A couple of days in regional Victoria saw us visit a dream come true destination for me. I have long wanted to visit the Daylesford area and this quick few days did not disappoint.
THE LAKEHOUSE DAYLESFORD
You know the food at The Lakehouse is great when you both just enjoy every mouthful in silence to savour all the flavours. To say the food was amazing is an understatement, with multiple awards for service, wine and Chefs Hats for their outstanding food if you are in the Daylesford region you must include Lake House for lunch.
The welcome by staff who take such great care of all guests and knowledge of food and wine is second to none. The customer service impeccable! Walk off your lunch around the gorgeous lake.
Points to note:
Reservations are essential and well in advance.
Four course a la carte menu.
LAKE COTTAGE, DAYGET DAYLESFORD
The Lake Cottage, booked via booking.com through Dayget which is a local Daylesford booking accommodation agency. The booking was seamless. The house itself Lake Cottage was a very comfortable and welcoming home. We loved the fireplace facing into 2 living rooms, the lounge and dining area’s spacious and kitchen had everything we needed. Alas due to the cold and rain we did not enjoy the huge deck area but can see why this is a popular place to stay with its large outdoor dining area and BBQ.
Dayget staff were just lovely to deal with, as we had some queries whilst in house and they were very friendly and helpful.
Points to note:
Enjoy a stroll around the gardens of Lake Cottage.
Sleeps 6 with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
The main bedroom offers sweeping views from its private balcony of the surrounding area.
Walk Lake Daylesford, we took our time and did the full circuit stopping at various locations which took us around 2.0 hours as there was so much to see and enjoy.
HEPBURN SPRINGS
A 10-minute drive north of Daylesford, considered the epi centre of Mineral Springs in Australia. The township was established by Italian and Swiss immigrants during the gold rush era of the mid 1850’s.
The walk around Hepburn Springs Natural Reserve took us around an hour, and we feel so lucky to be able to enjoy this in between rain showers which was an added bonus.
Points to note:
Take a water bottle and stock up from the Springs hand pumps whilst enjoying a walk of Hepburn Springs Mineral Reserve.
Take a break at the Hepburn Pavilion Café, the stain glass windows are so delightful to look at.
Picnic area and play area for the little ones as well.
THE SPA LAKE HOUSE DAYLESFORD
What an absolute treat this was. The rich mineral waters of the region have been encouraging visitors to the area since the late 1800’s. We undertook a Hydrotherapy Mineral Water soak. This 30-minute soak amongst the “Tree Tops” was the perfect end to the driving day and aids to boost circulation whilst encouraging relaxation and general wellbeing. You get your own circular tub and private bathing room to soak in and do not forget to open the windows to enjoy the view through the Willow trees overlooking Lake Daylesford.
Points to note:
Book well in advance this is a very popular Day Spa.
All types of treatments are offered on their menu even catering for Babymoon Couples and Hens packages.
The Spa Lake House is a mobile free zone.
BOURKIES BAKEHOUSE WOODEND
Stopped by chance in Woodend for a coffee and enjoyed lunch at Bourkies Bakehouse. This family run business has been serving up award winning pies and vanilla slices for the past 40 years. I really enjoyed my Vanilla Slice (eating my freshly made salad sandwich firstly of course). The bakery was busy but loads of seating, staff very friendly and I would return for sure. My fellow travellers loved their pies & pasties.
TRENTHAM FALLS LOOKOUT
20 minutes from Daylesford you will find Trentham Falls Lookout and a short walk from the carpark you will find Trentham Falls. Due to recent rain in the area and very high winds quite a few trees were down around the car parking area and thus the picnic area could not be accessed so we settled for the 5-minute walk to the viewing platform.
The falls are the highest single drop waterfall in Central Victoria, plunging down 32 metres. The basalt cliffs are interesting to watch the change in colour of them as the water hits various parts of the cliffside. Really enjoyed just listening to the sounds of the water and taking in the lovely scenery.
