Lindy13Loo

It's been described as 'a living ghost town'. Surrounded by a mixture of private land & over 7,000 hectres of National Park. Where once lived over 2000 people trying to strike-it-rich, now there are only 7 houses (1 with a cafe), 2 churches & a gothic-type courthouse in the township itself. And all the land between each of these handful of buildings is owned by the Parks - so there can never be another house built. Infact, the entire town has been recognized as so historically important it has recently been protected from modern devolopment.

Yet this is still a strong, thriving community, for the surrounding bushland is bursting with a great blend of farmers & growing families who realize how special Steiglitz is. And it's these locals who are behind organizing the annual Back to Steiglitz Festival every October - a fabulous day of old fashioned family fun & games (like billy cart races, kite flying, country cooking, sack races, etc).

Steiglitz is the last town in Victoria (Australia?) without electricity. Infact, there are no services, bar the phone. When you drive in to the town it feels like you've stepped back in time - for even though people live there, the town seems untouched. Hence the title - 'living ghost town'. That's one of the main attractions to the 60,000+ tourists who come to photograph, and stroll through, the town every year.

It's set amidst a Shire rich in popular wineries & eateries. And you'd never believe you were only 1 hour away from Tullamarine Airport, 30 mins from Avalon Airport, less then an hour from Daylesford, 15 minutes from that incredible fantasy world of Fairy Park, & an hour from the Great Ocean Road. Why's it hard to believe? Because it's so, so quiet.

This little town is also home to both endangered & rare flora & fauna (such as as the powerful owl - truly awesome). There's great walks, evidence of the gold mining era everywhere, an incredible museum, room-a-plenty for the kids to run themselves silly & enough serenity to calm even the most frazzled of city folk.

Like most other visitors to Steiglitz, we fell in love with this quaint little hidden jewel of a village the first time we visited.