It's only 45 five minutes away, in El Dorado.
The McEvoy Tavern, with its small shady outdoor beer garden and General Store next door, creates the hub of the village at the Wangaratta/Beechworth crossroads.
Opposite is a park with tiny Soldier Memorial building that looks like an old bus shelter.
El Dorado is one of, not only Victoria's but Australia's, last remaining authentic country towns.
Day Trips: Day Tripping in your own backyard
It has a rich gold mining and farming history and is central to Wangaratta, Rutherglen, Mt Pilot National Park, Tarrawingee, Milawa and Beechworth.
It is perfect for cycling, walking, gold panning and car day tripping visitors.
It was hot when we went and Reedy Creek after recent rain was too muddy for swimming, so we canoed instead. Great fun.
While much of the original architecture has gone there are still small cottages, churches, almond orchards an ancient fig tree and old rail line.
Day Trips: A quintessential little country village
The tiny Church of England, built of hand-made bricks, is worthy of seeing and visiting the Museum housed in schoolhouse number 246, will bring 100 years of history since the 1850s to life.
We went to El Dorado to see Cocks extraordinary floating gold mining Dredge because my husband read about it in a book from Benalla Library, and found much more.
We approached from the Hume Hwy turnoff to El Dorado, which took us straight to the Dredge.
Its size and story is amazing.
It is now tied to the banks of Reedy Creek in a Lake of its own making, slowly rusting.
You can go on board.
Day Trips: Nagambie and more
The story boards reveal its history and tells how a resurgence in the price of gold in the 1930s led to its construction by a Castlemaine company in 1936.
More than 70,000 ounces of gold were produced in less than 20 years.
It was the largest dredge in Australia, powered by electricity and operated 24/7 as it floated along Reedy Creek.
Its noise could be heard 20 km away.
Gold was first discovered in El Dorado in the 1850s as miners worked their way downstream from Beechworth looking for alluvial and deep-seem gold.
Day Trips: Surprising Shepparton
They established often-dangerous open-cut mines by hand.
During that time five settlements were established and 80 pubs for the 6000 to 8000 miners.
Today throughout the area gold, sapphires, diamonds, agates, garnets, topaz and zircons can be still found.
A winding dirt road takes you from El Dorado up the Woolshed Valley to Beechworth.
It is well worth taking regardless of the dust because ten stainless steel boards (you have to look out for them because they are quite small) will reveal the gold story and Ned Kelly connection.
Day Trips: Off to Bendigo we go
Ned's right-hand man Joe Byrne and his friend Aaron Sherrett lived at Sebastopol and attended Woolshed School.
Lookouts were manned to watch for the police and warn Ned.
We had another absolutely fabulous and rewarding day trip in and around El Dorado.
- Suzie Pearce
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