The playground in the Heyfield Apex Park

Heyfield
Small timber town at the southern extremity of the Snowy Mountains range.
Heyfield is located 203 km east of Melbourne and 58 metres above sea level. In 1841 James McFarlane selected a pastoral run in the area. He named the district 'Hayfield' after recording that it looked "like a field of waving corn". A settlement was developed when prospectors, headed for the goldfields, began to stop there. The first town blocks were auctioned in 1860.

In 1866, McFarlane's property was taken over by wealthy pastoralist and one-time member of the Queensland Legislative Council, James Tyson. Tyson was dissatisfied when he was refused compensation for a bridge, built across the Thomson River in 1878, which encroached upon his land. As a result, he erected a barrier at one end of the structure. A group of infuriated locals, led by a burly African American named 'Freeman', fought 'Hungry' Tyson's men and destroyed the gate. The "Battle of Heyfield Bridge", as it became known, was followed by free beer at an old bark pub and became the source of the folk song "Hold The Bridge".

Today, Heyfield relies upon the dairy and timber industries for its prosperity. It is the principal source of treated hardwood in Victoria. A timber festival is held each year and some of its mills are open to the public.

Farming in Heyfield is assisted by water from the Glenmaggie Reservoir where you can boat, swim, sail, waterski or fish for trout. It is only a few minutes drive to the north. Poet John Shaw Neilson helped to build the weir in the 1920s and composed several poems while in the area.

Things to see:  

St Michaels Roman Catholic Church

St Michael's Roman Catholic Church and the Apex Park
Near the centre of town is the delightful, and shady, Apex Park which is notable for its outstanding timber children's playground. There is also a huge woolybutt log which has been placed at the edge of the park as a suitable symbol of one o f the town's major industries. Over the road is the attractive all-brick St Michael's Roman Catholic Church.

Glenmaggie
The Scottish origins of Glenmaggie's name are connected with the cattle runs of the MacFarlanes. The initial township was flooded when the Lake Glenmaggie reservoir was constructed although some its buildings, such as the Mechanics Institute, St John's Roman Catholic Church, the town hall and the Church of England, were saved and transferred to their present locations in the new town site. Some of the buildings at the town of Glenmaggie, such as the Mechanics Institute and St John's Roman Catholic Church, were moved to their current location from the site where the reservoir was constructed. It is located 11 km north of Heyfield.

Ben Cruachan
Located 28 km north of Heyfield there are a number of interesting bushwalks in this largely untouched area. Ben Cruachan is 839 m high and the area around it is typical of the wild and inhospitable southern extremities of the Snowy Mountains range.

	Motels
	Broadbents Motor Inn Rosedale Rd RMB 4150 Heyfield VIC 3858 Telephone: (03) 5148 2434 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Commercial Hotel Temple St Heyfield VIC 3858 Telephone: (03) 5148 2482
	Railway Hotel George St Heyfield VIC 3858 Telephone: (03) 5148 2293
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Abington Bed & Breakfast Coghlans Lane Heyfield VIC 3858 Telephone: (03) 5148 2430 Rating: ***