If you’re going to treat yourself to a taste of the best of what Victoria has on offer – when it comes to saturated beauty, country-style friendliness, and of course, personal indulgence – then Spa Country’s Hepburn Springs is the place to go.
At only ninety minutes’ drive north west of Melbourne, Hepburn Springs – and its next-door town of charm, Daylesford – make a day trip, a short break or a longer stay, both easy and accessible.
http://visitdaylesford.com.au/
Here are a few things to whet your appetite:
Mineral Springs Reserve Road
Hepburn Springs VIC 3461
t: 03 5321 6000
e: info@hepburnbathhouse.com
w: http://www.hepburnbathhouse.com/
It’s not called ‘Spa Country’ up here for nothing. In Hepburn and Daylesford surrounds, mineral spas, health spas, indoor spas, and outdoor spas are in abundance.
But if you’re looking for authenticity, complete indulgence and a peak experience during your stay in Spa County, you can’t go past the historical Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa.
It’s been around for yonks, this place, and after its multi-million dollar transformation, Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa is in full, glorious swing. Once you step inside this place you won’t want to leave in a hurry.
First up, there’s a mineral pool to die for. It is long, glorious, peaceful, perfectly tepid and almost ripple-free. There’s also a giant spa you and a whole bunch of others can be jostled about in.
For a few bucks more (less mid-week) you get to wear a fluffy bathrobe, slip-ons and a coloured wrist band that allows you total access to the public area and the ‘Sanctuary’.
As a band-wearer, you can venture through the glass doors where a more private spa awaits you; and instead of spending thousands of dollars to travel to the Dead Sea, you also have your own dense salt-float in the Sanctuary’s salt pool. (While you’re floating on your back, look up and you’ll see the sky through a large porthole, reminding you that outside, the other half are doing it tough.)
As well as these two band-wearing indulgences, your Sanctuary experience also includes – for as long as you can stand it – the mineral sauna room, which is hot hot hot!
After your soggy-salty-steamy indulgence, you can continue the extravagance and head towards the therapies area where you can be wrapped, massaged, bathed, facial-ed… Anything your tired and weary body desires, they have it here at the bathhouse. And while you’re lounging around in your fluffy bathrobe, awaiting your therapy, tea will be served.
Bliss!
10 Stony Creek Road, Daylesford
t: 5348 1884
w: http://stonycreekgallery.com.au/
If you’ve strolled up and down Vincent Street in Dayelsford, you would have seen the beautiful Red Pepper Gallery. And if you like that, go to the ome base of artist Michael Parker, and see an even more impressive, more stunning gallery. It’s just a few ks out of town, on the Ballan-Daylesford Road, just after the Jubilee Lake turnoff. You won’t be disappointed.
Raglan Street, Daylesford
t: 03 5348 3503
e: daylesfordrailway@yahoo.com.au
Before you leave the autumn leaves, summer sun, winter woods or spring flowers of Spa Country, make sure you drop in to the infamous Daylesford Sunday Market. Full of conviviality, joie de vivre, country spirit, toe-tapping music, farm fresh produce (including ‘bum-buster’ eggs and delicious, organic honey), this place captures the essence of community and fun.
Stock up your week’s produce and take a little bit of Daylesford back with you, collect some ancient collectibles, or eat your way around, from stall to stall. And if it’s footy season, you may even get to hear some local kids sing you your favourite team song. It’s all part and parcel of this great market.
(Rumour has it, if you want the top pick of all the good stuff, you need to get there early. Bumbusters included!)
105 Central Springs Road, Daylesford
t: 5348 4332
w: http://www.millmarkets.com.au/daylesford/
If antiques and bric-a-brack are your thing, then you can’t go past The Mill. (Actually, you can go past it quite easily; keep your eyes peeled as you head out of town towards Creswick; it’s just past Fulcher Street, on the right.) Once inside this enormous ‘shed’, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven. This isn’t the kind of place you drop into for a quick browse: it’ll take you at least an hour to make it up a few of the aisles. (There are aisles-a-plenty here.) Either take a packed lunch, or snack out at the cafe that also resides under this one, big, enormous roof.
350 Hepburn-Newstead Road Shepherds Flat (about 7 minutes north of Artisan)
w: http://www.lavandula.com.au/
Friends have told us for years ‘You gotta go to the lavender farm!’, but do you think we took their advice? No, we didn’t. Until recently. This place is beautiful! Not just the stunning gardens, with rickety paths and purple-hued paddocks, the homely geese and the pop-eyed emu, but the 1860s farmhouse building is also a stunner. The food at the cafe is great, too. Nice gift shop, too.
And everyone is so, so calm here. Who wouldn’t be, with all that lavender floating around?
Every Day from 27 December until 27 January
Open everyday during school and public holidays
SPRING, SUMMER & AUTUMN (September – May):
Everyday, except Wednesday & Thursday 10.30 am – 5.30 pm
155 Dairyflat Road, Musk.
w: http://www.daylesfordcider.com.au/
The first thing that greeted us as we walked into the dark coolness of the cidery was a dog the size of a horse, laconically lying in front of the bar. This is Eve, the placid St Bernard who oozed ‘rub my belly rub my belly’ as we sipped and guzzled on this delicious cider.
This cider is like no other; what you see is what you get: apple and nothing but apple – no nasty additives – and comes without bubbles, making really, really easy to drink. (Perhaps a little too easy?) However, if it’s bubbles you want, they do have a bubbly cider, so you can rest (and drink) assured.
Another delicious addition to Daylesford surrounds.
Jubilee Lake Road, Daylesford
t: 5348 2186
w: http://jubileelake.com.au/
I was surprised to hear from my mother that there was another lake in Daylesford that was worth a visit. ‘Another lake? But there’s only one lake in Daylesford that I’ve seen, and that’s Lake Daylesford!’.
Mum was right. There is another lake. And this one is just as beautiful – perhaps even more so – than the other, more common one. Jubilee Park lake is a hidden treasure, tucked away amongst the gum trees and only a couple of minutes on the aptly named Jubilee Lake Road. (If you head about a minute out of town (towards Ballan), Lake Road is on your left.)
You can picnic, canoe, paddle or swim in this lake, which is in the grounds of a picturesque caravan and cabin park. Take your dog – or your mother – for a romp and a swim, too.
Where would we be without our mothers? (And our dogs?)
© Copyright Artisan Retreat | Website Design by Gumbo and Design by Avi