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Subscribe Slow-Luxe Getaway: A Four-Day Escape to Victoria’s Heartland Could Be Yours
This article is produced in partnership with Victoria’s Heartland (formerly Daylesford Macedon Life), created to spotlight the region’s expanded footprint, with a luxury getaway now on offer to readers. This is an example itinerary only. Check-in times, availability and scheduling may vary according to each business’s T&Cs*.
Less than two hours from Melbourne, this storied region unfolds as a landscape shaped by mineral springs, creative communities, cool-climate vineyards and towns rich in character. Encompassing Daylesford and surrounds, the Macedon Ranges, Castlemaine and surrounds and the Central Goldfields, the new Victoria’s Heartland identity reflects the region’s strengths: thoughtful design, warm hospitality and an appreciation for generous, considered living.
Welcome to Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty, where good food, memorable stays and time in nature come together with ease.
To celebrate this new chapter, one traveller will enjoy a curated four-day immersion showcasing lakefront calm, mineral-rich bathing, standout dining and the people who define the region.
Below, a suggested itinerary shaped by discovery and detail.
Day 1: Lakefront Living & Local Flavours
Morning
Check into a Waterfront Pool Studio at Lake House Daylesford, surrounded by six acres of gardens. Rooms feel calm and contemporary, with lakefront views setting the tone for your stay. Breakfast on the terrace is generous and unhurried, with local produce shaping the menu.
From here, drive to Sisko Chocolate Studio in Trentham for a hands-on workshop. You’ll create your own chocolates and enjoy a signature hot chocolate sphere while watching the chocolatiers at work.
Before leaving Trentham, stop by Trentham Falls, a 32-metre drop into a basalt gorge. It’s one of Victoria’s tallest single-drop waterfalls and an easy, rewarding pit stop.
Afternoon
Return to Lake House for a multi-course lunch at its acclaimed two-hatted restaurant. The kitchen works closely with local farmers, foragers and its own Dairy Flat Farm, so menus reflect what’s fresh and in season. Afterwards, wander through Daylesford’s galleries, boutiques and design stores or relax by the pool.
Evening
Lake Daylesford offers a 2.8-kilometre loop ideal for an afternoon walk. Stop at the mineral spring hand pump, watch local birdlife move across the water, or cool off by the small sandy beach area.
Dinner is booked at Sault, set on a lavender estate with views of rolling hills. The menu changes often, guided by vegetables from the kitchen garden and the region’s organic farms.
Day 2: Mineral Springs, Heritage Architecture & Local Wine
Morning
After breakfast, check into Villa Parma at the Mineral Springs Hotel, a restored 1864 Italianate villa with original Baltic pine floors, marble fireplaces and contemporary touches. You’ll be welcomed with a cocktail and cheeseboard before settling into the private gardens or one of the villa’s spacious living areas.
Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa has been welcoming visitors since 1895. Set within the Hepburn Springs Mineral Reserve, it remains the region’s only traditional communal mineral bathing experience fed by natural mineral waters. Book in a Premium Alchemist or Mineral Milk Bath followed by a side-by-side massage for a restorative morning.
Midday
Wander over to the Hepburn Pavilion Cafe, an Edwardian landmark now refreshed as a bright, modern space. The updated menu and wine list spotlight local producers, with options to suit a wide range of tastes. Settle in and enjoy a regional tasting platter.
Afterwards, explore the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve. Taste water from historic springs, including Soda, Sulphur, Liberty and Wyuna — each with its own mineral profile.
Afternoon
Make your way to Attwoods Wines, known for its close-planted vines and cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Lunch is French-inspired and best enjoyed outdoors with views of the vineyard.
Evening
Return to Villa Parma for a relaxed night in. Light the fire, pour a local drop and enjoy the villa’s easy sense of history.
Day 3: Japanese Wellness & Creative Discovery
Morning
You might like to begin your day with a continental breakfast board at The Argus, then drive to Shizuka Ryokan, a Japanese-inspired retreat set among four acres of bushland. Traditional design elements — tatami floors, shoji screens, private courtyards — create a peaceful atmosphere. Your bathing ritual begins in a cedar wash room before you step into a deep hinoki timber bath filled with warm, magnesium-rich water. A shiatsu massage completes the experience.
Midday
Continue to Castlemaine, where creativity bleeds through old brick walls. Start at Shedshaker Brewing Co., set inside the former dye room of the Castlemaine carpet mill — now all soaring ceilings, raw industrial bones and an unexpected mezzanine that nods to a New York night out. Settle in with a tasting paddle and an Italian-leaning menu of handmade pastas, blistered pizzas and generous share plates, with thoughtful vegan and vegetarian options and local produce at the core.
Spend your afternoon at The Mill Castlemaine, a former woollen mill turned creative precinct. More than 40 makers and small businesses fill the space — artisan bakers, roasters, perfumers, furniture designers, vintage sellers and artists working in open studios. It’s a place where browsing feels natural and discoveries come easily.
Evening
Head back to Villa Parma to unwind in the garden or curled up in the villa’s upstairs lounge.
Day 4: Boutiques, Boulders & Wine Country
Morning
After breakfast at The Argus, take the short drive to Woodend, a handsome town with a spirited main street and a talent for good coffee. Start at Woodend General, a beautifully considered lifestyle store layering homewares, gardening tools, linen, jewellery and knitwear with a mix of local makers and international finds. Across the road, its sister store Little General offers thoughtfully chosen baby and children’s pieces that feel gift-ready without being obvious.
Then step into Think Alike, newly refreshed and expanded. The calming space, inspired by the region’s native hues, brings together sustainably made apparel and design-led accessories from labels you won’t find in shopping centres, now including distinctive menswear and children’s pieces — a true one-stop wardrobe edit.
Midday
Continue to Hanging Rock Reserve, one of the world’s best examples of a volcanic mamelon. The short summit walk delivers panoramic views across the Macedon Ranges. Visit the discovery centre, then stop at the cafe before heading to Hanging Rock Winery for a private tasting. Enjoy a cheese platter on the lawn, where contemporary sculptures dot the landscape. A case of wine is yours to take home.
Afternoon
On the return to Melbourne, drive through Macedon Regional Park. The lookout points, forested trails and the striking Camels Hump provide a final sense of the expansive landscapes that define Victoria’s Heartland.
Your Chance to Experience It All
To celebrate its new identity, Victoria’s Heartland is giving one traveller the chance to win this four-day immersion, from lakefront stays and mineral-rich bathing to country dining, boutique shopping and vineyard afternoons.
Entries open 19th February to 16th April 2026.
This is your moment to discover Victoria’s Heartland: a region shaped by fresh produce, creative communities, natural beauty and warm hospitality — a true place of plenty.
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