. What makes it so interesting is the learning about the Victorian gold rush. If you are travelling Australia with kids there is plenty to learn on this great Aussie road trip. Have you done the Goldfields Way? Let me know in the comments.