The Joys Of Lakeside Lingering
The Age
Saturday June 5, 2004
After Sovereign Hill's busy attractions, the family's retreat to accommodation on the shores of Lake Wendouree was just the tonic, writes Kathy Evans.
To be honest, I'm not that keen on tourist attractions. I was thrilled, therefore, to discover Ballarat's glorious Lake Wendouree. On a recent weekend away, the lake proved a welcome respite after the hustle and bustle of Victoria's ode to gold, Sovereign Hill.
After a frenzied day pounding the Hill's dirt streets, it was good to slope off to the water at sunset and watch the ducks skid-land on the glass surface, shattering it like a child's kaleidoscope.
Undoubtedly, Sovereign Hill does give a good brushstroke of Ballarat's 19th-century gold-rush history. We enjoyed all the tourist things, such as panning for gold (in the end, we cheated and paid $6 for a bag of earth that was guaranteed to contain tiny chips, and swirled that around the pan) and touring the dark and spooky underground goldmine, which scared the four-year old-rigid.
But it was somewhat of a relief to get back to Nieder Weisel, the charming Victorian guesthouse close to the shores of Lake Wendouree.
Neider Weisel was, just as the brochure promised, situated in nearly a hectare of gardens on a golden-hued tree-lined street. We chose to stay in the two-bedroom cottage in the garden, which in previous incarnations had been a hospital theatre and a maternity wing.
The cottage, named Adelweiss (I never did get to the bottom of this unusual spelling), was pretty splendid and, as my daughter laboriously scrawled in the visitors book, "much more posh than our own home". Built of red brick, it had huge stained glass cathedral windows, but it was the offbeat furnishings that made it so delightful: a hall wall decorated with different styles of hats, a bedroom stuffed like a lolly bag with bright, shiny cushions.
The cottage was secluded and private, which is perfect for noisy families. It had its own kitchen and lounge with TV and video (who needs Victorian parlour games?) and an immaculately white-tiled bathroom with a generous spa.
More adventurous souls and honeymoon couples may choose to undergo a "Victorian Experience" in the main house, just across the lawn. This is a time-travel experience, from the three-course silver-service breakfast to the Victorian nighties hanging in your closet for bedtime. The house is a pristine monument to that era; from the doorstep onwards it's like entering a bygone age. Watch out for those furry stoles with the sharp little teeth draped on the backs of the upholstered chairs.
Owners Samantha and Greg MacIntosh were away when we visited but the person who was to "look after" us couldn't do enough and kept us topped up with eggs, bacon and orange juice for the weekend. Unlike most posh places, Nieder Weisel is well suited to children. Ours enjoyed the giant outside spa and the trampoline round the back. There were bikes, trikes, a tree house and cupboards overflowing with books.
If tourist attractions make you shudder too, there's plenty to do at Lake Wendouree to keep you and the children amused for the weekend. On the first afternoon, we drove around the perimeter and came to a place called Fairyland, which had one of those wooden adventure playgrounds where every bit of equipment has to have the name of a company on it. Anyhow, the children loved it, running across rickety wooden bridges surrounded by stately European trees in majestic autumn attire.
Across the road, the Botanical Gardens with their futuristic glasshouses looked promising, but getting our children to look at flowers is like pulling teeth. They did, however, enjoy a short wetlands walk along the lake's swampy banks. Meanwhile, I looked longingly at a sign proclaiming the start of the "Walk a Mile for World Peace" but, alas, there would have been a riot at the mere suggestion.
The Verdict
There's enough entertainment at Nieder Weisel to keep the whole family amused. You hardly need to go over the doorstep. But if you insist, look no further than the end of the street where Lake Wendouree awaits you.
Nieder Weisel: 109 Webster Street, Ballarat 3350. Call 5331 8829 or online at www.Ballarat.com (then search for Nieder Weisel)
Tariff: Adelwiess (garden cottage) $200 per night, $170 weeknights
Victorian Experience (main house includes three-course silver-service breakfast) $250 per night, $170 weeknights
St John's (self-contained apartment) $140 per night all week
Extra charges for children
Correction:
In our review of Split Point Cottages, Aireys Inlet, the price was wrong. The correct price is $190 per night.
Split Point Cottages
40 Hopkins Street
Aireys Inlet
Phone: 5289 6566
www.splitpointcottages.com
© 2004 The Age
