The rural town of Penshurst in south western Victoria; historically significant, environmentally recognised and located at the junction of four major highways, has been serving this region since 1857. The bluestone from Mt Rouse, our dormant volcano, can be found in the State Parliament and Treasury buildings in Spring Street, Melbourne; as can stained glass works of art, created by Mervyn Napier Waller who was born and raised here, be seen at the glorious Hall of Memory at the Australia War Memorial in Canberra.
Our ‘Never Fail Spring’ in the Botanic Gardens has been a continuous water resource, for the three different groups of indigenous Australians who gathered there for ceremonies that go back to the times, in their oral histories, when the volcanoes around us were still active; to the early settlers; and the aquifers under the Mount continue to provide water to the town. Some of our attractions include the Yatmerone Wildlife Reserve, the Volcanoes Discovery Centre, the view from Mt Rouse (below), and our yearly events including the Penshurst Art Exhibition and the Boxing Day Races. Come and visit our town and our community, through these pages or in person. We look forward to meeting you … |
Stay in the quiet beauty of our Caravan Park in the Penshurst Botanic Gardens, or our local AirBnB’s, and enjoy visiting the local attractions, and then, within an hour and a half, you have Mt Gambier and the Blue Hole to the south west; north west is Hamilton and the Volcanic Trail – Mt Eccles, Mt Napier and Byaduk and Horsham towards Adelaide; north east is Dunkeld, the gateway to the Grampians, Victoria Valley, Halls Gap; south west is also Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Portland, and south east is the Great Ocean Road.
The Volcanic Plains also include, to the east, Mt Schank at Mortlake, Mt Elephant at Derrinallum, Mt Noorat near Terang and many more. This region was once internationally recognised as the Kanawinka Geopark.