Three Waterfalls and a Lookout

For our 2024 Christmas break, we wanted to go somewhere close to Melbourne. We didn't have any particular destination in mind; however, while searching for a location in areas beyond Mansfield in north-east Victoria, we found a standout Airbnb that was reasonably priced. It was a five-star-rated farm stay in a town called Molyullah. Even better than the price was the location - the well-known townships ofBenall a, Glenrowan, Wangaratta and Beechworth were all less than an hour's drive from the Airbnb. We booked it immediately.

This post is dedicated to four natural wonders we visited in north-east Victoria during our five-day stay in Molyullah. Just one quick disclaimer: we visited the lookout before the waterfalls, but 'A Lookout and Three Waterfalls' doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?

Power’s Lookout in Whitlands

We left on Christmas day. Power’s Lookout, about 222 kilometres from home, was on the way. As expected, we drove through the vast sun-scorched country with patches of greenery, most of which were well-managed vineyards. There weren’t too many towns along the way, and even the ones we crossed were sparsely populated. The last leg of the drive was about 44 kilometres on the Mansfield-Whitfield Road (C521), which was windy and lined with tall trees. It felt like driving underneath a forest canopy with the surround sound of chirping birds and crickets.

We reached the Power’s Lookout car park at around 1:00 pm. The Lookout 2 platform was less than 200 metres from the car park. The stunning vista pulled us to the sturdy metal platform, where we spent several minutes taking pictures and admiring the scenery. The combination of a clear blue sky, white fleeting clouds and multiple shades of green and light brown representing forests, farmland and sun-tanned valley was magnificent.

Then we slowly descended to Lookout 1. Although it was only 890 metres, we felt the adventure as we climbed up and down the stone steps and metal ladders and squeezed between boulders and rocks. Lookout 1, an incredible vantage point, had an even better view of the surrounding mountains and valley. However, with the hot midday sun above us and flies annoyingly buzzing around, we decided to return to the relative comfort of our car, which at that point felt a lot cooler as it was parked in the shade.

The lookouts are named after Harry Power, the notorious bushranger of the 1850s and 60s who camped in this region for the strategic advantage of the hilltop area. He committed over 30 crimes and was said to have mentored Ned Kelly, arguably the most controversial Australian bushranger, in his formative years. Even though Harry taught Ned how to avoid the police by blending into the bush, he couldn’t save himself from the law. On the morning of 5 June 1870, he was caught while asleep in his hideout. His natural alarm bell in the forms of several dogs and a noisy peacock in the nearby Quinns homestead failed him on that wet and stormy morning. Harry’s camp was well-stocked. After the arrest, the searching police party cooked themselves a hearty breakfast before taking him to the Wangaratta lock-up. Unusual, yes, but pragmatic nonetheless.

Harry Power would keep a watchful eye on law enforcement from the exact platforms we were on. Are you wondering if he ever admired the beauty of the location or whether it was simply a good hiding spot? Well, it is clear from historical records that he did like the view. While in prison, he said to one of his visitors, “It’s there ye’ll see the finest sights in the world ay! It’s grand to be on the ranges, and to breathe beautiful pure air, and to see Mount Feathertop far above ye, and down below, for miles and miles, the beautiful country”.

Despite the theft and tussle with law enforcement, Harry had a reputation for good deeds, the reason behind the moniker ‘the gentleman bushranger’. Apparently, he took nothing if he thought the people he attempted to rob were poor, never killed anyone and was always courteous to the women he held up. He surely had a strong moral compass. We learnt all about it from the information boards located in the car park.

Newtown Falls in Beechworth

The rural town of Beechworth was over an hour’s drive from Molyullah. Newtown Falls is inconspicuously located right outside the town centre. I'm sure many visitors have driven on Newtown Bridge without noticing the waterfall.

We parked opposite Spring Creek Lookout in Gorge Road. We saw the stream moving through a rugged terrain underneath the Newtown Bridge before succumbing to a steep fall. The dry spell of early summer seemed to have an impact on the amount of water; however, it was still a functional waterfall, at least at the time of our visit in late December.

It was unusual that the viewing point was so close to a residential area - there were houses on the other side of the narrow road. We are not used to seeing such a natural phenomenon at the doorstep of human habitat. The location, however, didn’t distract us. We were fully immersed in the serene sight and sound of the flowing water, which soothed us on that temperate summer morning.

Over 150 years ago, in 1853 to be precise, Newtown Falls was much more youthful. Back then, utilising its hydro power, entrepreneur Louis Chevalier set up a sawmill. Timber produced at the mill contributed to the construction of Beechworth buildings. Later on, in 1863, grindstones imported from France were used to convert it to a flour mill. Unfortunately, the region experienced poor agricultural yield around that time, forcing the mill to cease operation in the 1880s.

Like the waterfall, Newtown Bridge has also seen changes. The first bridge to span Spring Creek was a lot longer and built of wood roughly around the 1850s. Then, the local quarry owner, Donald Fiddes and Co., decided to build a better, more durable replacement. In 1875, Scottish stonemasons were engaged, and using mortar, they built the current bridge. Keystones were used to lock the granite blocks together. It was surely a state-of-the-art construction back then, and almost 150 years later, it still stands strong. An excellent engineering achievement, indeed.

Woolshed Falls Just Outside Beechworth

Located in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park and only 7.7 kilometres from Newtown Falls, Woolshed Falls offers quite a different experience. The drive is roughly 10 minutes from the centre of Beechworth. After gold was discovered in the area in 1852, the current site of the falls attracted thousands of prospectors. Those seekers of alluvial gold camped there. 172 years later, stories of gold and the beauty of the cascading falls still bring thousands of visitors to the National Park.

As soon as we climbed down the stairs from the car park, we saw locals and tourists of all ages enjoying the refreshing streams and pools of water that carved the warm rocky bed. People were sunbathing, having a picnic and swimming where the water was deep enough. We sat there for several minutes and wondered how a decent rainfall would give the cascades a new lease of life and make them more spectacular.

There was a viewing deck on the left of the car park. It offered an unobstructed view of the falls and the valley. We spotted some adventurous visitors who'd climbed down the rocky slope. It looked like they would dive into the much deeper pool at the bottom any second, but thankfully they didn't!

Paradise Falls in King Valley

We visited Paradise Falls on the last day of our holiday. This cascading water body is located in the heart of King Valley within the Alpine National Park. We took advantage of the route and had a flavoursome lunch at Dal Zotto Winery, one of the vineyards in the King Valley region. Dubbed the ‘Little Italy’ of Victoria, the Valley has a high concentration of wineries and breweries. We chose Dal Zotto because its lunch menu looked scrumptious. Little did we know that their customer service would be just as amazing. We had magnificent, locally-produced Prosecco, limoncello on the house, polenta chips, and Mortadella and Diavolo pizzas. The dessert was three generous scoops of gelato.

Thank you for coming along on this gastronomic detour! Let's now head to Paradise Falls.

We were warned by our Airbnb host that the road leading to the falls was steep and bumpy, but he assured us that our Sedan could handle the terrain. Our car struggled, though, especially for the last 10.5 kilometres, on the Paradise Falls Track. The drive was exceedingly challenging for our aging Sedan as we had to manoeuvre carefully on a narrow and rocky dirt road with many twists and turns. We drove very, very slowly and either stopped briefly or moved to the side to allow the oncoming cars, all of them SUVs and 4WDs, to pass. Those cars left massive clouds of red dust in their wake, which reduced visibility even in blinding daylight, so we drove even more slowly until the dust settled. It was perhaps our slowest drive ever.

We were lucky to occupy the last parking spot at the top of the hill. Coincidentally, ShNaajh saw one of her friends and her family there. They instantly struck up a conversation about their respective holidays. I overheard ShNaajh’s friend saying that the steps leading to the waterfall were challenging but well worth it. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to climbing down the steps, fearing the challenging climb back to the car park. Who would want this type of cardio after a satisfying lunch on a hot day?

The Parks Victoria website aptly describes Paradise Falls as a stunning attraction where water drops from a 'breathtaking conglomerate rock ledge formation'. Closer to the end of the path, there was a short climb leading to a covered hollow space underneath the rock formation. From that rocky alcove, the waterfall was literally within arm’s reach. We could touch the water from behind the waterfall and even walk through it. The latter involved being soaked, of course, which I wasn't too keen on given my attire - a t-shirt, a pair of jeans and hiking boots.

When we asked the lady at Beechworth Information Centre about Paradise Falls, she insisted that we go. She said even if the waterfall was only a trickle, it was worth a visit as you could go behind the water. This was indeed unique.

And then the 500-metre uphill climb back to the car park began!

Although we visited these four natural phenomena on three different days, you could cover them in a day if you wanted. Needless to say, that would involve a lot of driving!