After the long drive from Melbourne and the checking out of the wheat silos, I decided to leave the exploration of Benalla to the morning. I came out of my motel on the edge of town early to discover an almost solid wall of fog. Still, intrepid traveller that I am, I headed in and I’m glad I did. I don’t know why I’ve never been here before but I have to say, it’s a lovely town, built around Lake Benalla.
Boardwalks and paths lead along the edge of the lake and through bush on the other side.
After taking photos in the fog for about an hour and feeling as if the tips of my fingers were about to fall off from the cold, I adjourned to the bakery to thaw out with breakfast and hot coffee. In that short time, the fog had lifted leaving bright sunshine.
Benalla is known as the regional street art capital of Australia. Every year, Benalla Rural City hosts the Benalla Street Art Wall Festival. The Festival brings together leading international and local artists to create new murals to adorn the streets of Benalla and its rural townships.
These are some of my favourites, though they’re all fabulous.
Benalla is two hours north of Melbourne (or three if you live in the south-east and have to use the Monash Freeway, otherwise known as the Monash car park, to get through the city, but mustn’t complain) and an hour south of the border at Albury. It’s really worth stopping for a look.
Planning to the Nth 
Wow love the artwork, I’ve added Benalla to my list.
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Great, Glenys.
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I love all the artwork. Looks like a lovely place to visit
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Thanks, Octavia.
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thanks for taking us there coral enjoyed the tour
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Great, Nar. Thanks.
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Even through the fog I can sense it’s charm. As for the artwork, fantastic, especially the one like the old photograph.
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Loved it, Mari, though I can’t get my head around it, being one who can only manage stick figures.
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I love your travels around Oz telling me about little townships, parks, pop up paintings and other ephemera. You would have a field day roaming around the UK. There’s so much history, and we’ll soon be open again although you’ll have to keep your distance, provided you are brave enough to take a long flight!
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I’m so pleased you’re enjoying it, Richard. It’s a good time to wander around and explore your own turf. I’ve roamed around England twice in the last decade and absolutely loved it. And will definitely be back. The more you see, the more you want to see, if you know what I mean. I’d love to have a good wander around Ireland. Cheers.
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We love murals and are so glad they have become so popular almost everywhere.
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They have. It’s such a marvellous way to cheer the world up.
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What an amazing place! Definitely worth a visit and just shows that small towns can do BIG things! Thanks for sharing, Mel
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Thanks, Mel. And it’s a great area for exploring the north of the state, Melbourne being out of the way right down south. Cheers.
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Yes, I think being out of Melbourne is a good idea at the moment…Stay safe
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Thanks for the tour – Benalla looks such an interesting place. I love the old sepia lookalike wall mural – it really could be an old photograph if you didn’t know better! Hope you are coping ok with the new lockdown in Melbourne 😦 It must be especially hard after one has got used to some freedoms recently. Fingers crossed we’re doing ok in the west but one mustn’t become complacent and we’re just grateful to be able to go out and about relatively normally at present (with social distancing still in place). Take care 🙂
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Yes, the new lockdown was rather a shock, Rosemary, after just getting used to a bit of freedom. It’s very weird and a touch intimidating having the city enclosed by a ring of police. You can’t go anywhere without getting fined. And so I’m going to riffle through older photos and see what I can find. Thanks for your thoughts.
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Wonderful creation 👍
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Thanks a lot, Subrata. It certainly is.
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OK look like i will have to put this of the unvisited places near Melbourne I have never been to that i need to visit. Given we are north of the city we will have one hour less to drive. Bonus. Louise
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Yep, it’s a nice spot, Louise. I hadn’t been there before either. Do you think we will ever be let out to explore again?
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Yes we just have to wait … just doesn’t feel like it
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I love all your posts to be honest. The photographs really do make an impact on me, as travel is my number one hobby!
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Thanks so much, Johnny. It’s my number one hobby, too, though there hasn’t been much of it lately. Still, it’s good to explore your own territory that often gets neglected at other times. I hope you’re surviving the lockdowns I keep reading about in the UK. We, in Victoria, are having a break at the moment, thank goodness. Cheers, Coral.
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