Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

About 12 kilometres out of town, take the Toveys Forest Road, off the Beechworth to Chiltern Road, and look for the signs pointing towards the Aboriginal Walk. As well as taking in indigenous artwork, depicting a Tasmanian tiger, goanna and snake, dating back some 2,000 years, the walk takes you up to the Mt Pilot Lookout with 360-degree views of the countryside. The whole route is well signposted.

Arts and culture

At one end of Beechworth, both sides of Ford Street are lined with perfectly preserved honey-hued sandstone buildings. Built during the gold rush, they now make up Beechworth’s historic and cultural precinct. Buy a ticket from the Visitors Information Centre that lets you explore them all, and don’t miss the courthouse, where members of the outlaw Kelly Gang, including Ned’s mum, Ellen, were tried. You can even send an old-fashioned telegram from the Telegraph Station, still the busiest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Something for nothing

Head to the historic Murray Breweries (www.murraybreweries.com.au), built in 1865 at the height of the gold rush, for a free tasting of its delicious and unusual range of traditional cordials. The brewery is on the site of a natural spring and the pure water is used in all its creations. Flavours include Spiced Apple, Chilli Punch and Cloves Cordial, which goes well with rum.

Shopping

Intersecting Ford and Camp streets are home to many forage-friendly antiques, homewares and specialty stores. Family-run business Beechworth Gold (29 Camp Street) sources precious metals and gemstones from around the world – as well as opals, pearls and Argyle diamonds from Australia – to produce its much-admired range. Owner Vanessa Abbott has also opened a smaller outlet, The Little Shop, around the corner, where you can find unusual (and more affordable) global gifts, interiors items and accessories. The Growing Suitcase (74 Ford Street) has a beautiful array of indoor and outdoor treats, including soaps from Provence, Diptyque candles, Miller Harris perfumes, delightful garden furniture and fabulous picnic baskets complete with real crockery and glassware. Wander among the European treasures and shop for local vintages at Beechworth Antiques & Wines (87 Ford Street) in the glorious Italianate former Bank of NSW. Finally, get a sugar rush at the huge, traditional Beechworth Sweet Company (7 Camp Street).

Daytripper

About 15 kilometres down the road, the town of Yackandandah (known locally as Yack) is smaller than Beechworth but just as charming. Little has changed on the main street – European trees hang over the road and the façades of many original shops remain – and you can grab a free booklet called A Walk in the High Street to find out more. There’s a spirited gallery called Spiritus, featuring regional arts and crafts, at the bottom end of High Street in the old garage. To find out more about the town’s gold-mining history, a tour of the underground mine with local expert Greg Porter is a must (call 0408 975 991 to book). Climb into the back of Greg’s troopie and travel into the bush as he tells fascinating tales of the town’s development. Then don hardhats and walk deep into the earth to explore Karrs Reef Mine, where you can still see glimmers of gold on the walls and original machinery used by the 14 Cornish tin miners who, for 17 years, dug through clay and solid rock to secure their fortunes.

Perfect picnic

Load up your picnic basket with local and imported goodies at the Beechworth Pantry (77 Ford Street; + 61 (0)3 5728 2456), which serves mouth-watering terrines and salads, cured meats, cheeses and chutneys, olives and chocolates produced nearby. Then make for Ingrams Rock, off the old Chiltern Road, where you'll find outdoor tables and chairs, or Woolshed Falls, about five kilometres out of town towards Wodonga. Work up an appetite with a dip in the rock pools at the base of the waterfall.

Walks

On arrival in Beechworth, fill your lungs with fresh air on the five-kilometre stroll from Lake Sambell (starting near the caravan park) to Lake Kerferd. As well as meandering along Spring Creek and Hurdle Creek and under huge river gums, you wander past old mine shafts that were dug straight down to access the alluvial mine (most are covered by metal grills but it’s still safest to stick to the path). Look up when you enter the eucalypt forest to see if you can spot some of the koalas that live there.

Children

Back in the early rush, a party of prospectors retrieved a pan of gold weighing about seven kilograms. While most nuggets of any value have long since been flushed from the system, the kids might like to try panning for gold. Reidy Creek, where 9,000 people strove to sluice their way to riches in the 1850s, is still the best place to get your feet wet. Anywhere between Woolshed Falls and Eldorado should be good for a few of the glimmering flakes.

Activities

There are two dozen wineries in the area around Beechworth, some of which have lovely restaurants so you can make a day of it. Varieties of note are chardonnay, pinot noir and riesling from Sorrenberg, Amulet, Tinkers Hill and Giaconda, whose chardonnay UK wine critic Jancis Robinson once described as possibly 'Australia’s greatest modern wine'. Pick up a copy of the Beechworth Vignerons Association brochure from the Visitor Information Centre. Time your arrival at Tinkers Hill (www.tinkershillwines.com.au) with lunch – the cellar door (open weekends only) has cheese and antipasto platters available to enjoy with a glass of its wine, one of which, the 2004 shiraz, was awarded five glasses in the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2008. There are also picnic areas and barbecue facilities overlooking the vineyard.

And

High on a hill is La Trobe at Beechworth, a collection of grand buildings incorporating accommodation, a spa, gardens and educational facilities. However, from 1867 until 1995, this was the home of the Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum. About 9,000 people died on the site during its life span making it a spine-chilling place to be scared stupid. Beechworth Ghost Tours (www.beechworthghosttours.com.au) runs after-dark encounters every day: they’re definitely creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and many visitors swear they’ve seen an apparition or felt unseen beings brush against them.