Anakie

The small community of Anakie is a rural township in the state of Victoria. Situated along the main road between Ballan and Geelong, the town is located about 73 kilometres west-south-west of Melbourne, the state capital. While its name is believed to be derived from the local Australian Aboriginal expression Anakie Youang (meaning "little hill" or "twin hills"), the community is actually named after The Anakies, a series of three hills overlooking the area (nicknamed by locals as The Three Sisters). It has an estimated population of 700 residents.

Part of the Local Government Area of the City of Greater Geelong, the community of Anakie is within the State District of Ballarat East (in the Australian Legislative Assembly) and the Federal Division of Corio (in the Australian House of Representatives). The area's surrounding localities include Balliang, Batesford, Lara, Meredith, and Sutherlands Creek.

Locals and visitors alike have much to enjoy in Anakie thanks to some of the community's activities, attractions, and sights:

Connoisseurs of all sorts can start off with tours of some of the best wineries in Anakie. These include For the Love of Grape, Geelong Surfcoast Winery Tours, and Out and About Winery Tours.

People who prefer to engage nature can tour some of Anakie's natural sights, as well as take part in a few brisk pastimes made available therein. Two picture-perfect locations accessible from the community are the Brisbane Ranges National Park and Steiglitz Historic Park. Two local activities that attract enthusiasts to the area are the Go Birding Eco-Tour and the Hot Shots Paintball Skirmish.

Of course, no visit to Anakie would be complete without dropping by Fairytale Theme Park (also known as Fairy Park). With plenty of attractions that cater to entire families, it brings visitors to the community year after year since it first opened in December 1959.