The Young & The Restless | Magic both sides of the wall

When you consider Germany has a land area of less than half a million square kilometres to Australia’s whopping almost eight million square kilometres, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to drive over any (or every) hill and see the imposing sight of a grand ancient castle with its impressive fortified stone walls jutting into the skyline on that side of the world.

But here, it’s not something you see over every hill, so when you do scale that one at Leigh Creek, just outside Ballarat, and lay eyes on the magnificent medieval-themed structure that is Kryal Castle, it is quite a sight to behold.

Most of the castles in Australia aren’t ‘real’ castles. They were not built as defensive structures and inhabited by rulers of lands and royalty; rather, they were set up for tourism.

And Kryal Castle does it well.

I’ve been as a 12-year-old, as a plus-one on my best friend’s family holiday (she was an only child); I’ve been in my early 20s with a boyfriend before kids were even a twinkle in my eye; I’ve taken my children there during a cold Ballarat winter (which certainly helped set the scene with horses snorting fog and sludgy dampness underfoot within the castle grounds); and most recently, in my 40s, I’ve been with a girlfriend to a music festival outside the castle walls, where the castle formed the most beautiful atmospheric backdrop to listen to iconic artists who were most popular during our teenage years.

I’ve watched the real-life World Jousting Championships that were held there on a TV in my lounge room, and I’ve watched re-enactments of public hangings there — somehow performed humorously so as not to frighten small children (and adults alike).

We’ve dined in the food hall at long wooden tables on noble high-backed chairs, toured a grisly torture chamber (that I personally would avoid taking small children through due to graphic imagery and lifelike wax sculptures), attempted writing with a quill, sat on thrones for photos, got temporarily lost in a maze and spent a large chunk of time giggling at the hilarious punny inscriptions on the make-believe headstones inside the graveyard.

There are many other experiences available, too.

There’s a chapel and medieval-style accommodation on the grounds, making it a unique themed wedding venue (or just a novel place to stay for a weekend where you don’t have to miss out on church on Sunday, if that’s your thing).

There’s a tower, a dragon’s labyrinth and garden, a witch’s hut, axe-throwing, archery, a trebuchet — the list goes on.

But perhaps my favourite thing about the entire complex is the opportunity to take wonderful photos.

As a keen photographer, this place just excites me.

If you can frame them right, you can walk away with images that look like they’re from another time in a land far, far away.

If nothing else floats your boat in the castle’s surrounding moat, Kryal’s character will have you feeling like you’ve travelled back in time and found yourself in a foreign kingdom.

And I don’t know about you, but any little experience that can give you that much of a mental break is worth experiencing.

Whether you go inside to take it all in or just go to a gig on the grounds out front, you will find magic on both sides of the castle wall.

Bree Harding is a former Shepparton News reporter and a single mother to three children.