Six reasons to visit Timboon

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This was published 10 years ago

Six reasons to visit Timboon

By Richard Cornish
The Railway Shed Distillery.

The Railway Shed Distillery.

Fat Cow

Dairy is the big industry around here. There is plenty of rain, resulting in tonnes of grass, and a plethora of cows to eat it. The life-size fibreglass cow in the front of The Fat Cow Food Co. cafe enthralls children who can't help but try to milk the poor thing. You can buy the real stuff here, from nearby Schulz's organic dairy, as well as local cheeses. Place your order then take a seat at the communal table or on the 1960s' nanna chairs out the back. Come here for the coffee made with real milk, housemade cakes and muffins. Later in the day, order a bowl of hand-cut chips, a great slice of spanakopita or a big bowl of caesar salad made with plenty of crisp bacon and croutons.
Fat Cow Food Co., 8/10 Main Street, Mon-Fri, 7.30am-5pm

Eels

Cycling the rail trail.

Cycling the rail trail.

The southern short-finned eel is an amazing fish. The adults swim thousands of kilometres to the Coral Sea to breed; the young then return to their parents' freshwater rivers and creeks. The waterways around Timboon are naturally stocked with these delicious creatures. Local Zac Taylor nets the eels in nearby lakes and purges them in clean fresh water before killing and smoking them over hardwood. You can buy them directly from his rustic and rudimentary farmgate store. Call ahead to make sure he's open.
Parratte Eel Company, 215 North South Road, 5598 5364

Rail trail

Consider taking the V/Line train to Camperdown with your bike in the parcel van, then head down to Timboon along the 40km rail trail. The first section is on road but takes in the spectacular twin volcanic lakes Bullen Merri and Gnotuk. The trail then heads through undulating dairy country to Cobden, with its expansive miniature railway and bakery renowned for its tuna mornay pies. From here the trail continues along a natural avenue of native trees and watercourses into Timboon, where you'll find good accommodation such as the Old Library Apartments. The trail is made of compacted gravel but can get a little sloppy after wet weather.
railtrails.org.au

Distillery

They used to make sly grog in the hills around here. It was big business, and special police forces were sent out into the forest to track down illegal stills. Speak to the people in pubs and you're bound to meet someone related to one of the black-market whisky makers, who apparently buried a stash in a valley above Timboon. These days you don't need to break the law to try local whisky. A copper still pot, a small version of Scotland's The McCallan still, sits in the corner of the Timboon Railway Shed Distillery. From this comes spirit that is laid down on different oak casks that have had previous lives ageing port and bourbon. Whisky tastings are free, as are those of the Timboon ice-cream. Come here also for meals throughout the day, and dinner on Friday.
1 Bailey Street, daily, 10am-5pm, dinner Friday, 5598 3555, timboondistillery.com.au

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Berries

Alan and Joy Kerr have been growing berries in Timboon for 45 years. You're welcome to come to their farm and pick your own for $8.50 a kilogram. ''You can try as you go, but don't make a meal of it,'' says the jovial Alan. Thornless blackberries will be ready in mid-January, and the strawberries will be here until the end of March. The rows are widely spaced, so the farm is pram and wheelchair-friendly.
24 Egan Street, Tues-Sun, 10am-4pm

Picnic in the park

Stop in to see Laurie Nuzum at Timboon Quality Butchers and pick up a string of Timboon sausages, which are half beef and half lamb, flavoured with the classic Cambridge English spice blend (12 Main Street, 5598 3485), then do as the locals do and head to the picnic grounds under the trestle bridge on the banks of the Curdies River. The bridge was built in 1892 as part of the Timboon railway, which was planned to extend further south to Port Campbell. It consists of 31 spans and is constructed of local hardwood timber. The picnic grounds under it are sheltered and have an electric barbecue.
Limeworks Road, Timboon

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