benalla - one street town

in north east victoria

on tuesday, i visited two of the towns affected by the floods in the first week of september 2010. of the two, i much prefer benalla to shepparton. both are located in north eastern victoria. the two towns are 60km apart. the lake (above picture) of the rural city of benalla was created in 1973 by damming the broken river. during the recent flood, the water level in the lake reached up to the top of the supports.

a friend who accompanied us on the trip, a singapore-born permanent resident, described benalla as 'a one street town where you cannot get lost'. in spite of its smallness when compared to shepparton, the fifth largest city in the state of victoria, benalla has got more than you can imagine.

benalla, which has the status of a rural city, has plenty of colours. the sky is clear and blue and the sunset is fiery red. it also has the title of 'the rose city' but because the rose plants in the rose garden were not in bloom, i did not take any picture. even the sunrise is equally brilliant.

this strikingly modernist building is the benalla art gallery. it is located in the botanical gardens (is it not botanic gardens?), near the town's famous rose garden. it has a cafe that overlooks the lake. many visitors like to come here to sip coffee or wine or have lunch while enjoying the unique and beautiful setting.





ths ceramic mural also found by the side of the lake has been called 'the largest community artwork in australia". according to the tourist brochure 'the sculptural piece was inspired by the works of spanish architect antonio gaudi and was created by the local community with the assistance of some of australia's best potters'.

this unique archway leads to a carpark and an indian restaurant. you do not see many 'black hair' in benalla. looking through the telephone directory, i could not find a single chinese or asian name. however, there are two chinese restaurants in this town with a population of 9000. according to my daughter, if the food is popular with the locals (meaning, australians), then it means it will not suit the chinese.

it is a quiet town, good for a short stay. when i went on my morning walk at 6.30 a.m., there was hardly anyone on the road. the night before, after having had our dinner at a local hotel, we found the whole street deserted at 9.00 p.m.