The historic town of Rushworth is nestled amid the world’s largest Box Ironbark forest.

Established during the Victorian Gold Rush in 1853, Rushworth has retained much of its original character through one of very few remaining well-preserved main street of heritage buildings classified by the National Trust.

The nearby historic Whroo township, now deserted, was once a thriving village that developed around the base of Victoria’s largest open-cut gold mine at Balaclava Hill.

Rushy, as it’s commonly nicknamed, is a popular tourist stop – meander along the natural landscape taking in interpretive signage describing the site as it was centuries ago. Take a self-guided cycling or walking tour to Whroo and the Balaclava Mine, through the state forest, and grab lunch, dinner or an ice cream in town when you’re done.