Stawell is a small town along the A8 highway that links Adelaide and Melbourne. Most visit Stawell at Easter to witness the running of the Stawell Gift or as a gateway to The Grampians National Park. On a recent visit to Stawell I discovered that this quaint town is more than The Gift. Here’s what I found to see and do in Stawell.

Best Things to See and Do in Stawell

1. Stawell Gift Hall of Fame Museum

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first. Most visit Stawell because of the Stawell Gift. What is the Stawell Gift I hear you ask? Well the Stawell Gift is a professional footrace that runners come from all over Australia to compete in. It is held every Easter.

To know more about the Stawell Gift a visit to the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame Museum should be your first stop on any visit to Stawell. I learnt a lot about the race and how it started by visiting the museum.

A little history of the Stawell Gift

The Stawell Gift was first run in 1878. Stawell, like many towns in central Victoria such as Ballarat, Bendigo and Ararat were all founded during the gold rush of the 1870s. It was during this time that it was suggested a picnic day be held to give the gold miners a day off. And on this day, a footrace would be held for the men, as only men would run in the 1870s. The race was to be 120 yards. This length was chosen because it is the distance between two pubs in the town of Sheffield in England.

William Jackson Millard, a farmer, not a gold miner, won the first Stawell Gift in 1878 by just inches, earning himself £20. It’s believed the race was called a gift because the winner got a gift at the end – prize money.

There is plenty to see inside the museum. The wall with photos of all the winners is very impressive. There are also exhibits of running shoes worn over the ages. I was intrigued by the mouse traps which were used to practice starts, in the absence of ammunition to use in guns. The recent addition of a women’s wall showcasing winners including Cathy Freeman, who didn’t win the women’s gift, but did win another race as a lead up to the Sydney Olympics. You can even watch some of the races.

Location
The Stawell Gift Hall of Fame Museum is located at 19 Main Street, Stawell. It’s at Central Park where the race is run, so after visiting the museum, walk around the track.

Opening Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 10am – 4pm, Closed Christmas Day

Entry prices
Yes, there is a small entry fee. Adults – $5. Concession – $4. Children (10 & Over) – $2.

wall of winners inside the Stawell Gift museum

2. Walk around Central Park, Stawell

When you come out of the museum you will be at Central Park, where the Stawell Gift is run and won. Walk around the track and see the grand stand, the scoreboard and the start and finish lines. It took me about 500 steps each time around according to my steps app.

gift start and scoreboard overlooked by the Grampians

3. Stawell Train Station

Across from Central Park on Napier Street you will find Stawell Train station. This station services the town of Stawell with regular services to Melbourne. Apart from the station dating back to 1878, the station is home to the Stawell Train Station Gallery.

Inside the station is an art and craft gallery filled with art and craft made by locals. And some of it you can buy. No photography is allowed inside the station of the art and craft so I can’t show you any that I saw.

Opening hours
Open from Friday to Sunday 10am to 4pm with a gold coin donation entrance fee.

Stawell Train Station

4. Walk the Foothpath of Fame

Once you have visited the Stawell Gift museum, Central Park and the Stawell Train Station you can walk into town and along the footpath. On either side of the street you will find plaques in the footpath honouring all the winners of the Stawell Gift. Take time to check them out and look up and down the street. The meanders from the bottom of Stawell to the top. This is how the road was originally made when gold was found. It was first found at Pleasant Creek, the lowish area in Stawell and then found at Big Hill. So a road was made linking them.

Stawell’s main street is home to the footpath of Stawell Gift fame

5. Enjoy a Bite to Eat

By now you may be hungry and Stawell has some great little cafes and bakeries to get a bit to eat. One thing I love about country towns in Australia is they use the local produce in their products. And, they all have a bakery or two which are great places to eat while travelling Australia. Stawell is home to Waack’s Bakery that also has shops in Ararat and Horsham. I can vouch for Waack’s Bakery and say their pies are flavoursome, their cakes and pastries yummy and they make a good coffee too! On my visit I purchased a bacon, cheese and beef pie and a Neenish Tart and drove the short distance to Big Hill Lookout to enjoy them, and the view.

plenty of baked goodies and great coffee at Waack’s Bakery

6. Big Hill Lookout

A short minute drive from Stawell’s main street is Big Hill Lookout. From the top you get great views over Stawell and out to The Grampians National Park. It has a little park you can sit in at tables. This is where I sat and ate my pie and tart from Waack’s Barkery while enjoying the great views.

checking out the views from Big Hill Lookout

7. Stawell Gold Mine & Underground Physics Laboratory

A short drive from Big Hill Lookout and only 2km from Stawell CBD is the Stawell Gold Mine and Underground Physics Laboratory. You can stand at the observation deck and watch the goings on. There are information boards explaining the different areas of the gold mine you can see.

The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) is located 1km underground in the Stawell Gold Mine. SUPL is a world-class research facility, established to support breakthrough and applied research requiring an ultra-low background radiation environment. Unfortunately, public cannot visit SUPL.

Location
43 Reefs Road, Stawell

Gold Mine observation area

8. Walk the Boardwalk at Pleasant Creek

If travelling Australia with kids and visiting Stawell with kids, they could run off some energy down around Pleasant Creek boardwalk. This is a great little area where you can stop if driving from Melbourne to Adelaide, or vice versa. There are toilets and a boardwalk to follow where you can stretch your legs. Pleasant Creek is an important area of Stawell as it was the first place gold was discovered in the area.

run off some energy or enjoy the serenity of Pleasant Creek

9. Bunjil Rock Art

A couple of kilometres from Stawell is the Bunjil’s Shelter, also known as Bunjil’s Cave. Bunjil is said to be the creator spirit in the Dreaming stories of Aboriginal peoples in southeastern Australia. He is depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle and is credited with creating the land, animals, humans as well as establishing laws for people to live by. And you can see his rock art, believed to be the only rock art he did, from all the other Aboriginal rock art you can see in Australia.

The rock art depicts two dingos or dogs and you can see and visit this sacred Aboriginal site. It is a short walk through bush and rocks from the carpark and is cordoned off by a fence.

Location
Bunjils Cave Road, Black Range

Bunjil’s Cave Rock Art

Organise Your Visit to Stawell

Where is Stawell and How to Get There

Stawell is found along the A8, the highway linking Melbourne to Adelaide. It is about 236km from Melbourne’s CBD about a 3 hour drive. You can reach it by bus and train if you don’t have your own vehicle to get you there. There is plenty to see and do in Stawell and surrounds.

Where to Stay in Stawell

Stawell has an array of accommodation options for your visit to Stawell. Whether having an overnight stop or staying a few days using Stawell as your base to discover this part of Victoria, like visiting the Grampians, the Grampians or Pyrennes wine regions or the Murtoa Stick Shed, there is plenty of accommodation choices. If towing a van or wanting to set up a tent there is the Stawell Caravan Park. There are also plenty of motel options for different budgets. I chose the Hi Way Eight Motor Inn as it was very central and included a continental breakfast in the price. For other accommodation options in Stawell get the best deals at Booking.com.

Best time to visit Stawell

You can visit Stawell anytime, but it might depend on the weather as to what you might want to do. If you are hoping to hike in the Grampians you might prefer the warmer months. Though if you are wanting to attend the Stawell Gift, it happens at Easter time.

Enjoy Your Visit to Stawell, Victoria