How to Have the Perfect Weekend Getaway in Victoria’s Central Highlands

Just 90 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD, the Victorian spa-country resorts of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are a dream destination for a relaxing weekend away.

The Swiss-Italian migrants who settled in Victoria’s Central Highlands during the 1860s gold rush are largely responsible for the popularity of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs today. What was arguably Australia’s first pasta factory was built here and, with the country’s highest concentration of natural springs, it also housed the first mineral springs reserve. These days, a visit to the twin towns – just three minutes’ drive from each other – presents multiple opportunities to be soaked and pummelled, with more than 200 types of treatments on offer, from therapeutic massage to mud baths.

Both towns are as pretty as a picture and have a European appetite for la dolce vita (the good life). Gastronomy and Instagram-friendly interiors are defining traits of Victoria’s spa country, as are English gardens, native forests and the loveliest lake in the state. Autumn is an ideal time to visit, when the street foliage blazes with colour and in local tradition, families whose names end in a vowel get busy making the region’s specialty bull-boar sausages. Discover the best places to eat, stay and play for the perfect weekend getaway.

Where to stay

Lake House

Lake House is the ne plus ultra of spa-country accommodation, not least for its mineral water baths set in treehouses above Lake Daylesford and two-hatted inhouse restaurant. The property's  Retreat is the dream spot to book – it's a self-contained country house with a fire pit and alfresco hot tub. Or nestle into farmhouse luxury among the gardeners and beekeepers at Dairy Flat Farm Lodge, on the working farm that’s a ten-minute drive away and supplies Lake House with much of its top-shelf produce and cut flowers. 

Hotel Frangos

Those who enjoy a maximalist aesthetic should consider the flamboyant Frangos. Its 15 rooms – some with ceiling mirrors, some with circular beds, all with character to burn – are housed in a grand gold-rush building on Vincent Street in downtown Daylesford. On site there’s the popular all-day Café Koukla, while all the boutiques, galleries and great eating you could wish for are right outside the door.

Clifftop at Hepburn

Romance takes top billing at Clifftop at Hepburn, a collection of 18 designer digs scattered around the region. If luxuriating in a stone bath in a timber-lined outdoor bathroom, perched on the Elevated Plains with south-facing views over Daylesford and Hepburn Springs sounds like the ideal way to soothe away city tension, book Jumanji in the Sahara property. 

Where to eat

Breakfast at Larder

Lazy days away require a flexible breakfast policy; Larder in central Daylesford caters to even the latest risers with all-day breakfast options, from tropical panna cotta to Spanish baked eggs nestled in braised tomato, capsicum, chorizo and potato.

Lunch at Sault

In a sandstone manor seven kilometres south of Larder, Sault serves an artfully pretty three-, four- or seven-course menu (above) utilising their own produce before encouraging guests to take a postprandial stroll through the surrounding lavender and sunflower gardens. Lunch is served on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with dinner also available from Wednesday to Sunday, so be sure to book ahead.  

Dinner at Lake House

Chef Alla Wolf-Tasker pioneered locavore cuisine in the 1980s when she and her late husband, Allan, opened the restaurant at Lake House, Victoria’s shrine to exceptional country dining on the shores of Lake Daylesford. Forty years on, this beloved setting remains an iconic experience. Arrive for cocktails on the deck above the lake and stay late for a nightcap by the fire in the library bar. 

Things to do

Take the waters

Spa time is compulsory in the Central Highlands. The Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa (above) is the most famous, offering an expansive range of treatments and therapies. But for more low-key encounters, there are boutique establishments such as the Mineral Springs Hotel just up the road. Or go straight to the source of the healing waters by visiting one of the signposted natural springs; their odorous, effervescent waters have lured visitors for centuries.

Visit a picturesque art gallery

The gallery at The Convent, on the slopes of Daylesford’s Wombat Hill, is a grand establishment with art, beautiful views, a café, bar and even accommodation. Each of the seven gallery rooms are dedicated to one local or international artist, with the exhibitions changing every eight weeks. If you’re tempted to stay, the second-floor Penthouse suite is sleek and fabulous – not at all what you’d expect to find in a former nunnery and boarding school.

Chase waterfalls

Pick up a box of regional goodies such as Goldfields Farmhouse cheeses from Daylesford Gourmet (or ask if they can deliver it to your accommodation) and drive 20 minutes west to Trentham Falls in Coliban River Scenic Reserve. Victoria’s longest single-drop waterfall, this 32-metre-high beauty is fringed with picnic tables and fire pits for public use (bring your own wood, check local fire regulations and see Parks Victoria for safety updates and closures before visiting). A little further afield in Glenlyon, the lesser-known Loddon Falls tumbles over distinctive hexagonal basalt and into a wide pool. While it’s a charmingly scenic spot, note that there are no safety rails by the edge so take care, particularly during wet weather.

SEE ALSO: Where to Stop on the Great Ocean Road