A FEAST FOR THE SENSES IN Spa Country

One thing about Victoria’s elite that hasn’t changed in one and a half centuries is that they know where to go to have a good time.

The Spa Country of Daylesford, Ballarat and Mount Macedon is less elitist today than its history suggests, but the region remains a treasure-trove of wonderful places to stay, celebrated restaurants and collections from the world of fine arts and crafts.

It’s beautiful country, with rolling hills, vineyards and dramatic landscapes from which painters, sculptors, jewellers, silversmiths, glassblowers, blacksmiths and printers draw inspiration. Galleries and artists’ studios can be found all the way from Daylesford, with its heritage gardens, to Mount Macedon and the iconic Hanging Rock.

Luxury accommodation & cottages in Macedon Ranges and Spa Country, VIC

Discover streetscapes that haven’t changed in decades, the work of stonemasons and craftsmen that have stood the test of time. Within these streets you’ll find coffee that’s every bit as good as your favourite at home. All those quality things in life, such as street sculpture and fresh produce still showing evidence of the land from which it was freshly plucked, are here for the taking.

Another deeply satisfying aspect of this region is the fact that you have four clear seasons, each bringing its own particular charm. You’ll find everything from organically grown berries to free-range eggs and tantalising honey, with roadside stalls and farm-gate sales down almost every country lane.



Woodend has a produce market on the third Saturday of the month, and there are picnic races at Hanging Rock on New Year’s Day and Australia Day. In February, there’s the wonderful spectacle of the Macedon Ranges Grand Tour, in which 150 vintage and classic cars make their way around the area. Woodend is also known for its arts festival, usually held in June – a perfect excuse to take a break from the big smoke in the heart of winter.

On 25 February 2007, The Age Harvest Picnic at Hanging Rock is a celebration of Victorian food and wine, with over 100 small food and wine producers from all around Victoria gathering to sample, sell and showcase their array of goods. You’ll have the chance to taste exotic barbeque flavours, the finest regional wines, unusual cheeses, preserves as only the country can do, full-flavoured ice-cream and a variety of delicious small goods.

In March, the Macedon Ranges Comedy Roadshow will prove that edgy humour and belly laughs are not the sole preserve of inner-city denizens.
Mount Macedon has a number of open gardens from September to May, and information about open days can be sourced at www.visitmacedonranges.com/YearRoundOpen Gardens. You can browse the www.visitmacedonranges.com site for the location of fresh-produce markets, which operate every weekend in one or other of the towns and villages.

Another delightful tradition in Spa Country each April is the Swiss Italian Festa, where Hepburn Springs and its twin town Daylesford go Swiss/Italian for a fabulous week of festivity around the heritage, culture and lifestyle of its migrant community. This comprises a cavalcade of events commemo-rating the arrival of the first settlers some 150 years ago from Lombardy in Italy and Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton in Switzerland.

Not to be outdone, the Scots mount the Kilmore Celtic Festival in late July, so expect the sound of pipes if you’re in town.

The last word is for lovers of fine wines. The weekend of 18-19 November 2006 will be the 15th outing of the Budburst Festival, which encompasses the entire wine-growing region. It’s a celebration of the birth of a new vintage.