Regional secrets

Uncanny sights await questing visitors to Victoria.

A black lighthouse on the Bellarine Peninsula

Did you know Queenscliff is home to the only black lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere? The Queenscliff High Light is near the white Queenscliff Low Light, and it’s painted this way so that ships can gauge distance and navigate the notoriously treacherous mouth of Port Phillip Bay. àgellibrand St, Queenscliff 3225.

Australia’s biggest hedge maze

Melburnians have the distinct pleasure of being able to get lost in the country’s biggest and most impressive hedge maze. Located at Mornington Peninsula’s Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens, this maze was planted more than 40 years ago and now stands at over three metres tall. Are you up for the challenge? à15 Red Hill-shoreham Rd, Shoreham 3916.

A gravity-defying hill in Mount Macedon

Stand at the bottom of the hill on Straws Lane in Woodend and face towards the incline. Place a ball on the road, and the ball will slowly roll up the hill, not downhill. Spooky, yes, but not so off kilter when you stop to consider that you’re just two kilometres away from eerie Hanging Rock. àstraws Ln, Woodend 3442.

Pink lakes in northwest Victoria

In the far northwest corner of Victoria can be found Lake Crosbie and its smaller sister, Lake Hardy. These two lakes are made up of solid salt in summer, and thanks to the presence of a red algae called Dunaliella salina, they have a brilliant rosy hue. ■ àmurray- Sunset 3490.