Take the scenic route

Published in The Age newspaper, June 2008

It's the journey, not the destination, that counts, so the saying goes. Of course, that doesn't apply when you're sitting on a tram that hasn't moved for ten minutes and you're late for work. In that case, it's the destination that matters, and the sooner you can get there the better.

It does apply, however, to country road trips. When travelling around regional Victoria by car, one of life's great pleasures is the country towns along the way. Heritage stopovers sprinkling the countryside give life to the dull monotony of a two-hour drive from Melbourne to Bendigo, and provide drivers with the enticing option of bright bakeries and hot coffee. And being a thoroughfare has its benefits for the townships too. So with the recent completion of the Calder Freeway Malmsbury bypass, I felt a little pang of loss. Gone was my opportunity to delude myself that I was making a pitstop to remain alert on the road, rather than face the truth, that I just couldn't resist the freshly roasted coffee of The Providore or the nostalgic bliss of the Malmsbury Bakery's famous lamingtons.

Without making the turn-off, I couldn't stroll down the street and soak in the colonial heritage of the architecture, wander into the Malmsbury Merchants and feast my eyes on the array of tin toys and collectibles, nor could I browse the handmade jewellery of Made in Malmsbury or the local art at Tin Shed Arts. A conundrum faced me: follow the freeway and save time, or take the turn-off and turn my usual fly-by stopover into a visit. I followed the freeway. And as I drove on, it occurred to me that so would most other people, in order to save a few minutes. What will this do to the town?

With the bypass, Malmsbury, a town of 500 residents, 93 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, is now a destination rather than a stopover. Residents can cross the street without fearing for their lives, and now come to the main street's cafes and shops, which they once left for passing travellers. The council has started to advertise the area as a tourist destination, and one can't help but wonder, is this essential to generate activity, or has it now become a destination, like its neighbour Daylesford?

Malmsbury certainly has its merits. It has Victoria's oldest botanic gardens, established in 1863, lined by paths that meander through terrain intricately landscaped with Californian redwoods, giant redwoods, West Himalayan spruce trees, the hybrid strawberry tree and other exotic plants provided by the German-born botanist Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller, then director of the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. European styling is a hallmark of the gardens, and with the flair of lush greens in combination with autumnal flushes of colour and delicate foliage, these gardens have the elegant aspect of a watercolourists' dream.
 Hidden from view from the main road, a clearing towards the rear looks out over a reedy bend in the Coliban River to the impressive, and still operative, bluestone railway overpass, built in 1859. The scale of the overpass is framed by the garden's gigantic trees, making the clearing a favourite spot for painters to set up their easels.

For the frequent visitor, the calm of the main street comes as an initial shock. With no trucks hurtling through, the bustling streets are quieter. The Malmsbury Bakery isn't bursting at the seams with customers as it once was. And while the friendly business owners are adamant that the bypass has been a wonderful thing for the leafy township, their steadfast assertions that the peace is wonderful, seem paradoxical in a business setting.

Jan Grant, the owner of the Malmsbury Bakery is forthright about the bypass. "I expected we'd lose 50 per cent of the business. But we didn't. We lost 30 per cent through the weekdays, and the weekends are still pretty good. We have the advantage of 21 years in the business."

She is frank about the importance of traffic and generating new business.

"I do have a problem (with the bypass). (The Malmsbury Bakery) is not allowed to have any signage (on the freeway) whatsoever. We don't have any infrastructure in Malmsbury. Passing traffic grows our business.

"If the business is not permitted to use signage," she concludes, "the business will only generate custom from those who already know about it."

Unease about what the future will hold is understandable. But while Malmsbury may have become a destination, it is still only a minute off the highway and a very short detour. So perhaps, it may yet become the best of both worlds; a peaceful stopover on a long journey, or the destination for a restful long weekend.