A day in Daylesford

Daylesford holds a special place in our hearts. Our first trip together, and a pretty special day too.

It’s just over an hour north of Melbourne, give or take. We got there around noon and our first stop was the tiny home we’d rented for the weekend. We’ve always dreamed of owning a small place ourselves one day, so this felt like a bit of a trial run.

Next stop was Lavandula. We spent ages just watching the animals go about their day, baby lambs chewing through the hay, a mama duck toddling along with her ducklings in a row. The highlight though was adopting a cow. We named her Oreo.

An old stone barn on a grassy rise, with a dry-stone wall and lavender beds in the foreground. — The old stone barn at Lavandula.

Two lambs feeding at Lavandula farm. — Cute baby lambs.

A small pond on the farm under an overcast sky, with a wrought-iron bench on its bank. — A quiet pond on the farm.

Inside the farm shop: shelves of soaps and oils, a ladder hung with caps, and baskets of woolly toy sheep. — The shop at Lavandula farm.

A woman in a cream jacket standing with her arms spread between stacked round hay bales. — Baba with the hay bales.

A man lying draped across a hay bale, sunglasses on, arm hanging down. — Don't be like me.

Fast forward a bit and we found a public spring tasting stand. The soda spring won, hands down. We walked the lake, had lunch at Cliffy’s, climbed the surprisingly tall tower on Wombat Hill, wandered through The Convent, and ended up at the Amazing Mills Market. The temptation there was real. It took everything not to buy that leather book.

A table set for lunch, with a ham and poached egg dish, eggs on toast with avocado, and coffee. — Lunch at Cliffy's.

A bare-branched tree beside a small wooden jetty on Lake Daylesford, under a clear blue sky. — The lake walk.

The convent's chapel, with a stained-glass window above a simple altar flanked by two angel statues. — Inside The Convent.

A woman walking down a Daylesford side street past old shopfronts, holding a bunch of flowers. — Browsing the Amazing Mills Market.

All in all, it was a really great trip.

What do you think?