Twenty minutes east of Hamilton, lies the town of Penshurst, home to the extinct volcano Mount Rouse, accessible by vehicle. To the south of the main scoria cone is a deep circular crater with a small lake and shallow crater rimmed with basalt. Past lava flows from Mount Rouse followed shallow, gently sloping river courses, extending at least 60kilometers south. A thin basalt lava flow contained in the scoria cone has been dated approximately 1.8 million years old. The Mount Rouse summit provides panoramic views of the lava plain and surrounding district.

Penshurst is a regular stopping off place for visitors travelling from the coast to the Grampians and, alternatively, from the Grampians to the coast. Rurik's Shed, with thousands of reasonably priced books for all tastes, has something for everyone. Our books range from antiquarian rarities through to inexpensive weekend reads. Australian fiction and non-fiction are our specialties. A delight for book browsers, Rurik's Shed also has selection of bric'a brac, records, toys etc.