It was eerily quiet in Daylesford last weekend. And it has been since a tragic car crash killed five tourists outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel on the evening of November 5.

“It’s been a grim situation,” says Liam Thornycroft from Cliffy’s Emporium, a destination cafe a few hundred metres up the hill from the scene of the accident.

“People, through respect I believe, are staying away,” says the restaurateur, who also co-owns Italian restaurant Beppe next door. “It has been as quiet as it was during COVID.

“There are flow-on effects for the local producers who supply us, like our butcher and egg farmer.”

In the nearby village of Glenlyon, the usually bustling Glenlyon General Store was almost without patrons the weekend after the accident. In recent years, the gold rush-era weatherboard store has become a popular destination for weekend brunchers and lunchers.

“Businesses across town had their quietest weekend ever,” says store co-owner Duncan Evans. “We understand that it was a terrible, terrible incident. And it will become part of Daylesford’s history. But we need people to come back to help us move on. We need life back in town.”

Accommodation booking agent Sam Pridmore, from Discover Daylesford, says when visitors packed up and left town immediately after the accident, he refunded their bookings. “Since COVID, people only book a few weeks ahead,” he says. “But with the cost of living and interest rates, and this, bookings are all last-minute.”

Daylesford Macedon Tourism CEO Steve Rowe says the accident has cast a sombre pall over the town. “People are shaken and businesses in the immediate vicinity were closed. But now we are welcoming people back and asking them to be respectful to a community that is still mourning and grieving.”

Five venues to try

Bar Merenda

Expect lo-fi country comfort using exceptional ingredients and a wine list that reads like a Rolodex of good drinking at Merenda, which carried off the Bar of the Year title at The Age Good Food Guide 2024 Awards.

Shop 3, 22-24 Howe Street, Daylesford, barmerenda.com.au

Beppe

In this verandah-trimmed weatherboard just off the main drag, weekenders come for gnocchi in napoli sauce and pizza margherita but stay for warm Campari cake, glossy with citrus butterscotch.

32 Raglan Street, Daylesford, beppe.com.au

Bistro Terroir

This is the neighbourhood French bistro you want when your ’hood is Daylesford. Set the mood with a Kir Royale cocktail before putting a fork into classics such as steak frites, confit duck and Provencal-style red mullet.

Shop 6, 8 Howe Street, Daylesford, bistroterroir.com.au

The Surly Goat

In Hepburn Springs, a short hop from Daylesford, you can leave decisions to the crack Surly Goat team, allowing them to bring seasonal dishes from the four-course set menu, beginning with an irresistible collection of snacks.

3 Tenth Street, Hepburn Springs, thesurlygoat.com.au

Winespeake

This deli and bottle shop on a prominent Daylesford corner exerts a powerful gravitational pull on passers-by. They’re drawn in by coffee and cult toasties, an ever-changing wine list, and lavish cheese and charcuterie platters. Sit and graze or order your pick of the shelves and cabinets to go.

Shop 4, 26 Vincent Street, Daylesford, winespeake.com.au