Springtime Strolls
Spring in Chiltern is bursting with birdsong, wildflowers and a renewed vigor for life. Located just off the Hume Highway half an hour’s drive from Wangaratta or Albury/Wodonga, Chiltern offers more for visitors than first meets the eye.
Beautiful Town
Chiltern is a small, fascinating jewel in the crown of North East Victoria’s gold-rush past. The village’s mining history dates back to 1858. The charming village is filled with artisan shops and seasonal knitting creations, three beautiful National Trust properties, the Chiltern Athenaeum museum and several characterful eateries. Visitors drop in for a short break and end up spending hours exploring the village before heading off the beaten track into the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park surrounding the town.
Honeyeater Haven
Chiltern-Mt Pilot National park is one of three remaining breeding grounds for the Regent Honey Eater, one of Australia’s critically endangered bird species with fewer than 300 remaining in the wild. Homages to this beautiful yellow and black bird can be spotted around Chiltern – a mural adorns the brick building next to the tiny, but oh so welcoming Visitor Information Centre and Lake Anderson Caravan Park proudly displays a statue by local artist Helen Hay.
National Park Adventures
Spring is the perfect time to walk, cycle or drive through the well-made gravel tracks and trails weaving through the National Park. There is a vast biodiversity of bird life and beautiful wild flowers. Bring binoculars or your camera and stroll along the Tuan Track for a bird watching adventure, climb to the top of Mt Pilot for 360 degree views, or explore Chiltern’s gold mining history along the Magenta Mine walk. Wherever you choose to adventure, you will be welcomed by the beautiful Box Ironbark forest, flowering native plants and native wildlife celebrating the warmer weather.
Town Twitching
For those looking for a birdwatching experience closer to town, the Chiltern Walk follows the shores of Lake Anderson, a favourite haunt of pelicans and other water loving fowl, or the Chiltern Dams are easy to reach by car.
