Things to do
Yarrowood Nursery - Cafe - Farm Shop
Visit Yarrowood Nursery, Cafe and Farm Shop in Lima South Victoria, half way between Mansfield and Benalla.. Cottage plants, herbs, natives and more in the nursery. Enjoy a cuppa and homemade cakes in the cafe as you browse through our farm shop. Open 9am -4pm Saturdays and Sundays - 31 Nillahcootie Track Lima South (opposite the lake entry). Phone 0425 815 827 for more information.
Visit the Swanpool Cinema
Swanpool Cinema has provided the Benalla and District with the best mainstream, foreign and art house movies for over 20 years. We were incorporated on 10 January 2012 and are now a not-for-profit community cinema, operated entirely by volunteers.
If you are interested in the Swanpool Cinema Inc. organisation, volunteering, current programs or history, go to their website www.swanpoolcinema.com.au
Volunteers also make ‘real choc tops’ using the very best ice cream.
Drop into the Swanpool General Store
Recently refurbished, the store offers eat in or take away meals. Community post office, newsagency, groceries and liquor, fuel and Elgas refills. Whilst there check out the eclectic collection of memorabilia. Ph. 5768 2261
View our heritage murals
Located near the Swanpool Store and completed in 2012 these murals depict the early days of the district. Well worth a look and funded by grant from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal through the Swanpool & District Community Development Association, as part of our streetscape beautification program. Swanpool has previously won 14 ‘Tidy Town’ awards.
Visit the Swanpool Native Plant Nursery
The Swanpool Native Plant Nursery is located at 2384 Midland Highway opposite the hall and tennis club in the Heart of Swanpool. Plants indigenous to the North East are propagated on site, including shrubs and farm trees. A range of native plants are offered for sale. Call proprietor Ted Plastow on 0421363967
Visit Glenwood Farm Equestrian Centre
Glenwood Farm Equestrian Centre offers boutique agistment, equine training services and rider education. There is also a range of fantastic facilities available for causal hire, including indoor and outdoor arenas, a 1.2km sand track, electric 6 horse walker stables and weight scales. Glenwood Farm is an accredited equine quarantine facility and offers around the clock care for horses of all shape and sizes.
PH: 0434 130 252 or https://www.facebook.com/glenwoodfarmequestriancentre/
STAY AWHILE
Midland Holiday Park 3028 Midland Highway, Lima South. Located between Swanpool and Lake Nillahcootie this is an ideal spot to base yourself for touring around the district. Offering a wide variety of accommodation options, there is something to suit everyone. Full details are available from their website www.midlandholidaypark.com.au or Ph. 5768 2416.
Auscamp operates two facilities in the area, one on the shore of Lake Nillahcootie and the other in the Lima East Valley. Suited to family, social or school groups. Full details available from www.auscamp.com.au
Swanpool Creek Bed & Breakfast - comfortable, private, self contained bed and breakfast on hilltop garden/farm retreat in Swanpool - swanpoolcreek@gmail.com / 0439 634 601 / book through airbnb Swanpool Creek Bed & Breakfast
.
Samaria Farm have self contained accommodation available. Visit their website on the link above or call 5768 2225.
Samaria Creek Morgan Farm located in the beautiful Samaria Valley this Morgan horse stud also offers farm stay accommodation. Ph. 57682519 or visit the website www.samariacreekmorgans.com.au
Rotherlea Lodge is a luxury self-contained Lodge set in a copse of trees on our farm, located 2 hours from Melbourne and 15 mins from Benalla. The Lodge was designed for couples and offers total privacy and seclusion. The mezzanine bedroom has views across the vineyard and a spacious sitting room has television and video. The fully equipped kitchen has full English Breakfast ingredients included in the tariff. Bathroom has a spa and outside floodlights allow you to watch the native wildlife while you soak! Ph.5763 2262 or email cabledowns1@bigpond.com
There are other accommodation options in the region, visit www.airbnb.com.au for further details.
VISIT SOME OF OUR DISTRICT WINERIES
Locally produced wines are some of the best in the North East. This is a seriously cool area, with mountains up to 1800 metres, and vineyards planted as high as 800 metres (and as low as 250 metres). It is one of the few Victorian regions without a history of nineteenth- century viticulture: it may well have seemed to be too cold, but the wines produced today are stunning.
Kooyonga Creek is located on Samaria Road, Moorngag, just a short drive from Swanpool (follow the signs). Cellar door sales Friday to Sunday 11am to 5pm. Full details of current offers and events can be found on their website www.kooyonga.com.au
Tulley Wells is located in Lima East. When Dan and Margaret Zaal purchased the Tulley Wells vineyard in 1998, they came with a background of owning and running restaurants. The vineyard had 0.75ha of (then) 17-year-old grenache, and in 1999 they extended the plantings with 1ha of shiraz. In 2002 they planted 350 grenache vines, grown in the traditional bush vine fashion, without any trellising. Ph. 5768 2240 or get the latest reviews and releases from www.winecompanion.com.au
VISIT ONE OF OUR STATE PARKS
Bushwalking, bird watching, cycling, camping or just enjoy the place, our parks have it all.
Mount Samaria State Park Camping, mountain biking, picnicking, scenic drives, short or long walks, sight-seeing, camp fires (outside the fire restriction period). More info Mount Samaria State Park.
Set in tall, shady eucalypt forest, Mount Samaria State Park offers a cool and quiet retreat for beautiful walks, camping and picnicking. The Mount Samaria range incorporates a variety of scenery with spectacular vistas over the Victorian Alps, granite outcrops, high waterfalls and historic remains. Explore the park by foot, mountain bike or scenic drive and discover its tranquility and beauty.
Reef Hills State Park Camping, cycling, fossicking for gold, horse riding, bushwalking, bird watching and photography are just some of the activities that can be enjoyed. More info Reef Hills.
A haven for wildlife and native vegetation, Reef Hills State Park is on the Midland Highway south of Benalla. For the latest information click the link above.
For those who need more, then the Strathbogie Ranges and the Victorian High Country, offer further opportunities in the area. Check out the Parks Victoria website.
VISIT A MARKET
Swanpool Motor Festival
Refer details in the Swanpool Motor Festival tab for the current dates. Offering a wide variety of goods and a show & shine for trucks, cars and motor cycles, there is something for everyone. It’s a great family day. Site booking on this website, Ph. 5768 2261 or email: swanpoolswapmeet@gmail.com
PLAY A GAME OR TWO
Full details of our various sporting clubs and contact details are shown under the Sporting Clubs tab on this website. Enjoy a game as a player or a spectator. Full fixtures and social event details are shown on each club's website.
ENJOY AN EVENT
A full calendar of events is available on this website..
MORE DETAILS
For details of what's on in other areas of the Benalla Rural City, contact the Benalla Visitor Information Centre, Mair Street, Benalla or call 5762-1749. Further information on district happenings can be obtained from www.holidayhunter.com.au/victoria/benalla
Visit Yarrowood Nursery, Cafe and Farm Shop in Lima South Victoria, half way between Mansfield and Benalla.. Cottage plants, herbs, natives and more in the nursery. Enjoy a cuppa and homemade cakes in the cafe as you browse through our farm shop. Open 9am -4pm Saturdays and Sundays - 31 Nillahcootie Track Lima South (opposite the lake entry). Phone 0425 815 827 for more information.
Visit the Swanpool Cinema
Swanpool Cinema has provided the Benalla and District with the best mainstream, foreign and art house movies for over 20 years. We were incorporated on 10 January 2012 and are now a not-for-profit community cinema, operated entirely by volunteers.
If you are interested in the Swanpool Cinema Inc. organisation, volunteering, current programs or history, go to their website www.swanpoolcinema.com.au
Volunteers also make ‘real choc tops’ using the very best ice cream.
Drop into the Swanpool General Store
Recently refurbished, the store offers eat in or take away meals. Community post office, newsagency, groceries and liquor, fuel and Elgas refills. Whilst there check out the eclectic collection of memorabilia. Ph. 5768 2261
View our heritage murals
Located near the Swanpool Store and completed in 2012 these murals depict the early days of the district. Well worth a look and funded by grant from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal through the Swanpool & District Community Development Association, as part of our streetscape beautification program. Swanpool has previously won 14 ‘Tidy Town’ awards.
Visit the Swanpool Native Plant Nursery
The Swanpool Native Plant Nursery is located at 2384 Midland Highway opposite the hall and tennis club in the Heart of Swanpool. Plants indigenous to the North East are propagated on site, including shrubs and farm trees. A range of native plants are offered for sale. Call proprietor Ted Plastow on 0421363967
Visit Glenwood Farm Equestrian Centre
Glenwood Farm Equestrian Centre offers boutique agistment, equine training services and rider education. There is also a range of fantastic facilities available for causal hire, including indoor and outdoor arenas, a 1.2km sand track, electric 6 horse walker stables and weight scales. Glenwood Farm is an accredited equine quarantine facility and offers around the clock care for horses of all shape and sizes.
PH: 0434 130 252 or https://www.facebook.com/glenwoodfarmequestriancentre/
STAY AWHILE
Midland Holiday Park 3028 Midland Highway, Lima South. Located between Swanpool and Lake Nillahcootie this is an ideal spot to base yourself for touring around the district. Offering a wide variety of accommodation options, there is something to suit everyone. Full details are available from their website www.midlandholidaypark.com.au or Ph. 5768 2416.
Auscamp operates two facilities in the area, one on the shore of Lake Nillahcootie and the other in the Lima East Valley. Suited to family, social or school groups. Full details available from www.auscamp.com.au
Swanpool Creek Bed & Breakfast - comfortable, private, self contained bed and breakfast on hilltop garden/farm retreat in Swanpool - swanpoolcreek@gmail.com / 0439 634 601 / book through airbnb Swanpool Creek Bed & Breakfast
.
Samaria Farm have self contained accommodation available. Visit their website on the link above or call 5768 2225.
Samaria Creek Morgan Farm located in the beautiful Samaria Valley this Morgan horse stud also offers farm stay accommodation. Ph. 57682519 or visit the website www.samariacreekmorgans.com.au
Rotherlea Lodge is a luxury self-contained Lodge set in a copse of trees on our farm, located 2 hours from Melbourne and 15 mins from Benalla. The Lodge was designed for couples and offers total privacy and seclusion. The mezzanine bedroom has views across the vineyard and a spacious sitting room has television and video. The fully equipped kitchen has full English Breakfast ingredients included in the tariff. Bathroom has a spa and outside floodlights allow you to watch the native wildlife while you soak! Ph.5763 2262 or email cabledowns1@bigpond.com
There are other accommodation options in the region, visit www.airbnb.com.au for further details.
VISIT SOME OF OUR DISTRICT WINERIES
Locally produced wines are some of the best in the North East. This is a seriously cool area, with mountains up to 1800 metres, and vineyards planted as high as 800 metres (and as low as 250 metres). It is one of the few Victorian regions without a history of nineteenth- century viticulture: it may well have seemed to be too cold, but the wines produced today are stunning.
Kooyonga Creek is located on Samaria Road, Moorngag, just a short drive from Swanpool (follow the signs). Cellar door sales Friday to Sunday 11am to 5pm. Full details of current offers and events can be found on their website www.kooyonga.com.au
Tulley Wells is located in Lima East. When Dan and Margaret Zaal purchased the Tulley Wells vineyard in 1998, they came with a background of owning and running restaurants. The vineyard had 0.75ha of (then) 17-year-old grenache, and in 1999 they extended the plantings with 1ha of shiraz. In 2002 they planted 350 grenache vines, grown in the traditional bush vine fashion, without any trellising. Ph. 5768 2240 or get the latest reviews and releases from www.winecompanion.com.au
VISIT ONE OF OUR STATE PARKS
Bushwalking, bird watching, cycling, camping or just enjoy the place, our parks have it all.
Mount Samaria State Park Camping, mountain biking, picnicking, scenic drives, short or long walks, sight-seeing, camp fires (outside the fire restriction period). More info Mount Samaria State Park.
Set in tall, shady eucalypt forest, Mount Samaria State Park offers a cool and quiet retreat for beautiful walks, camping and picnicking. The Mount Samaria range incorporates a variety of scenery with spectacular vistas over the Victorian Alps, granite outcrops, high waterfalls and historic remains. Explore the park by foot, mountain bike or scenic drive and discover its tranquility and beauty.
Reef Hills State Park Camping, cycling, fossicking for gold, horse riding, bushwalking, bird watching and photography are just some of the activities that can be enjoyed. More info Reef Hills.
A haven for wildlife and native vegetation, Reef Hills State Park is on the Midland Highway south of Benalla. For the latest information click the link above.
For those who need more, then the Strathbogie Ranges and the Victorian High Country, offer further opportunities in the area. Check out the Parks Victoria website.
VISIT A MARKET
Swanpool Motor Festival
Refer details in the Swanpool Motor Festival tab for the current dates. Offering a wide variety of goods and a show & shine for trucks, cars and motor cycles, there is something for everyone. It’s a great family day. Site booking on this website, Ph. 5768 2261 or email: swanpoolswapmeet@gmail.com
PLAY A GAME OR TWO
Full details of our various sporting clubs and contact details are shown under the Sporting Clubs tab on this website. Enjoy a game as a player or a spectator. Full fixtures and social event details are shown on each club's website.
ENJOY AN EVENT
A full calendar of events is available on this website..
MORE DETAILS
For details of what's on in other areas of the Benalla Rural City, contact the Benalla Visitor Information Centre, Mair Street, Benalla or call 5762-1749. Further information on district happenings can be obtained from www.holidayhunter.com.au/victoria/benalla