Explore Benalla Victoria

Benalla ~ Victoria

Benalla is a charming rural City on the Broken River, 212 kilometres north east of Melbourne. It has a vibrant art scene, beautiful gardens, and interesting heritage buildings.

Lake Benalla, located in the centre of the city, is a lovely artificial lake constructed in the 1970s by damming the Broken River.

When we visited, we wandered around town, admiring the stunning street art, and visited the Botanical Gardens and Art Gallery. We walked around Lake Benalla, discovered Heritage Buildings, and explored the silo art trail.

Benalla Street Art 

Benalla is recognised as one of Australia's leading street art destinations, and it has a wonderful variety of colourful murals created by talented street artists from around the world.

There are more than 50 large-scale murals on walls, laneways, and buildings that were created during the year and at the annual Wall to Wall Festival. You can pick up a brochure from the Visitor Centre, which has a map of the murals and information about the artist and artworks.

Near Lake Benalla, you can see the Benalla Ceramic Mural, a 3D Terracotta sculpture that was created by more than 1,500 artists and volunteers.

You can also visit the Benalla Costume and Kelly Museum inside the Visitor Information Centre.

We then wandered over the Monash Bridge to the Botanic Gardens. The Monash Bridge was officially opened in 1910, and at that time, it was the largest bridge of its kind in Australia.

Benalla Botanical Gardens

The heritage-listed Benalla Botanical Gardens span across 8 hectares and feature a large cricket oval.

They were designed by Alfred Sangwell in 1886, and the design is unusual as it successfully combines a recreation oval with an ornamental garden.

These lovely 19th-century gardens feature the Benalla Rose Gardens, rare and mature tree specimens, extensive lawns, ornamental plantings, the 'Weary' Dunlop Memorial and the iconic rocket playground.

Benalla Art Gallery

On the banks of Lake Benalla in the botanical gardens is the Benalla Art Gallery. The gallery is open six days a week from 10 am to 4.30 pm; it is closed on Tuesdays.

The Benalla Art Gallery is one of Australia’s premier regional art galleries with a great collection of Australian and local art.

Lake Benalla Walk

We then wandered along the Lake Benalla walking track. It is 4.25 kilometres to walk around the lake, and there is plenty to see. The Analemmatic sundial is on the banks of the river. The Aboriginal Garden has unique plantings, interesting sculptures and special places.

There are plenty of places to stop for a picnic, with sheltered picnic tables and seating areas around the lake.

Heritage Buildings

Benalla was proclaimed a town in 1849, and the town prospered during the Ovens gold rush. Today, as you wander along the Heritage Trail, you can see many lovely Victorian-era buildings and discover some interesting Ned Kelly History.

The Old Courthouse on Arundel Street was built in 1864. It has links to the Ned Kelly story as he was tried there twice for minor offences, and you can see the cell he was held in at the back of the building.

Next to the Courthouse is the Holy Trinity Anglican church, which was built in 1860.

Across from the Courthouse is the Old Bootmaker's Shop, a small timber shop built before 1877. This is part of the Ned Kelly trail, and an information board explains its significance.

The stunning St Joseph's Catholic Church was completed in 1908 in the Gothic Revival architectural style. The FCJ School was built in 1902, and it was originally a convent school for girls.

The heritage-listed Benalla Town Hall was built in 1883 as the Municipal Chambers and Hall.

The National Bank was built in 1891, and this two-storey Italianate style building featured the bank on the lower level and the manager's residence upstairs.

The Commercial Hotel on Bridge Street was built in 1860 to provide accommodation and refreshments for prospectors en route to the Ovens goldfields. 

Silo Art Trail

We then went for a drive to see some Silo Art, the first stop was Goorambat, 19 kilometres from Benalla.

Renowned Australian artist Jimmy Dvate has painted the Barking Owl on one of the silos, and three clydesdales on another silo.

Next, we drove 13 kilometres to Devenish to see the impressive artworks by Cam Scale. This is a tribute to the men and women of the Devenish community who have enlisted in military service. 

Then 8 kilometres to St James, where artist Tim Bowtell has painted a mural of Sir George Coles, the founder of Coles supermarkets, who was a local to the St James township.

The last silo we visited was Tungamah,  15 kilometres from St James. Here, Western Australian street artist Sobrane Simcock painted a selection of birds.  This was the first silo to be painted in north-east Victoria, and Sobrane was the first Australian female silo artist.