Self-Contained, family and pet-friendly, cottage accommodation in the Daylesford-Hepburn Springs region near the Wombat Forest and the heart of the Macedon Ranges, Central Victoria.
Take a sneak peek behind the scenes of Tourism Victoria’s Daylesford TV commercial, see what makes Daylesford such a truly unique and wonderful destination, also explore the story behind the commercial.
Welcome to Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges. If you are interested in wonderful produce and great food and wine, then this is the place for you.
Follow your appetite to the region that takes indulgence to another level, with wonderful seasonal fare and great wine celebrated in every town in the region.
Journey to The Lake House, Daylesford’s gourmet heart in a region known for its highly-rated restaurants, but Hepburn Springs, Kyneton and Woodend have also become foodie havens. The dedication to quality extends even to the smaller towns, with attractive cafés popping up in Trentham, Clunes and Malmsbury.
Delight in the pristine environment, fertile volcanic plains and clear mineral springs that provide the backdrop to your food and wine adventure. Fill your boot with produce so fresh it goes straight from the paddock to your plate. Be sure to follow signs down country lanes to small but internationally recognised family vineyards.
You’ll run into many like minded folk. It may be a dedicated orchardist, a beekeeper, a winemaker or a chef. In our villages it may be the person on the other side of the counter or the bloke pulling the beer who’ll tell you where you should have dinner, who’s producing a good drop and who bakes the best bread. Keep your ear to the ground and you’re bound to make some wonderful discoveries.
The Macedon Ranges and Daylesford’s pristine, beautiful environment, rich fertile volcanic plains, distinct seasons and abundance of crystal clear mineral springs flowing freely from the ground provide the perfect backdrop for your truly excellent food and wine adventure.
So get out there! We look forward to meeting you at our cellar doors and farm-gates, or having you enjoy the fruits of our labours in our local stores, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Indulge your artistic side in Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges, and if you’re not creative, a trip to the region could inspire your inner artist. Discover the art and culture of the region.
Home to artists of all kinds
Join other day-trippers seeking inspiration around Daylesford, home to painters, sculptors, ceramicists, metalworkers, glassblowers, print-makers and visiting artists.
An arty tour
Your art and culture tour will start with Daylesford’s Convent Gallery, featuring local art and occasional exhibitions by international artists.
Nearby Pantechnicon Gallery will get the creative juices flowing, or check out the Strawbale Gallery in Woodend and Lancefield’s Mad Gallery. Many artists open their studios to the public, so grab a souvenir that’s bound to appreciate – and be appreciated.
Culture and history
Your visits to farms, wineries, restaurants and galleries around Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges will have piqued your interest about local history and culture. Call into a specialist museum to discover how these vibrant communities got started and learn the stories of early settlers.
The arts and culture vibe in Daylesford is strong with a quirky sense of humour. Many galleries, restaurants and cafes feature local artist’s work, and crafts people can be seen in their studios or out and about the town.
The most famous is the Convent Gallery, which as the name suggests is a converted convent, which still retains the character and historical points of interest from it’s days as a convent, combined with stunning views over Daylesford and fabulous paintings and sculpture works.
Wandering around the gallery is far more interesting than the standard gallery, as you wind your way around there are glimpses of gorgeous scenery, well manicured gardens and a look in to the austere life of a nun. Don Wreford Glass Blowing studio gives a very different aspect of the arts, with the viewing studio located right in the workshop, so you may even be lucky enough to see him at work!
By Steve `Grumpy’ Collins, on October 6th, 2011 in Grumpy’s Getaway Guide
Daylesford is a town where people go to get pampered. A popular retreat in Victoria, it is particularly accessible for Melbournians, being only an hour and a half drive from the city.
The town is well known for its spas, which are possible because of the number of springs and mineral waters that are prevalent in the area.
Originally settled by Swiss-Italian miners, the area’s high rainfall allowed the original farmers to flourish. Today, the local produce is a key feature of the Daylesford Sunday Markets which is held in Raglan St.
Visitors can also experience that Swiss-Italian heritage at the Lavendula Swiss Italian Farm. This little taste of Italy is just 10 minutes north of Daylesford. Originally built in the 1860s, Lavandula’s 1860s sandstone farm buildings sit in a beautiful open garden.
From the café La Trattoria, the view of lavender fields, olive grove and a vineyard make it the truly relaxing location for a glass of local wine and an antipasto. Another type of market is the Mill Market in Central Springs Road and it’s a collector’s dream, featuring Australia’s largest mix of antiques and collectables. Over 4,000 square metres.
The area around Daylesford is stunningly attractive, and one of the best views can be seen from the summit of nearby Mt. Macedon. There are waterfalls, creeks and streams to enjoy, magnificent national parks and some of Victoria’s most attractive rural land to admire.
Daylesford Township is quite historic with many of its attractive buildings being well preserved. There are some fine, well respected restaurants, and a number of interesting shops lining the streets. One of the most interesting attractions in Daylesford is the Convent Gallery which, as the name suggests, is sequestered in a former convent.
The Convent now houses eight individual galleries, featuring new local and international artists every 8 weeks, the original restored chapel, a museum with the history of the building set up by the nuns themselves, retail selling one-off clothing and jewellery pieces, pottery, local wines and produce, a Mediterranean style cafe`, There is even a wine bar in the old convent.
Daylesford Lake is picturesque, particularly in autumn when the trees which surround the lake form their autumn colours. Daylesford Lake now has a cafe, a children’s playground, undercover barbeque with seating as well as paddleboats for hire on the weekends.
The town is well known for its pink tourism, which means that it caters to the gay community, although being gay is not an essential requirement for visiting the town.
It is the natural springs and mineral waters which are the main attraction, and there are over 100 spas and health retreats within a five kilometer radius of the town. It is because Melbournians flock to Daylesford for a bit of pampering that the town really comes alive at weekends. For this reason, you can get some really good mid-week packages at discount prices.
It is a long way from Woodend to Cambodia but each year Victoria’s ‘town at the end of the woods’ forges a stronger link with like-minded people in South East Asia caring for bears who have been abused, left for dead or earmarked for consumption.
They include bears like Dewi, who was rescued by Free the Bears Fund Inc. as a young orphaned cub in 2000. A Cambodia Sun Bear, she was confiscated from poachers who were planning to sell her to the restaurant or exotic pet trade.
Now cared for in the Free the Bears sanctuary at the Phnom Tamao Zoological Gardens and Wildlife Rescue Centre, Dewi has grown into a very beautiful, confident and much loved bear.
In 2005, Kerri Botwood opened Kerri’s Bundle of Bears, in Woodend’s main street. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of customers, her lifetime passion for teddy bears and a lack of opportunities for teddy bear artists to gather and invite the general public to enjoy their work, Kerri organised the inaugural Woodend Teddy Bear Show held the following year. It was an instant success, with stalls fully booked each year since.
A major objective of the annual event is to educate the community about the world’s threatened bear population. Free the Bears Inc. and Animals Asia representatives attend to raise awareness and support for their work.
Their messages are delivered in many of the posters produced by school children that adorn the venue as part of a competition.
Proceeds from the show have enabled Kerri to sponsor several bears residing in South East Asian sanctuaries.
Kerri’s Bundle of Bears is an enchanting haven for teddy lovers and anyone yearning for a dose of childhood nostalgia. Quality ranges available in store include Charlie Bear, Steiff, Hermann, Gund and Settler Bears.
“Teddy Bears help mend broken hearts, rekindle memories and bring loved ones together!” says Kerri.
The 2011 Woodend Teddy Bear Show will be held at St Ambrose Hall, Templeton Street (cnr Anslow St), Woodend on Sunday, October 30 from 10am to 4pm. Entry $6, Concession $4, Kids $3 or Free (under 6 accompanied by an adult).
Contact Kerri Botwood 5427 4944 or 0417030149
Daylesford. Lead a double life is the next phase of Tourism Victoria’s award winning jigsaw campaign, which has helped to promote the diversity of each part of Victoria including our natural attractions, gourmet food and wine and our diverse culture.
Daylesford. Lead a double life is the next phase of Tourism Victoria’s award winning jigsaw campaign, which has helped to promote the diversity of each part of Victoria including our natural attractions, gourmet food and wine and our diverse culture.
Have you heard of the hit show filmed recently in Daylesford?
SARAH HUDSON from The Weekly Times explains. April 1, 2009
It is a global phenomenon, a TV series showing regional Victoria’s most beautiful areas, featuring our state’s rising performers and viewed by millions in more than 50 countries.
JOIN THE CLUB
Yet many Victorians would never have seen the series, let alone heard of it. That is, of course, unless you’re a young girl or a horse lover.
The Saddle Club is about three 12-year-old girls and their horses and is based on the best-selling books by Bonnie Bryant.
Series three, which was filmed on the outskirts of Daylesford, was shown on Channel 9.
To Daylesford producer Lynn Bayonas, it is obvious why the TV series is a global brand, capturing the imaginations of kids around the world and even leading to a boom in riding school enrolments.
“Every little girl wants a pony,” says Lynn, who has produced all three series.
“When I first started with the series in 2000 I thought, ‘Why hasn’t this been done earlier?’
“Aside from the horses one of the big drawcards of the show is the friendship between the girls. They fall out, they get jealous, but they always come back together.
“And we have the girls acting and singing – there are 22 new songs in series three and after series two, the cast did a tour and we had 6000 children at one mall.”
Aside from the child stars, each series requires local residents to perform as extras.
The fictional Pine Hollow Stables in series one was filmed in Wandin, series two in Hurstbridge and the current series in Daylesford – which saw a property transformed into a fully-functional, state-of-the-art riding stable.
“We put a huge amount of work in finding a location. We travelled through Gippsland, the Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra Valley.
“We require each area to be beautiful, close to Melbourne and ideally the property will have stables.
“For series three we ran into a bit of trouble as Victoria is normally so green but it got dry very quickly.”
In fact, she says, they encountered a swathe of troubles.
“We lived with the drought but it meant we had to find food for 30 horses.
“We had a fly plague, which was just grose and even worse than that we had the equine flu, which meant we couldn’t bring our previous horses from NSW.”
Instead they wrangled horses from McLeod’s Daughters, which were based in South Australia.
All horses are trained to perform on their own, free from restraints and ropes, are able to gallop from Point A to Point B, rear in the air, bow, kneel, fetch a halter or magazine in their mouth, sit down, paw the ground, nod or shake their heads.
Lynn says the show is a Canadian-Australian production, with most performers sourced from Victoria, with the exception of the three leads in series three who are Canadian.
“We want the children to be able to sing, ride a horse and of course act,” she says.
“This time round we had no problems with singing, dancing and acting and I think that’s in large thanks toAustralian Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.”
Lynn says before The Saddle Club she had little to do with children and animals. She grew up in Melbourne and had an agisted horse in the backyard.
She was introduced to the industry by Orson Welles in the ’60s, working as his script assistant for three years in Europe.
Since then she has been a producer and writer for A Country Practice, development producer of The Man from Snowy River series and was head of drama for three years with Nine, responsible for the network’s entire drama product.
Currently she has two children’s programs and a feature film in development – but will not elaborate on details.
Lynn says it is an indictment on the industry that so few quality Australian TV shows are produced.
“It’s a sad thing in this country that if free-to-air TV did not have a quota requiring them to play children’s programs, there wouldn’t be any produced.
“Right now it’s extremely hard to get anything on TV. You’ve got to compete with Warner Brothers and Disney and your budget has got to be big.
“For The Saddle Club our budget was $400,000 for a half hour. The first series was $300,000 so we had a good budget this time.”
She says the old adage of never working with children and animals is wrong.
“I hadn’t worked with children since the ABC in the ’70s. I’ve always enjoyed it.
“On A Country Practice I worked with animals: Fatso the wombat and plenty of farm animals.
“With any production you have hair-raising moments but I think the combination of children and animals works a treat – they get such a buzz out of working together too.”
By Caroline Clements, 3rd June 2011, from http://www.broadsheet.com.au
As the urban sprawl spreads further north, the distance between the city and your weekend destination seems less and less of an obstacle. Daylesford is only 90 minutes away and if you skip around the herds departing the city on Friday night, you’ll be in spa country by dinnertime.
It seems like a wave of city folk have crept further from the Melbourne to find sweet country respite more permanently and, as such, regional Victoria is becoming a more accessible place to stop into, even if only for a night or two. Small business is fast becoming the new retirement and Daylesford, blessed with its countless local producers and small businesses, is one of many pockets of the state that is feeling the influx.
It’s pretty easy to fill your days at this popular weekend spot, but we’ve chosen a few things that will undoubtedly make your two days out of town a treat.
Mineral Spas at Daylesford
For over 150 years the regional Victorian landscape has been luring visitors to its natural mineral springs (there are over 70 of them). Perhaps you’ve filled up a water bottle with murky ‘mineral water’ to take home with you. Drinking this water is said to be beneficial, but simply bathing in it is quite blissful. Hepburn Bath House is definitely one of the key spots. This spa and wellness retreat is set in a small, picturesque valley and offers a host of stunning experiences and facilities, including warm relaxation pools, massage chairs submerged in bubbling water, waterfall showers and a range of treatments. You’ll leave feeling like your floating.
Accommodation
It’s just a short walk back to your private sanctuary if you’re staying across the road at the luxury villas at Hepburn at Hepburn. This is completely extravagant, designed by David Edellman and owned by 8 Hotels, it is certainly a fancy weekend lodgings. But if you’re after something more town-and-country, there are plenty of other, less extravagant options nearby, like a private house up on the hill for two or more, or a cosy bed and breakfast like Lakeleigh. Owner Jean Steiner also owns Peonies & Picnics, a homewares and antiques store in town selling old prints, picnic baskets, crockery and ornamental urns. Sharing a connecting door is Ego’s Culinaria, a small all-day cafe serving sandwiches, salads and baked goods from sausage rolls to lemon meringue pies.
A Perfect Drop
Just across the road is A Perfect Drop, a stunning wine and food lounge. What looks like a house from the front feels that way on the inside too, and its this comfortable atmosphere that can make lunch (cosied up on a chesterfield) turn into a long afternoon by the fire with a stiff drink. The food is wintery and warm at this time of year, with a seasonal local tasting plate and hearty dishes of rump steak, roast duck, trout from nearby Tuki Trout Farm and locally sourced veggies.
Farmers Arms Hotel
On a wintery night out of town you want to feel as far away from inner city suburbia as possible. The humble Farmers Arms Hotel is a welcome substitute. On any given night the front bar might be full with rowdy locals. Sit up here with a pint of ale before heading out back to the dining room for dinner, though you can also get meals at the bar. The old redbrick building must have been an old RSL or some such and the interior hasn’t changed a great deal, but it’s warm and comfortable. The food is excellent, with sophisticated pub dishes like racks of lamb, pork neck, béarnaise steak and soufflé.
Daytime Cafes – Cliffy’s, Harvest, Chowder House
Other favourite daytime eateries to drop into include Cliffy’s, a cluttered country larder, Harvest cafe, and if you are in Hepburn, check out the Chowder House. This is something straight off a highway in America. Packed full of vinyl-covered chairs around tables, the Chowder House has a diner feel and serves huge bowls of seafood chowder with sweet corn bread on the side. If for no other reason, this place is a great novelty. It’s opposite the Hepburn General Store, which is a cute country milk bar-come-cafe where you can stop in for a loaf of bread or sit down for a sandwich.
Istra Smallgoods
If a picnic sounds more appealing, head to Istra Smallgoods, located in the nearby town of Musk. It is a goldmine. Istra Smallgoods produce a range of cured meat products and supply restaurants and cafes all over Melbourne, but this is the headquarters. Run by a Croatian couple, it also sells large jars of pickles, tinned fish, tubes of liver pate, homemade pasta sauce and an array of Slavic sweets.
Markets
Markets rate highly on a good to-do list for an out-of-towner. Daylesford has this covered. If you’ve got a few hours to kill, venture to The Mill Markets just out of town. This is like the Chapel Street Bazaar, but bigger. In fact, it is Australia’s largest indoor market of antiques and collectables, with over 140 stallholders. Indeed, it’s a trash and treasure market like no other – crammed full with antiques, clothes, furniture, art and books. You’ll find manual meat mincers and plaster sculls next to vintage posters of Raffles Hotel in Singapore in the swing of 1960s British India and roughed African rugs. For an outdoor market selling local wares alongside local grocers selling fruit and veg, eggs and bread, head up to the Daylesford Sunday Market, every Sunday morning. You’ll also pick up locally made soap, woolly knits and cheap bric-a-brac.
Cidery/Breakfast & Beer
The Daylesford-Macedon region is also, of course, home to a host of local wineries and breweries. Many of these local producers supply to the restaurants in the area, so it’s not hard to track down a local drop. Daylesford also has a cidery just a couple of kilometres down the road making tradition ‘still’ cider, like they did in England before they had bubbles. But if something effervescent is more appealing, try Breakfast & Beer, a toasty place to relax serving a huge selection of international brews. This cosy two-storey bistro is housed in the oldest freestanding building in town, and despite the name, also serves lunch and dinner with beer at any time of the day.
And when you leave to head back into town, drop by the roadside farmer’s gates. Based on an honesty donation system, local traders sell everything from kangaroo poo to potatoes, apples, honey and eggs. Take something back home with you.
