THE OLD CONVENT ST ARNAUD / UNIQUE ACCOMMODATION VICTORIA / UNIQUE AIRBNB VICTORIA / VAN LIFE

#StArnaud
#theoldconvent
#airbnbVictoria

In this episode, we travel in our converted Ford transit campervan, with our dog, to St Arnaud, Victoria, Australia. We stay a couple nights at The Old Convent with nine of our friends.

THE OLD CONVENT Air BnB
Located at 66 Alma Street St Arnaud Victoria, The Old Convent is able to accommodate 24 guests comfortably, more by arrangement.
It is a beautiful old Chapel, with a large ballroom (seats 50 or more), two lovely parlours to entertain (one having a large screen tv and the other a bar and open fireplace). The kitchen has 2 large ovens, two large fridges and all kitchen equipment, ideal for various functions.
The Old Convent is close to the Pyrenees winery region, many beautiful old buildings, bush walking tracks, restaurants and cafes in the town .

Convent of the sisters of Mercy
In 1901, Father Gerald Doyle arranged for five nuns from the Sisters of Mercy in Ballarat to establish a new branch of their teaching order in St. Arnaud. Father Doyle had acquired some 14 acres on a high point to the west of the town to establish Francis Xavier’s Boarding School. A gracious, imposing Federation Gothic-styled two storey structure was opened in 1903 and flourished for over 80 years. In 1986 the building became a private residence.


Below lists the places we have visited on our visits to the town of St Arnaud
The Old Post Office
St Arnaud Caravan Park
Lord Nelson Park
St Arnaud Silo art
St Arnaud Rail Station Art Gallery
Queen Mary Botanic Gardens
St Arnaud Visitor Information Centre
St Peter's Pebble Church
St Arnaud Historical Society and Museum
The Old Convent
Love Cottage
Mine history trail
Comstock open cut mine
Pioneer Park
Lord Nelson Mine Parkview Bakery
IGA St Arnaud
BP St Arnaud Apex Service Station


St Arnaud is a former gold mining town, situated on the main route between Ballarat and Mildura. The town was settled in the mid-1850s, with the post office opening on 1 February 1856. The town features many well-preserved historic buildings which line the main thoroughfare of Napier Street, including a generous collection of pubs.

ST ARNAUD RAIL TRAIN STATION - RAILLERY HUB
The heritage listed 1878 St Arnaud Railway Station provides a permanent public gallery and a hub for arts, a market space for local artists and producers, an artists' library and lounge, and a community space for lectures and workshops. The train station retains its architectural heritage and railway artifacts, with regular revolving exhibitions. Unique locally produced arts, crafts and produce are also for sale in the Marketspace. Arts workshops and lectures are provided in the community rooms, including an artist’s library and lounge.

ST ARNAUD'S HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM
Located in the old Turncock's residence, next door to the old fire station which was built in 1883. This is the oldest fire station in Victoria. Inside is the bucket and ladder cart which the firemen used to pull the equipment to the fire. The Turncock's residence is on the left. When there was a fire he had to rush off and turn on the water supply before the firemen arrived. The Historical Society located at 12 Napier St. has a research area with access to historically significant documents, cemetery records, and artifacts from St Arnaud and surrounding areas. Other historical buildings in the area are Crown Lands Department, Old Court House, Old Post Office, Kara Kara Shire Hall, and the Town Hall.

LOVES COTTAGE
Love’s Cottage and its outbuildings, in Clyde Street, St Arnaud represent one the oldest miner's properties in the town. The single-story, modestly scaled, the Victorian cottage is characterized by a double gable roof with no eaves, clad in galvanized corrugated iron. The original stone wall construction has been surfaced with cement render possibly in the 1940s (except for the rear wall). Two cement rendered and brick chimneys adorn the roofline. The timber framed six paned windows appear to be early, with the timber framed double hung windows at the rear introduced later. The vertically boarded front door also appears to be early. Internally, the walls and ceilings vary in materials and finish from whitewashed plaster to galvanized iron and paper on hessian. There is exposed remnant stone wall construction.

SILO ART
The Silos at St Arnaud were painted by Ktorney Art, aka, Kyle Torney and are officially the 38th set of silos to be completed in Australia. Titled ‘Hope’, Kyle has told the story of three pioneer residents of St Arnaud, a former gold mining town, situated between Ballarat and Mildura.

We hope you enjoy our channel. We enjoy part-time van life, creating weekly episodes that are live at 5pm (AEST) Sundays, and sharing our experiences on our travels with our cavoodle, Twyla. In our episodes we stay at free and paid campsites, showing our tips and tricks on how to make life on the road easy and more fun. Come join us on our adventures!