Howqua

In a secluded valley on the Howqua River lies the Howqua Hills Historic Area. The area combines a history shaped by gold seekers with walking trails, historic structures and opportunities to watch wildlife. This gives you a choice of different focuses for your trip to Howqua: a glimpse into the past, time on the trail or observing nature.

Gold seekers, structures and cultural significance

The Howqua Hills Historic Area in Howqua was once a place frequented by many gold seekers. You can encounter traces of this history on the Howqua Hills Heritage Walk: the loop trail passes the old brick chimney and the smelting furnace. Both were built in 1884. These historic landmarks give the trail a special connection to how the area was used at the time.

Another structure is the 100-metre-long tunnel at Tunnel Bend. It was built in 1884 to connect the Howqua River with a 4-kilometre-long water race constructed by hand. Fry's Hut is also part of the area's history: Fred Fry built his home there in the early 1940s. He was known as a Master Bushman. The landscape also holds cultural significance for Aboriginal Peoples and was traditionally used by the Taungurung.

Walking the Heritage Walk or the High Track

The Howqua Hills Heritage Walk is a 4-kilometre loop trail between Sheepyard Flat and Frys Flat. It is rated Grade 3 and takes 1.5 hours. Its length, difficulty rating and duration provide useful details if you would like to include the walk in your day’s plans. Along the way, the walk takes you past historic structures.

Another option is the High Track. It provides access to numerous flats along the Howqua River and runs from the Howqua Hills Historic Area into the Alpine National Park. Its described route therefore differs from the Heritage Walk loop: it leads from the historic area into the national park. When planning your trip to Howqua, you can decide whether to focus on the loop with its historic landmarks or on access along the river into the park.

Watch wildlife and ride seasonally

Visitors to the Howqua Hills Historic Area may spot wombats, lyrebirds, platypuses, kangaroos and wallabies. The range of animals mentioned makes wildlife watching a potential focus in its own right, alongside the historic sites and walking trails. Horse riding is available in the area seasonally, from November to May. If this activity is important to your trip, you should plan around this season; it is not available year-round.

Where to stay and how to choose the focus of your trip

The Howqua Hills Historic Area has nine flats where free camping is available. Facilities are basic and include pit toilets. The camping areas are accessible to two-wheel-drive vehicles, including motorhomes and caravans. If you are looking for a holiday rental in Howqua, you can first consider the experiences you have planned: are you most interested in the Heritage Walk and its history, wildlife watching or the seasonal opportunity to go horse riding?

Howqua appeals to travellers who want to combine a stay with historic traces, walking trails and wildlife watching. The Heritage Walk offers a loop with a clearly stated length and duration; the High Track leads from the Historic Area into the Alpine National Park. These differences can help you weigh up what you want from your trip before looking for a suitable holiday rental or another type of accommodation.

Discover more places

If you’d like to discover more destinations, you can also find Scotsburn, Rye, East Warburton, Corryong, Paynesville, Codrington, Rupanyup and Koondrook.

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.