Honour Avenue — Attraction in Loddon Mallee

Perhaps, my review is not totally about the possible beauty of this place. My review is certainly too long and probably not for ppl who just to "go there for snapshots, tick the box of being there".

Is it beautify? I believe so, though it is through in my visualisation. It is just like many other places, its popularity backfires on itself. Too many ppl, cars, traffic signs. The window for a taking good photo is very small if not none. It takes time to learn the area, waiting the right lighting, waiting for the subjects to fall into (or out of) the frame of yours. You simple won't have this chance. At the end, you could probably be able to take some snapshots not photos.

Will I recommend it? 1. Well, lower your expectation, don't expect you could take a postcard photo just on a daily trip. If you insist to go, go early, when there are not too many ppl or cars and the lighting isn't as harsh as midday. Or go late, use tripots to utilize the last drip of sunlight. You avoid the crowds and who knows, you might be able to yield some good lighting for the photo. Afterall, Honour Ave is east-west facing, might be able to get some good lighting for colours with twilight. Don't make Honour Ave the only destintaion of the trip, Macedon Range has many other attractions, stay somewhere, explore them. Better, don't fall into popularity charm as the majority do. There are many other places for autumn photos. Yes, I believe some good photographers out there are able to find the harmony of the place with ppl, cars and traffic signs. If you are not one of those, like me, just go out there, travel around, any time of the year, learn the locations, learn plants, trees, visualise it and come back at the right time. Find your own spot, not a spot from many...

My first visit to Macedon

It's 2km distance from Macedon Railway Station but it was a refreshing and relaxing walk on a sunny day in autumn. There are few Café near to this station only. Public toilets are seen at 3 spots: opposite to the station, before entering Honour Avenue (Toby Clarke Reserve) and at the end of this pathway (Centennial Park).

From 11am there were about hundreds of people around this area. There were some small stalls selling homemade baked goods in front of some houses. Honestly they were very nice, so it'd be great to prepare some cash to purchase them.

It was disappointing that there was no shuttle bus from the end of the avenue to visit the open gardens during the Autumn Festival this year. Therefore, it seemed there was nothing else to see after reaching Centennial Park on foot.

There were many tourists trespassing some people's private properties to take some photos with their autumn trees or beautiful houses. It was quite sad to see some of them also stepped on their garden beds and damaged their other lovely plants in order to stand next to the trees for some photo shoots and some residents were very upset. Besides, there were some rubbishes (e.g. food containers from picnic) left in front of some properties too. If there was some signs on the both ends of this wonderful avenue friendly advising tourists on how to respect the residents' private areas, it probably could help prevent giving the troubles to the people who are...

Amazing spot to visit in the middle of Autumn to catch up on the explosion of colors. Every shade possible in dark green, light green, flaming orange, saffron yellow and crimson red, finishing off with withered brown. Best photos in the early morning or late afternoon sun. Kids love to kick up the dead leaves that gather in big piles under the trees. Honour Avenue is one of many places in the area to watch the changing colors of Autumn. Gets very busy during the peak season (middle of April) so parking may be a hassle, so are the long toilet lines. Food and drinks from the local vans and stalls are overpriced, so bring your own and drive to one of the many picnic areas. Professional traffic controllers in the area to help you cross the road from the parking/rest area...