Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort Management Board
( 03-5165 1136;
www.mountbawbaw.com.au
;
8.30am-8.30pm ski season, 9am-5pm rest of year)
In the centre of the village, this office provides gen-
eral tourist information and an accommodation service.
Getting There & Away
Located about 120km east of Melbourne, the main access road to Baw Baw Village is the
windy Baw Baw Tourist Rd via Noojee, reached off the Princes Hwy at Drouin. An al-
ternative back route from the Latrobe Valley is the unsealed, but all-season, South Face
Rd from Rawson, north of Moe. Either way, the last 5km up to Baw Baw Village is prob-
ably the steepest road in the country - low gear all the way.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Lake Eildon National Park & Around
Getting There & Away
Lake Eildon, 215km northeast of Melbourne, can be reached via the Hume Fwy (take the
turn-off at Seymour) or via the far prettier route through Healesville.
Lake Eildon National Park
Surrounding most of its namesake lake, Lake Eildon National Park is the low-lying south-
ern gateway to the High Country, covering over 270 sq km and providing superb oppor-
tunities for walking and camping. From the 1850s, the areas around Lake Eildon were
logged and mined for gold, so much of the vegetation is regrowth eucalypt forest.
Originally called Sugarloaf Reserve,
Lake Eildon
was created as a massive reservoir for
irrigation and hydroelectric schemes. It was constructed between 1915 and 1929 and
flooded the town of Darlingford and surrounding farm homesteads. After years of
drought, recent rains have brought the lake back to near capacity. Behind the dam wall,
the 'pondage' (outflow from the dam) spreads below Eildon township.
On the northern arm of the lake is
Bonnie Doon
, a popular weekend base, which reached
icon status as the nondescript spot where the Kerrigan family enjoyed 'serenity' in the
satirical 1997 Australian film
The Castle
.
