We spent nearly a week in Daylesford from last Monday until today staying in a caravan with a permanent annex, and it was such a good decision to stop here for nearly a week as we are both feeling well rested, we have been warm and toasty ( for the most part) despite the cold weather and we have been lucky enough to have some lovely experiences and sample some tasty food as well.
Daylesford is just over an hour north of Melbourne and is very touristy but hey that's what we are so all the better for us. The fact we arrived on a Monday and had a number of days free from the mass influx of tourists that happens every weekend all year round was great as we did not have to wait, queue or fight the crowds.
Tuesday morning we headed off to the local information center to get the low down on everything there was to do and experience. After collecting a lot of brochures, local recommendations and all the tips on local knowledge we headed off to one of the local cafes to have a hot drink, as it was quite cool, and sort out a plan for the week. Jessie was so well behaved and sat next to us outside the cafe in her double coat combo and lots of people stopped to comment on how cute she was and how warm she looked. We decided Tuesday would be a good day to wander the town and check out some of the stores. There was lots to see we managed to fill most of the day before heading off to the Mill Markets which is the secondhand/antique center of epic proportions (think aircraft hanger full).
Wednesday we enjoyed a lazy morning with a sleep in a late breakfast followed by a drive out to the Diggers Club Garden of St Erth. We had intended to do a walk through the garden but it was freezing and starting to rain and after speaking to the staff who were trying to deal with the aftermath of all the recent rain they had had we decided not to. It was not really the best time of the year to see the garden but that did not stop us enjoying the store and me coveting all the different seeds that sadly I couldn't take home as we will not get to plant them.
Wednesday we enjoyed a lazy morning with a sleep in a late breakfast followed by a drive out to the Diggers Club Garden of St Erth. We had intended to do a walk through the garden but it was freezing and starting to rain and after speaking to the staff who were trying to deal with the aftermath of all the recent rain they had had we decided not to. It was not really the best time of the year to see the garden but that did not stop us enjoying the store and me coveting all the different seeds that sadly I couldn't take home as we will not get to plant them.
After that we headed off the the local mineral spa for a good long soak. I have been cold my entire pregnancy so far which has not helped with our trip south so any opportunity to sit in a hot bath, pool or have a hot shower is very welcome. However before going in I checked on the water temperatures as being pregnant it is not wise to get overheated. Thankfully the temperatures were perfect and it was soooo good to be soaking in the pool for an hour or so.
We followed our soak in the pool with a shared woodfired pizza of local lamb, rosemary, olive and fetta in front of a fire at a local cafe Koukla. After lunch we headed to one of the local lakes to take Jessie for a walk and burn off some of the pizza.
After walking for 45 minutes we went just out of town to the chocolate mill. We arrived about 30 minutes after a tour bus full of day trippers from Melbourne which was good timing because by the time we arrived they had all watched the movie about the chocolate making, see the process in action, purchased their chocolates and were wrapping up their hot chocolates in the cafe leaving us time to do all of the above with jut one or two other visitors. We are not sweet tooths by nature so we chose to share a hot chocolate which was delicious but a bit sweet for us along with one truffle each. Hubby chose the chilli chocolate and I had a quince and white chocolate cream filled truffle. We also purchased 4 others each to take away which may not seem a lot but they are so decadent that one is all you need at a time. By the time we were finished we were well and truly satisfied.
Thursday was Hubby's birthday and started with a trip to a local art gallery,
A trip to the Creswick Woolen Mills was interesting but too pricey for me, morning tea was a coffee and cake at an amazing french patisserie. After a wander around Creswick we headed back to Daylesford for a walk round the Daylesford botanical gardens followed by lunch at the Wombat Hill House then a trip to the Daylesford Cidery. The cidery was a really great experience and we learnt that traditionally cider was not a fizzy style drink and was flat like a wine. We tried a range of ciders (all alcoholic so I only had the smallest of sips which in total was probably less than a 60 ml shot glass in total). I really liked the still ciders and think they will make a good substitute for a col white wine in summer which I might be able to enjoy after peanut arrives.
Over the week we did quite a bit of eating out which is not normal for us but it really made us feel like we were on holiday.
I will post about the last few days tomorrow.
A trip to the Creswick Woolen Mills was interesting but too pricey for me, morning tea was a coffee and cake at an amazing french patisserie. After a wander around Creswick we headed back to Daylesford for a walk round the Daylesford botanical gardens followed by lunch at the Wombat Hill House then a trip to the Daylesford Cidery. The cidery was a really great experience and we learnt that traditionally cider was not a fizzy style drink and was flat like a wine. We tried a range of ciders (all alcoholic so I only had the smallest of sips which in total was probably less than a 60 ml shot glass in total). I really liked the still ciders and think they will make a good substitute for a col white wine in summer which I might be able to enjoy after peanut arrives.
Over the week we did quite a bit of eating out which is not normal for us but it really made us feel like we were on holiday.
I will post about the last few days tomorrow.
Sounds like a wonderful week and eating out would have been a nice treat for you both....it looks so picturesque. The hot spa sounded great too.
ReplyDeleteKathy it was a real treat and there was so many great food options. The spa was so good as it was not too hot and we were able to stay in about an hour.
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