A day trip to Daylesford, Melbourne

Wanderlust; the desire to travel. This feeling creeps up on me every few months and crave newness. A day trip to Daylesford in greater Melbourne was just what the doctor ordered.

Whilst I love everything that the city of Melbourne has to offer; sometimes I just need an escape from the hustle and bustle. I long for countryside, rural sights and the feeling of gratitude for the simple things in life.

About Daylesford

Daylesford is best-known for rest and relaxation. Therefore, it’s a great place to recharge the batteries with its natural mineral spring waters and rejuvenating spas. Just over an hours’ drive outside Melbourne, it is easily accessible and can be a day trip or full weekend package.

Daylesford can be as romantic, casual or adventurous as you like. The town pays homage to the gold rush era and celebrates being one of Australia’s most successful gold-rush towns in Australia.

The streets are interesting and feel like you’ve stepped back in time. They have a country, old-world charm about them which is nice to soak up and enjoy.

What to do in Daylesford?

Stroll along the main street

Grab a coffee and take a wander along Vincent Street main street, which is filled with homeware boutiques and art galleries, to vintage trinket shops and historic buildings to mosey around. We found ourselves darting in and out quite a few shops due to the weather being so rainy.

I also discovered a bottle shop-come-wine-bar called Wine and the Country which we need to check out next time. Unfortunately, we only had one day to explore but we will be back if we staying for the weekend.

Visit the Lavundula Farm

I had read quite a bit about Daylesford online and one of the major (and first things) I discovered was Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm. The beautifully flowers that bloom vibrant purple is what really captured my attention. It was the main reason I wanted to visit Daylesford and I was really looking forward to visiting.

The grounds are nestled among rolling hills and it is the kind of place you could easily get married in. The moody weather made for some cool pics.

There was a cute little cafe within the grounds called ‘La Trattoria’. Described as “a simple local café serving an antipasto platter and local wine”; it is an ideal pit stop.

Visit the cafe

“The menu is seasonal and explores European cuisine” – delish! One look at the exposed brick and coal fire and I was straight in the door; I didn’t eat in the cafe but ordered a coffee to sip on while walking around the grounds. It was good and made the cold day a bit more bearable.

The lavender was not in full bloom unfortunately, as we visited during Autumn, but instead we saw just as beautiful silver leaves.

Hopefully we manage to go back in summer as I would love to see the florals in full bloom but the silver was just as beautiful as how I imagine the lavender to be in full bloom during summer months.

To top it off, we saw a kangaroo not far from where we were admiring the lavender. It was huge and quite intimidating. It looked me dead in the eye – safe to say I was pretty nervous and backed the hell away. Ali thought this was hilarious but Mr Kanga ended up minding its own business and hoping along.

Eat all the food!

Lastly, would it really be a broganeliz blog post if it didn’t mention food?

We were recommended the The Farmers Arms for lunch, which opened back in 1862. The country charm of Daylesford is epitomised here and the welcoming staff and cosy interiors make you feel at home, especially on moody day like it was when we went.

The Farmers Arms is an art motel, which has nine suites and one three bedroom cottage to choose from. I have also seen ‘The Clifftop at Hepburn’ villas advertised on Instagram, which look divine!

If you have any recommendations for where to stay in Daylesford then I’d love to hear more.

Image credit: the common wanderer

We enjoyed a hearty lunch at The Farmers Arms as recommended to us by a colleague. It is well worth a visit but there are many cool spots to enjoy, including Cliffys and Frangos. More to add to the ‘to do list’ for our next trip to Daylesford.

Of course the day trip wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory glass of fizz (also delish!).

Where are your favourite places to go for a day-trip or weekend away in Melbourne?

B x