Country Victoria

My parents live in country Victoria in Australia, in a very lovely neck of the woods, which I thought I would share with you.

The Castlemaine / Daylesford area is known for its good food, art culture, day spas, orchards, fresh mineral springs, and plenty of history for you to see and touch, from the gold-rush era in the 1850s and '60s.

But in particular, I wanted to tell you about Lavandula, the Swiss-Italian lavender farm about 20 minutes from Daylesford. I recently spent a week staying at Lavandula in their single 'for rent' cottage, and I have to say it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations I've had. There is no internet or phone reception out there, so you are forced to disconnect and soak up your surroundings.

The cottage is actually newly-built, has three bedrooms, a double walk in shower for two (oo-la-la), gorgeous timber and steel kitchen, your own private lake for swimming, and an open fireplace. So pack some supplies and settle in!

And when you do feel like venturing outside, the food at Lavandula is simply delicious! You can eat outside under the ash trees, or in their stone loggia. They make their own scones, biscuits, cakes and preserves, along with lavender lemonade or lavender honey. Check out their menu: La Trattoria

Once you've had your fill, go lie on the grass amongst the lavender and look out over the rolling hills, explore the gardens, feed the animals, or play a round of Pétanque / Boules.

This past weekend they had their Autumn (Fall for those in North America) Harvest Festival. If you missed it, you better put this adorable festival on the calendar for next year because there is sausage making, olive pickling, fruit bottling, jam making, quince preserving, honey extracting, face painting, a puppet workshop, gypsy jazz, and a sculpture exhibition!

If you'd like to learn more about Lavandula, visit their website: www.lavandula.com.au

And make sure you take a look at all of the other amazing things there are to see and do in Castlemaine and Daylesford and be sure to stop into my mother's bookshop, say hello, and give the cat a cuddle. It's the Soldier and Scholar on Baker Street in Castlemaine. (Tell her I sent you).