Malmsbury (and Taradale)
Small service centre on the Calder Highway
Malmsbury is a small township of some 500 people located on the Calder Highway, 95 km north-west of Melbourne and 10 km north of Kyneton.

The first pastoral station was established here in 1837 and it soon became a resting place for teamsters heading northwards. In the early 1850s it developed as a food supply centre for the northern goldfields. The good fortune drifted south in 1858 in the form of a gold find at Malmsbury itself. Together with the bluestone quarry (the source of many local buildings), this stimulated further growth and a townsite was eventually surveyed in 1863.

For a brief period the town was a railway terminus and, as such, was a social and commercial focal point for diggers, squatters, selectors and travellers alike.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
For local information ring the Kyneton Visitors Centre in High St, tel: (03) 5422 6110.

Former Wesleyan Chapel
At the southern end of town, at the south-western corner of Mollison St (the highway) and Ross St, is the former Wesleyan Chapel (1870s). Head north along the highway. Just over Ross St is the Brick Nog Market which has a hay-bale maze and sells pottery. Take the next right into Brodie St then the first left into Cameron St where you will find...

St John's Church of England
The foundation stone of St John's Church of England was laid in 1866. It is opened for services on the first and third Sunday of the month at 11.00 a.m.

Primary School
On the other side of the road is the town's small primary school which was built of coursed bluestone masonry in a vernacular Classical Revival style in 1873-74 (a weatherboard wing was added at the turn of the century). The chimneys, window openings and string-courses (horizontal bands of decorative stone projecting from a wall) are noteworthy.

Clowes Street
Turn left into Barker St and cross the highway, past the former Catholic Church (c.1920). The next crossroad is Clowes St and if you investigate the area to the immediate right and left of Barker St you will see a number of fine bluestone cottages from the town's early days (c.1860s).

Mollison Street
Return along Barker St to the highway and continue northwards. Along the next block, to the left, are the old mechanics institute (c.1862) and post office and a couple of antique shops. To the right are the former Bank of NSW (c.1865) and the Uniting Church (c.1873).

Cross over Ellesmere St. To the immediate left is the Malmsbury Town Hall (c.1867) and beyond that the botanic gardens.

Malmsbury Botanic Gardens
The botanic gardens were established on nine hectares of river flats in 1863, largely with flora supplied by Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller, the director of Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens. They were elaborately developed with a hedge maze and landscaped islands which were established within a natural billabong and linked by timber bridges. The gardens became a major attraction but fell into a state of neglect until 1984. The gardens contain one of only four specimens in the state of the hybrid strawberry tree. There are waterbirds and picnic areas.

Railway Viaduct
From the south-west corner of the gardens you can see the town's old railway viaduct. There is a walking track from the gardens to the viaduct which was built in 1859 to carry the Bendigo line over the Coliban River. It is said that 4000 men were employed in the construction of the bridge. Representative of the massive scale of colonial railway projects, it is one of the largest 19th-century engineering structures in the state. The bridge section consists of five arched spans of 18 metres each while the entire structure is 152 metres from end to end.

The Mill
Return to the highway and continue north over the river and the water channel to Bendigo (c.1874). To the immediate right is a local landmark; the old bluestone mill which is three storeys high with an additional attic section. It was built in 1856-57 although the original firm went bankrupt early. It is now a restaurant and gallery. On the other side of the highway is Birthday Villa (c.1880-86).

The Mansions
Cross over Campbell St and to the left is 'The Mansions', a fine old building which was erected in the 1850s as an hotel. It has since served as a bank, a boarding house, a mushroom farm and a cannery.

Railway Station
Turn left down Orr St. Walk past another old hotel (c.1860s) to the excellent bluestone complex which is the town's old railway station (1859-60). It is located at the end of Orr St.

Lillieville
Just outside the framework of this walk is 'Lillieville' in Raleigh St, a single-storey cottage erected c.1880 of random-coursed bluestone masonry. It has a fine chimney, parapets on the end walls and a fine timber verandah.

Malmsbury Reservoir
Malmsbury Reservoir (1866-72) was built to supply Castlemaine and Bendigo with water. There is a picnic area within a grove of pine trees. Head west out of town on the Daylesford Rd and take the first left after you cross the railway line.

Taradale
The old goldmining township of Taradale is 7 km north of Malmsbury along the highway. It is full of historic buildings dating back as far as the 1850s. They are detailed on a map of the town held by the Kyneton Visitors' Centre. There is also a picnic area around a mineral spring beside the Coliban River

Bleak House
About 1 km south of town, along the highway, is Bleak House which was built in the 1850s. It is now a rose nursery.

Sandy Farm Vineyard
Sandy Farm Vineyard and Winery, established in 1988, is a small family winery that produces merlot, cabernet and pinot noir. They are open from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on weekends and by appointment on weekdays and are located to the south-west of town on Sandy Farm Rd at Denver, between Malmsbury and Glenlyon (head out on the Daylesford Rd), tel: (03) 5348 7610.

Metcalfe Cascades
To the east of town, off the Malmsbury to Metcalfe Rd are the Metcalfe Cascades on the Coliban River.

	Motels
	Malmsbury Motel/Hotel Calder Hwy Malmsbury VIC 3446 Telephone: (03) 5423 2322 Rating: **
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Malmsbury Cottage Bed & Breakfast Mollison St Malmsbury VIC 3446 Telephone: (03) 5423 2432 Rating: **
	Cottages & Cabins
	Hopewell Cottage Ross St Malmsbury VIC 3446 Telephone: (03) 5423 2470 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Malmsbury Cottage Bed & Breakfast Mollison St Malmsbury VIC 3446 Telephone: (03) 5423 2432
	Malmsbury Motel/Hotel Calder Hwy Malmsbury VIC 3446 Telephone: (03) 5423 2322