Heathcote is a small Goldfields town between Melbourne and Bendigo with one very good trick: it pairs serious shiraz country with a strange, pink, eroded mining landscape right on the edge of town. It is a better stop than its size suggests.
The obvious first stop is Pink Cliffs Reserve, where old hydraulic sluicing left soft clay gullies and pastel ridges that look more outback than central Victoria. From there, climb to Viewing Rock for the town and forest spread below, or use Heathcote as a dry-country base for the edge of Heathcote-Graytown National Park.
Wine gives Heathcote its modern identity. The region's Cambrian soils and warm, dry climate are especially good for shiraz, and cellar doors around town make it easy to build a slow afternoon around tastings. This is not a major city-break destination, but if you are already driving through the Goldfields, Heathcote is worth more than a fuel stop.