On an outing with a friend, we decided to take a scenic tour through Avenel, Longwood and Euroa. We knew there was a crystal shop in Longwood and, to be honest, we weren't expecting much. We were AMAZED! Set in an old house (take a jacket if the weather's cool), but well presented, each room is literally jam packed with gemstones/crystals/fossils/minerals. The museum pieces are interspersed throughout the rooms, along with the sale items - there's no difficulty identifying which is which ;) Maurie was there to greet us, a lovely man who is friendly and easy to talk to. He is a font of information and interesting to listen to. Crystals are his passion and he has travelled far and wide in search of his pieces and has good contacts as well.
There is also a tea-room and clean bathroom.
We're planning on going back soon as we hadn't realised what a serious business The Rockery is and so we hadn't brought our list of crystals that we're looking for. No problem, it was a lovely day with plenty to see and do :)
Crstyal shops seem to have been disappearing from Melbourne. We never expected to find the crowning glory of such shops out in a little country town!