The Hanging Rock and Avenue of Honour

Located just over an hour from Point Cook, the Hanging Rock is a great place for a day trip.  You can climb (actually, it is more like a walk on paved footpath) to the summit and get a panoromic view of the plains surrounding it, you can have a leisurely lunch at the cafe or have a picnic on its vast grounds, or you can do all of them if you could spend a day there.

When I was there on the Queen's Birthday,  the weather was simply perfect.  A lot of families turned up - toddlers in hand, babies on the back. Nothing could deter anyone from getting to the top to get the best views of the region.

I loved it so much up there that I sat on a rock and enjoyed the beautiful weather for more than an hour before I descended reluctantly when hunger called.

Since I did not pack any lunch, I headed down to the cafe.The place was doing a buzzing business but I managed to get a table. When I looked around the table, I saw that it served beautiful salads and light lunches. I ordered vegetarian fritters with avocado salsa. Everything was so fresh that although the serve was substantial for me, I ate everything on the plate.

To be sure of securing a place, book ahead and where possible, get a window seat.

Before heading back to Point Cook, I drove towards Woodend, hoping to catch a glimpse of the town before sunset. Guess what, I got distracted on the way by the glorious trees along the Avenue of Honour.  The leaves were glittering like gold in the late afternoon sun.  They were so enchanting that I "drove" along it twice. May be "crawled" would be the more appropriate term to describe my journey up and down that boulevard.

Again, I marvelled at the beauty of the western region. Just a short drive away and we arrive at a different world altogether.