Greendale, Greta and Gunyah: Places in Victoria Quiz

Whitehorse

Located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, the City of Whitehorse is a local government area in Victoria with the postcode of 3125. It was created in late 1994 following the amalgamation of the former cities of Nunawading and Box Hill, deriving its name from the white horse statue that graced the front entrance of the city's first two-storey building - a hotel.

One of the historic claims of the Whitehorse area was the group of famous Australian painters that pioneered the Australian impressionist movement; Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin, Louis Abrahams and Tom Roberts, among others, would down tools on Friday nights and head to the country for the weekend to paint the surrounding countryside. Sad to say that area is now the location of high rise buildings and you have to travel another 45 minutes east to find idyllic views similar to those which they enjoyed.

Coalville

Coalville (postcode 3825) is a very small community in Gippsland and was once a thriving little town due to the presence of black coal in the area. However, because the seams of coal were narrow, the mining endeavours didn't flourish and the population, which had been around 400 in the late 19th century, dwindled to just a fifth of that in the 1960s. Today, it's a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of place, set in a really lovely part of Victoria, with rolling hills and grazing cows and sheep. Very pastoral!

Redcastle

Redcastle is a small town in rural Victoria's central goldfields region. It was the site of an isolated quartz reef goldfield between Heathcote and Rushworth diggings further north, discovered in 1859. The gold was extracted by crushing the quartz. The reef didn't last long and with the demise of the town's three quartz mills, the pubs and school followed soon after. These days, it's a pleasant place to visit, with an interesting period cemetery and a heritage-listed cyanide works. In gold mining, liquid cyanide is used to dissolve the gold and the solution is collected. The gold is removed from the solution and the cyanide is reused. While not as efficient as modern methods, it was the ... er... gold standard method at the time.

Limestone

Limestone is a located in the Shire of Murrindindi, in north eastern Victoria. Its postcode is 3717; in the 2021 census its population was 121. Limestone is a sleepy town in a beautiful region known, among other things, for its vineyards. It is located on a seasonal river in a region that was gradually put under pasture after mining was no longer profitable. It is a short drive to Lake Eildon to the east and Lake Mountain in the south-east.

Rosebud

Not only a sled, Rosebud is a seaside town located in Victoria's south-east Morning Peninsula. It was named after a local trading schooner which was beached during storms in 1855 but was unable to be salvaged. The coastal area has a number of sand bars which makes it safe for swimming with children, and Rosebud is a favourite summer destination with many families keeping a holiday house in the area. The South Channel lighthouse was once located there and it has recently been restored as a snorkelling location and seal habitat.

Black Rock

Charles Ebden was an early Port Phillip pastoralist who built a mansion on the outskirts of Melbourne in 1856, and which he named after Black Rock, Dublin. The surrounding area soon took on the name of the grand house and was later named a city (postcode 3193). The grand house built by Ebden is now on Ebden Road, named for the man who was an influential local businessman and pastoralist all those years ago.

The Black Rock Clock Tower is a familiar landmark, and is a large four-sided clock mounted on a tall brick structure in the middle of a roundabout near the foreshore. It is said that a tunnel from the cellar of the Black Rock house ran down to the shore, but it has been blocked for safety reasons.

Coral Bank

Postcode 3691, Coral Bank is in the high country area of Victoria a little north of Bright and Mount Beauty, in the Alpine region of the Kiewa Valley. The area is heavily treed, and enjoys a great skiing season and horseback riding tourism. The region has a pastoral history and there are many homesteads in the area, vineyards and other crops. It makes a great base camp for those skiing in Mount Beauty and Mount Hotham, and is in close proximity to Staircase Spur. It's a popular place for people who want to fish or trek across the countryside.

Ashbourne

Previously known as Campaspe due to its proximity to the Campaspe river, the Ashbourne Post Office was opened in 1899, two years before the Federation of Australia. It is located about 40 minutes from the city of Melbourne in the Mount Macedon region; the area was used as a weekend getaway for people who wanted to leave the dusty city for some fresh mountain air. The rocky outcrop known as Hanging Rock is nearby and the volcanic soil the area is known for producing great wines and other produce such as potatoes. Part of the Wombat forest, Ashbourne has lovely bushland walks and is home to many Australian species of flora and fauna.

Golden Point

Just a couple of hours from Melbourne, Golden Point is a suburb of the city of Ballarat. The area was called Poverty Point until gold was discovered and the name was changed to Golden Point. There was so much gold found in this region that there has been a theme park called Sovereign Hill created nearby, unfolding the lifestyle of the era, the battles the miners had with bureaucracy associated with the gold rush, and how gold was refined, poured and used. The Goldfields Track, a 210km track for hikers and cyclists that links gold rush era towns of Ballarat, Creswick, Daylesford, Castlemaine and Bendigo runs near by.

Cherrypool

Cherrypool is a small town in the South Grampians area of Victoria, located in the west of the state. Black Range State Park, within which Cherrypool falls, encompasses spectacular bushland, and is an excellent spot for bushwalking. Rocklands Reservoir and Lake Wartook, both close to Cherrypool, are popular locations for canoeing, fly, boat and shore fishing, and picnics. The geography of the area was created by erosion of sandstone and mudstone structures along with ancient volcanic activity, and means that climbing and hiking in the area provides spectacular views. Cherrypool and its environs is also a great spot to see wildflowers and local fauna.