CommunityMan

A lot of the bars and restaurants are changing, redecorating, or closing down. Rents are apparently rising. The bar with no name is now called Libation, a very swish new place called St Jude's cellars has opened, new places are about to open next to Polly, and some of the shops that have been around for years are closing. There's also a new IGA supermarket on the corner of Cecil St

Gertrude St is becoming a fashion precinct and also an entertainment area along with nearby Smith St (at least the eastern end of Gertrude St). The western end is mostly shabby and full of the hopeless and homeless. It's also a major street for art galleries in Fitzroy and has its own projection festival - see http://www.thegertrudeassociation.com/.

I recently stayed at Acacia terraces on this street and found it very quiet and relaxing. It's a great place for travellers to stay in Echuca - http://www.wotif.com/hotels/acacia-terraces.html

This is a wide quiet street on the western edge of North Perth off Walcott St. There's a few shops including a chemist and a great breakfast and lunch cafe called Blake's that has excellent coffee. They also do dinner on Saturday nights with live jazz and middle eastern style food.

This is a great inner city Perth st close to lots of cafes and social events and public transport. On the corner with Fitzgerald St is the Rosemount hotel, one of the best pubs in the inner city, and the street also has Milkd cafe and Pal and Panther - a bicycle and motorcycle sales and repair shop where they know everything about everything on two wheels.

Bustling country town main st filled with cafes, pubs and shops. The place to have breakfast in Echuca.

This road connects Beechworth and Chiltern. If you're heading south from Rutherglen the turnoff to Beechworth in the middle of Chiltern is not signed very well and I missed it the first time. This is one of the narrower country roads in this area and the cyclists we saw on the road (with unsealed edges) seemed to be preparing for reincarnation at any moment. With some very twisty parts this road is fun to drive in sunshine but could be tricky at night and when wet.

Having last visited the north of Victoria in summer I was surprised at how green everything is in winter although all the grape growers are talking about the disastrous drought. This is the road you take to travel between Beechworth and Yackandandah or Wodonga. There's not much to see.

If you're coming to Yackandandah from Beechworth you take this road through green farmland (in winter at least) and arrive in the tiny main street of Yackandandah, where there are some shops, cafes and bakeries which look quite lively at lunch time.

This is Ford St - the main street of Beechworth - where many of the cafes, restaurants and shops are located. Wardens and Gigi's are both stylish bistro restaurants with city attitudes and prices but lots of local falvour and produce and wines from nearby wineries. As it moves out of town to the west the road takes you through picturesque countryside towards Wangaratta.

As you pass through Upper Everton stop in at Amulet winery where you can try their excellent wines including a wonderfully dark Merlot Cabernet and also their dryish orange muscat chardonnay.

Camp St is one of the longer streets in the small town of Beechworth. I stayed in a motel there which was daggy but comfortable and a short walk down to Ford St, the town's main street, where most of the cafes, restaurants and hotels / pubs are.

Camp St also has several accommodation providers and places to eat. It was quiet and calm but there's no Vodafone reception in Beechworth so it may be quieter than you want it to be.