An historic gold mining town located in the heart of Victoria’s Central Goldfields region, just north of Ballarat and about an hour and 20 minutes drive west of Melbourne CBD.
Blessed with history, vintage, environment and nature, Clunes is an idyllic destination for the weekend getaway, or just a country drive day trip. Dotted with dusty antique and collectable stores, vineyards and wineries, rustic bed & breakfasts and scenic walks, the Victorian Goldfields area is a hidden treasure trove for the adventurous and curious.
All this makes Clunes a popular weekend destination for bushwalkers, gold prospectors, treasure hunters, collectors, vintage car clubs, history buffs and families seeking to escape to the country.
Clunes is host to the annual Booktown event, held on the weekend of May 14th – 15th, which brings together thousands of booksellers, writers and speakers from all over the nation and overseas. Booktown is staged right across the town, inside heritage bluestone buildings, on the quartz streets, under charming old awnings, in the shade of majestic European trees planted by the first settlers and easily increases the town population by a factor of 20 over the weekend.
The discovery of gold in a Clunes creek in 1851 sparked the beginning of the goldrush in Victoria and Clunes quickly became the fifth largest town in the colony.
Nestled in a picturesque valley, the town’s robust history and wealthy gold finds resulted in a richness of colonial architecture still to be found set amid wide, well-planned streets.
On arriving in Clunes you could be forgiven for thinking that this glorious town has been cocooned in a time warp, where these magnificent buildings and wide verandahs retain the illusion of yesteryear.
It is little wonder then that this fascinating town and its surrounds have been the location for many films, television and advertising productions, including the feature film “Ned Kelly” with Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts.
Back to Booktown
Indulge in a weekend of book browsing amid the historic streetscape of Clunes. Thousands of rare second-hand and collectable books on sale. Free Writers’ Talks , street theatre, the Australia Fair Grand Concert Street Organ, wine, food, live music. A special Children’s Booktown section and great opportunities to engage with the guest writers in small groups.
Next: 5th and 6th May 2012 9am – 5 pm
Site booking enquiries: booksites@clunes.org
Food Stall enquiriesa and bookings
Other enquiries: booktown@clunes.org
