3 hours north of Melbourne is the beautiful historic town of Beechworth. Nestled between Wangaratta and Albury/Wodonga it boasts a thriving tourism scene with wineries, cafes, shopping and historic attractions. A great little town to stop in if you happen to be travelling from south to North along the east coast or even just for a weekend getaway.

A short history of the town

Beechworth itself was founded in the mid 1850's and came to prominence during the gold rush. Though short lived it's gold-producing life is laden with stories of large finds and exaggerated wealth, including a story from during the first election campaign in 1855, one candidate, Daniel Cameron, rode a horse shod with solid gold horseshoes. This event is still remembered today as the town emblem is a golden horseshoe.

There were a few notable people who lived in the area including the infamous Ned Kelly who spent time in the local prison. For such a small town of only 2,700 people it certainly has a thriving community with a large focus these days on wine production and growing.

A panoramic view of the town centre.

The buildings, other than necessary maintenance remain almost untouched since the 1800's. The exterior showcasing an old style life while most interiors are now decked out and modern. It makes for a surreal experience sometimes walking back into the town. If it weren't for all the cars you would almost feel like you were back in time.

Beechworth Wildlife Stays

Beechworth Wildlife Stays is the business my mum and step-dad have been running here for the last year. Glamping (Glamorous camping) is an increasingly popular type of holiday found all over the world. Most glamping is in exotic places with amazing views, here in Beechworth we have animals and relaxinggggg. :)

The first photo is a picture of the guests deck/entertaining/cooking area. There is a large undercover table, handmade pizza oven, barbeque, fridge and basically anything else you would need to entertain. The decking space itself is quite large with plenty of space for lounging in the sun during the day. The spa can be heated to a lovely 42 degrees and the pool is solar heated. The pool also has a perspex window at the end which provides an underwater view into the crocodile Billy's pool. If he is in the water you can swim up to the window and see him up close and personal.

outside view of tent 1.

The tents themselves are luxurious to say the least. Modern appliances, expensive beds and linen. You would be forgiven for thinking it was a fancy hotel. The outside of the tent can be rolled almost entirely up if desired giving an amazing view of the bush and state forest. There isn't anything particularly interesting out there but it's a hell of a lot nicer than looking at a street full of cars with your morning coffee.
It's hard to see but in the background of the tent picture you can see a blue fence and that is where the crocodile is and the entertaining area.

The decking of tent 1.

When guests arrive they drive in down a path lined with olive trees and an enormous $5,000 brass crocodile statue shipped in from Africa. You park next to your tent and, if you're in tent 1 the goats,emus,alpacca and goose are approx 10 metres away in their area. If you're in tent 2 you continue down the path another 30 metres or so and you will find yourself right next to the wallaby's.

Past that is all State forest. There is a neighbor approximately 100m to our left and one approximately 200m to our right but otherwise there is no one else around.

The animal experiences.

Here at Beechworth Wildlife stays we hope to be both entertaining and informative about the animals. With a large variety of snakes and lizards, a crocodile, frogs,turtles and a lace monitor. If the scaly ones aren't for you we have goats, emus, wallabys, an alpacca a goose and baby wallabies.

There is actually another alpacca in that picture called Bill who stayed with us for a while before going back to his home. I just found out he died last week from a snakebite the poor thing :(

The animals that are rescued aren't technically part of the attraction but guests get to meet them and help feed them if they want to. We currently have 4 birds, a kangaroo and a lizard that are being rehabilitated.
Guests can bottle feed the baby kangaroo or baby wallabies, hold the snakes and lizards and watch us feed the crocodile. They are encouraged to interact with them, especially the snakes and lizards. Here in Australia there is a lot of misinformation regarding snakes especially. Yes they can be very dangerous but they are not some evil serpent from hell. All of the snakes we have here are non venomous restrictors, meaning they crush their prey. They are also all very friendly bar one of the babies who is a little aggressive. We teach people to respect them for the beautiful creatures they are well at the same time being aware of the danger they can pose.

This is Big mama with...my mama. She is probably our heaviest snake but not quite the longest. When she climbs over you you can just feel how powerful she is, every muscle moving.

An up close shot of Billy the crocodile.

Black Betty, my personal favorite snake. One of the longest and biggest snakes and also probably the most chilled out snake ever. happy to just hang out on the washing line or curl up around your neck and arms she is just lovely. Also how could you be scared of her with Christmas antlers, shes just a playful snek :D

In the future at some point we are hoping to get some Meerkats! There was also plans for deer but with the rescues as well we will start running out of space soon.

The wildlife rescue

Unfortunately I'm not allowed to post pictures of the rescued animals. There are alot of weird rules around it all and putting them on social media can be considered advertisement for the business which is a nono.

Just last night we were sent to get an injured black cockatoo. Poor fella had been hit by a truck and gotten stuck up in the engine, didn't fall out until the guy stopped at the depot. He seems to be doing pretty well considering, missing an eye and can't seem to fly. Beak looks damaged but not 100% sure the extent yet. He's very pretty and a bit feisty so I think he will be fine with a bit of TLC but I wish I could put a picture of him, hes very sweet.

I think working in the rescue side of things will be rewarding but it's also going to be very hard emotionally. I find myself connected to things very quickly. People sometimes but usually animals. Some of the stories are heartbreaking though. My mum was called to a kangaroo who had been hit by a car. poor thing had broken both legs and couldn't move and it was 2 hours until he could be euthanized humanely. You're not allowed to rescue animals that wont be able to be released into the wild again and unfortunately for a kangaroo once it breaks its legs like that there is very little hope.
I think I will find myself with alot of images that haunt me and crying to sleep a bit because of it but I guess that's the trade-off. If i can save some but have to watch some die then that's better than nothing. Least I can try and make their suffering a little less first if I am there.

Me and penelope, she has settled in well here too and is eating :D

Anyway that's enough from me for now. I would love to see some fellow steemians here sometime and any aussies are more than welcome to visit :)
www.beechworthwildlifestays.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/beechworthreptilerescue/

That's the website and Facebook for anyone who wants a look, plenty more pictures of the family there too.
(please note Beechworth Wildlife Stays is an active for profit business that is owned by my family, Beechworth wildlife/reptile rescue is the not-for-profit rescue organisation my mum runs using the profits and her expertise.)

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