Abbotsford Convent Bakery

Turn left into Johnstone Street

On the left is Woodlands Historic Park. Early pioneering families of the Port Phillip District settled here in the 1840s. The Woodlands Homestead was erected in 1843 and is a rare example of an early prefabricated building. It was designed in Britain, probably for export to India. The Homestead is surrounded by gardens that have now been restored. Its Magnolias are the oldest recorded garden plants in Victoria. The park also contains the ruins of two other 19th century homesteads, Cumberland and Dun Donald. Granite boulders dot Gellibrand Hill (204 m) which offers panoramic views. \

We ride down into Deep Creek ravine and up the other side.

Bulla was first settled in 1843 by William Wright, the former chief constable of Melbourne. In 1851 the village was surveyed. A flour mill, brickworks and pottery works were built to exploit local kaolinite reserves. Two of Bulla's several churches are listed by the National Trust. In 1910, the Bulla Cream Company took up dairy farming in the area, transporting the cream by horse and cart to their processing facility at Moonee Ponds.

The Sunbury area's first white settlers were George Evans and William Jackson, who arrived in July 1836. Evans took up the Emu Bottom run not far from the town centre. His original 1836 sandstone homestead remains today as part of a more substantial building. William Clarke was another early pastoralist to obtain land in the Sunbury area. The double-storey, bluestone fifty-room 'Rupertswood' mansion (on the right near the roundabout) was built by his son from 1874-76. The mansion features a 100 feet high tower and a description from the time states that it was built in the 'Byzantine order of architecture'. A ballroom was added to the building in 1881-82. Rupertswood, one of the largest residences in Victoria, was also an important social centre and played host to parties, balls and hunt meets. Clarke, who was the president of the Melbourne Cricket Club, met the English cricket team while sailing home from a European tour in 1882 and invited them to join him for Christmas and New Year at Rupertswood, a visit which has been credited as giving rise to the existence of the Ashes trophy.

Cross under the historic bluestone railway bridge and turn left onto Gisborne-Kilmore Road

This could be a spot to stretch the legs and have a coffee.

Perhaps another place for a coffee. Woodend was first surveyed in 1836 by Major Thomas Mitchell, who opened it up for settlement. When gold was discovered in the area (towards Bendigo and Ballarat), Woodend became the main thoroughfare through the Black Forest and accommodated many gold-diggers and their families. Woodend Post Office opened on 20 July 1854. The boom caused the settlement to grow and develop. Later the place became a centre for sheep-farming, and in 1862, a railway connection to Bendigo was built though Woodend, as a connexion to the regional centre. Woodend is close to such attractions as Mt Macedon, Hanging Rock, located at nearby Newham, and numerous waterfalls. Woodend's location in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range means that snowfalls are not uncommon.

Veer left at the intersection in the centre of the township into Trentham Road

In 1846, Richard Babington and John Carpenter purchased a part of the Holcombe Run and called it Glenlyon after their Scottish home. The Post Office opened around May 1858 and closed in 1973. There is a great local cafe at the intersection of Ford Street and the main road.

At the roundabout turn left into Vincent Street and the main shopping strip of Daylesford

Daylesford was founded in 1852 with the finding of alluvial gold in areas now occupied by Lake Daylesford. The area was initially called Wombat Flat. In 1854 Government Surveyor Fraser laid out a town site of 80 square chains and called it 'Wombat'. However it is believed that in 1855 Governor Hotham changed its name from Wombat to Daylesford after a town in Worcester, England. The Post Office opened on 1 February 1858. A Telegraph Office was opened in August 1859. The railway was opened on 17 March 1880. Market gardening was developed by Chinese immigrants who worked on the goldfields shortly after the town was founded, and a local flour mill was opened in the 1860s. Vegetable growing is still a significant industry, as the region has a good climate for the production of such vegetables as potatoes and is near enough to the large Melbourne market to provide a low-cost supply.

Turn left into Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens. Keep left and take the scenic route to the top.

Wombat Hill. Climb the stone tower for great view over the surrounding plains including Mt Franklin, an ancient volcano.