It’s no accident that Daylesford over the years has been at the forefront of many a glossy advertising campaign to entice visitors to the state of Victoria. The ads beckon one to come and play, refresh and revive mentally, physically and spiritually in a restorative playground of mineral springs and wellness retreats. 

This is totally true. But there is so much more to do and see and be a part of in this lovely town, as we soon discovered.

It was nearing the end of our winter’s journey by caravan from Kiama to the snowy Mountains, on into the Victorian High Country, and the northeast. Daylesford was our final stay, and we’d never been here before. Time to explore.

The charming old-world look of the main shopping street, Vincent St, immediately caught the eye, intriguing with its Victorian era and Edwardian colonial architecture, shops selling everything from diverse modern art to high-end décor, to wine and cheese, to quirky furniture and alpaca woollen clothing. 

A special experience was popping into Paradise Bookshop, the vast, iconic bookstore with many a valuable first edition displayed in locked glass-fronted cupboards. The building itself is exquisite, Georgian architecture and formerly used as a bank. There are carefully curated new books, and twelve rooms of secondhand books, as well as games, puzzles, sheet music, comics, vinyls and DVDs. This was a quiet and cosy place to wander through and to browse if you had the luxury of an open-ended day.

Time, however, was of the essence. The nearby Wombat Hills Botanic Gardens were summoning. The high elevation on a volcanic hill just behind the town, combined with high rainfall, deep fertile soil, and a cooler climate, has certainly encouraged the growth of many conifer varieties, majestic trees, and an impressive array of hellebores, which, to my delight, were in flower. A tranquil fern gully and a little rustic cascade were also a feature, but the best part of all was the expansive views as we walked along a tree-lined path dappled in shade. So good for the soul on this chilly day.

As was our later walk around Lake Daylesford. There are many opportunities to stretch your legs and take in the pristine natural environment in this entire region, from lakeside trails to bush walks, and this one, at 2.6kms in length and flat, is not only easy, but immensely scenic, a photographer’s dream. On the way around, you pass possibly the most well-known of Daylesford accommodations, the acclaimed Lake House Hotel and Spa, renowned amongst other things for its fine dining. The lake circuit has become one of the town’s favourite recreational activities, popular with locals and visitors alike. It’s actually a man-made lake, once a gold-digging site, and later a market garden before the building of a dam wall started in the late 1920s. Walter Burley Griffin, Canberra architect, was the landscape designer. 

If you’re visiting an area famous for its mineral springs, it would be criminal not to indulge, right? And especially if there was a two-for-one offer, which the helpful volunteer at the Visitor Information Centre not only told us about, but then booked for us for later that afternoon. 

What ensued was two hours of blissful shower, steam, sauna, ice bath, repeat. What could be more enjoyable after a full day of walking and seeing the sites of Daylesford than a Hepburn Spa experience? 

And then….

We’d earlier spied a restaurant in Vincent St that looked enticing for dinner, but of course, a visit to the Daylesford Pub was definitely a prerequisite. 

It was only 5 pm, early for a crowd you would have thought, but entering the pub was like arriving at a post-grand final celebration; there were wall-to-wall locals, drinks in hand, and the chatter volume was high decibel. Grabbing the last tiny table right next to the very atmospheric open fire, we were immediately regaled by two very friendly gentlemen seated there in comfy, plump lounges. They told us by way of almost shouting above the din that it was AFL Footy Tipping night. This was a weekly event, and we had just unknowingly stumbled into the ruckus. 

What luck! Locals are a font of all knowledge, especially when it comes to places to eat and drink. These two gentlemen enquired as to our dining plans and gave an instant thumbs down to the place we’d seen. Instead, they directed us to a little place further up the road, Betel Boy, and for that, we became eternally grateful. 

Think sitting at a bar surrounding a cooking space on three sides, watching the chefs at their trade, and eating there. Think small plates of succulent salmon sashimi, prawn and ginger dumplings, kung pao chicken, all washed down with a glass or two of scrumptious local Riesling. 

Turns out it was one of the best meals of the trip, and our friends who recommended it were the locals who everyone seemed to know. In the bustle and loudness of the pub, we didn’t even get their names. Chance meetings are often the best meetings. 

So many places we missed on this our first visit to Daylesford. But there was one place we visited twice.

The Convent at Daylesford. 

If you’re interested in architecture, design, art, sculpture, local history, fashion, pretty gardens, or just an extremely glorious café meal in plush surroundings, this place has it all. 

But what an enthralling history! 

Starting life as a grand home back in the gold rush era of the 1860s, the house was lived in, leased, added onto, and repurposed by many a prominent resident until the Presentation Sisters, a teaching order of nuns originating in Ireland, set up the Holy Cross Convent and boarding school in 1892. 

Once again, extensions, changes, additions, and with both wars, new challenges. 

By 1973, the boarding school had made way for a community centre. In 1981, the decision was made to sell the Convent. When the remaining four nuns moved out, the Convent and gardens were sadly left to decline into dereliction.

Enter the visionary, a well-known local ceramicist, Tina Banitska, who not only bravely purchased a significant building in a severe state of disrepair, but over time and with enormous skill, grit, and drive, has restored the integrity of this historic building and transformed it into a major tourist attraction. 

The Convent comprises four levels of narrow hallways, a bell tower, chapel, nuns’ cells, creaking wooden staircases, all reeking of history and overflowing with quirky, eclectic, simply stunning art. 

Hamlet had said to Olivia, “get thee to a nunnery”. Well, we certainly did. We stayed four hours the first day, then had to return the next day to do it all again. I have been to many art galleries in my time, all over the world, and this one is up there with the best; it’s an iconic reflection of what can be done with determination and a respect for fine tradition and history. It truly is a beautiful gift to the whole community of Daylesford, and to visitors alike. And a fitting finale to our Daylesford experience—this time.