A spectacular Time in Victoria
It is very dry in Victoria, which is not too dissimilar to Central Otago. But the scary bushfires here are on another level. There is always evidence of a fire in most of the natural forests and we have driven through quite a few. In all the gardens we have visited, the gardeners are talking about the dry conditions this season.
For 4 nights we stayed in the Bellinzona Hotel in Hepburn – a 5-minute drive from Daylesford. This hotel is large, but the interiors and surrounding grounds are clever, and it has an intimate ‘Club’ type atmosphere. The staff were amazing, especially the ex-New Zealand Barman called Vaughn. This is only 1 ½ hours from Melbourne and there is so much to do in this surrounding district.
Each day was a treat:
We started with the Daylesford market on Sunday which was in the morning and pretty busy with locals and visitors, before getting our fix on the Autumn colours in Macedon. Bus loads of people were here to walk the Avenue of Oak trees in the town - but the open gardens were quieter and a picnic lunch in Vicki Hawkdon’s 10-acre garden was peacful and fun.
A day around Daylesford visiting our last Diggers Club garden, St Erth – set on an isolated road amidst Blue Gums, was once again a lesson in sustanable natural planting. The garden has a rich history and is now a gorgeous place to walk around. The Diggers club garens have wonderful nurseries and sadly we can only take photos and hope to source the plants in New Zealand . Lunch at the famous Convent in the heart of Daylesford is a must-visit. Thanks to the renovation and artistic commitment of Tina Banitska, she has not only restored this historic building but created a facility for artist retreats, gallery space and functions.
There is nothing better than a little shopping time to end the day and Daylesford certainly meets that need, although some had difficulty getting out of the magnificent, extensive book shop.
But dinner at the “Lake House” is something esle. Attention to detail and impeccable service, plus of course amazing food - a combination that makes Ella Wolf Tasker’s famous Daylesford restaruant and hotel a special visit.
Our final full day was a tour highlight. Annie Smithers is well known in this region and throughout Australia. She has had restaurants locally for the past 20 years. Du Fermier is her flagship, based in the small town of Trentham.
Today, as we did in 2023, we visited her property called Babbington Park, which she has created with her partner Susan. This is another ‘pinch yourself’ visit. To listen to their enthralling stories about the small farm, kitchen garden and grounds, house, newly renovated church and how they have all been transformed through hard work, passion and vision ( somehow I can relate to that)
Annie and Susan love their property, which shows but, also their extensive collections of rare ducks, geese, chickens, goats, cows and sheep which they obviously love and all come when called.
A long lunch under 4 ornamental pears, at a table covered in a pale blue tablecloth set with printed linen napkins, lined with flowers from the garden in apricot to orangy tones. Simple Basque Chicken was served with piperade and a salad made with the last of Annie’s potatoes, baby carrots and rocket.
Garden strawberries filled a pavlova roulade and with a few glasses of Rose, this was a setting made in heaven.
But, events like this are created by two girls with so much drive and ambition, that their guests must always feel incredibly lucky to experience such wonderful loving hospitality.
This tour unquestionably is about gardens, food and wine.
Our final two nights before heading back to Melbourne, however, is in the country town of Dunkeld where we immerse ourselves in the Australian countryside beside the Grampian National Park in the idyllic hotel of the Royal Mail.
But, before we started, our journey past many enormous agricultural fields, which would grow wheat and where tractor drivers would be in 1 paddock for days. I returned to Lambley Nursery probably for the 4th time. This year, we had David Glen, the gentleman owner and knowledgeable plantsman, give us a private tour. He was one of those people who has a story about everything, and we had the most enjoyable 2 hours in his company as he walked us through the Lambley gardens and into his private house garden.
Kangaroos came out to meet us in the late afternoon at the Royal Mail Hotel, on our arrival in Dunkeld. The restaurants at the hotel are famous, as is the extensive kitchen garden. On our first night, we ate at the casual restaurant - ‘Parker St Project’, where we enjoyed a very creative set menu. The next day started with a visit to the kitchen garden hosted by the famous Robyn Wickens himself, this is what drives the restaurant menu’s as the chefs choose their produce each day. After a drive in the countryside, we had a wine tasting, and an introduction to the endangered wildlife sanctuary, where we met endangered Marsupials - called Bandicoots, Potarroos, Squirrel gliders, Quolls and adorable long tailed wallabies that lived in trees and finally, at the end of our day was the exemplary dinner at Wickens, with courses so detailed it was like a science lesson, but incredibly clever and sophisticated.
Driving back to Melbourne via Halls Gap and Ballarat was a humbling experience. The recent fires in December / January, 2024/2025 destroyed 47 % - 127,000 hectares of the Grampian National Park. It was started by a lightning strike.
Remarkably, within three months, the Gum Trees had new foliage, and the forest floor was remerging with shrubs, new blue gums, and grasses. The eradication of wildlife was devastating, and as I walked on the charred black earth with branches of blue gum nuts that looked like they had exploded in the heat, it was an eerie scene that went on for kilometres.
After Halls Gap, we drove 20 minutes to the Bokaro Lookout, one of many that provides a vast view of the surrounding landscape.
A final night eventually arrives to all tours. I have once again booked dinner at Maha East in Prahran to enjoy their beautiful Middle Eastern food.
Saying thank you, goodbye and I wish you ‘good luck’ is meaningful when you have spent the last 15 days with yet another amazing tour group. I am sure they won’t mind me saying that they were one of the oldest in age groups that I have taken away with an average age of 83 ½ . This is easily this most heartwarming and reassuring lesson for me and should be for many others. As I turn 70 this year and I look at my life.’ Life’ is the most important ‘thing’ I have. I admire my group so much - to still travel, still love to interact and chat, still enjoy food, gardens and more than 1 glass of wine, my beautiful group is an inspiration.
