I dunno, perhaps Thelma & Louise are to blame. But every woman I knows loves the idea of donning a head scarf and taking off with a girlfriend. For an unbridled adventure. Rooftop down.
I’ve been hankering for a while, and lo! I was contacted by the town of Daylesford in Victoria and invited to come tour the region and… eat. The region is renowned for its ethical, locavore, organic and “slow food” eating. Meredith cheese, Istra Smallgoods, mushrooms, rabbit, hare, berries, venison, pork, duck, beets…I could go on.
Too many boxes here to ignore. So it was a yes from me. And how lovely that it all came just as I found myself in Melbourne (see my smooth flow rant from yesterday!).
I’m going to share a bunch of photos here and tips for doing the same trip. The photos are too good not to include a lot. My mate Marija took them. She’s good at such things. And the headscarves were her idea. And the cabbage idiocy…more in a moment.
Some basics for a Slow Foodie Road Trip to Daylesford:
- How far is it? Just a little over an hour from Melbourne
- What route to take? We went up the Calder and flung off to Hanging Rock for a walk first, then trundled in to Trentham (about 15 minutes), then on into Daylesford (another 20 minutes).
- What time of year is best? Right now is beyond good. Autumn is Daylesford is elbow-your-mate-in-the-ribs-over-and-over-in-astonishment beautiful, plus it’s foraging time. Plus, the Harvest Festival is on April 27-May 6. Spring is also bountiful.
- What to bring? Head scarves. A very funny friend who likes to eat as much as you do. A fun car. We took a Jeep. Walking shoes. And togs…for the spas. And wooly socks for the chilly nights (it gets coooooold up here at night, but is deadly crisp and sunny during the day). Oh, and heaps of face moisturiser. It also gets dry.
- Other tips? Factor in some bushwalking while you’re there (more on this below). In part to burn off the food. But also because the area offers some of the most scenic meanderings through dense Picnic at Hanging Rock-ish bush and mineral spa-ish Autumnal forest.