For many of us, getting lost whilst on holiday is a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Even from a young age, we are programmed to shudder at the thought of dad driving faster, refusing to ask for directions, whilst mum makes pitiful attempts to read a map.
However, there are clearly some out there who get a big kick out of wandering around aimlessly, barking up dead ends in a bid to find something. And that’s where mazes come in. Luckily, Australia has plenty of them, so why not explore one on your next family trip?
The Enchanted Maze Garden
Where: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
The Enchanted Maze Garden harks back to an older, more whimsical era. It comes complete with a big old-fashioned sweet shop (all boiled stuff in jars), and many of the mazes seem to be created on a whim. Indeed, owner Michael admits he puts half of them in because he feels like it and many of the gardens are created to frame something his wife has bought on an overseas shopping trip.
So this means there are mazes made of tyres, mazes where you’re only allowed to turn left and, yes, a maize maze. Meanwhile there’s a bush Loch Ness Monster taking pride of place in one enclosure – a fabulous effort with the hedge trimmer.
It’s all great fun, and the location at the top of Arthur’s Seat means there are fabulous views of the surrounding areas.
The Mornington Peninsula, in fact, is something of a maze hotspot. There are two others nearby – the Ashcombe Maze in Shoreham and the Boneo Maze in, um, Boneo.
Tasmazia
Where: Just south-west of Sheffield, Tasmania
Blessed with both an excellent name and what they claim is the world’s largest maze, Tasmazia is a marvellous haven of eccentricity.
It is the brainchild of a lavender farmer who, perhaps quite accurately, prefers to go under the name of Laird Crackpot of Lower Crackpot.
Brian Inder (as he was known to his mum), and his wife Laura, are the sort of people that have longed so much for their own little world, that they have simply created one themselves.
The inspiration has clearly come from far and wide. One of the mazes is an exact replica of the famous one at Hampton Court Palace in England, another has a Wizard Of Oz theme, whilst there is a memorial to the inventor of the toilet at the end of the utterly infuriating Cage maze.
But it goes well beyond the painstakingly sculpted hedgerows and walls. The Crackpots have also created themselves a village. Admittedly, even Hobbits, Munchkins and Oompah-Loompahs would struggle to fit into it, but the 20% scale models are frighteningly detailed.
Full of intricacy and clever little touches, it’s the sort of place that adults appreciate as much as the kids.
Wandiligong Maze
Where: Wandiligong, near Bright, Victoria
Set amongst extensive gardens and boasting a rather lovely little cafe, this maze first started to grow in 1990 when 850 Cypress Lambertiana were carefully planted in formation. Today it claims to be Australia’s largest living hedge maze. With 2km of gravel pathways, surrounded by towering hedges, it’s hard to argue with that. But it’s even harder to find your way out once you’re in the middle of it…
Bellingham Maze
Where: Tanawha Tourist Drive, Sunshine Coast, Queensland
A real favourite of local kids, the Bellingham maze is well worth a look for visitors in the area too. One of the main selling parts of this hedge maze is its bizarre shape – it’s laid out in the formation of a star. There are over 1,000 trees in the maze, and its unique look can be viewed from a handily located platform.
There are a few mini-mazes on the premises too, as well as an aviary for bird lovers and a café serving Devonshire cream teas.
Mythic Mazes
Where: Just down the Vasse Highway from Busselton, south-western WA.
This complex takes its inspiration from great myths and legends, and in particular the ancient Greek tale of the Minotaur. One of the main mazes follows the story of Theseus trying to work his way out of the labyrinth to escape the fearsome beast. Also present are puzzle paths, finger mazes and a maze made out of turf, as well as sculpture gardens and a ‘gallery of wonders’. The latter is a selection of jewellery, artworks, textiles and paintings, again with a mythical theme.
A Maze ‘N Things
Where: Philip Island, Victoria
More excellent punnery, and more excellent mazes. There’s a bit of everything at this attraction, although the fiendishly difficult maze is the main highlight. Made from wood, the owners advise the poor victims entering it that 45 minutes is about standard for getting through. They’ve even built in emergency exits for those who get hopelessly lost.
There’s also a delightfully inventive putt-putt course and puzzle island, which bills itself as a “new interactive world of games, illusions, puzzles and challenges”. To all intents and purposes, it’s a soft core version of now defunct game show The Crystal Maze.
Perhaps most fun are the rooms full of illusions, where bodies disappear, heads get chopped off, people start flying and water flows uphill.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
