Central Highlands, Victoria: country sophistication without pretence

Victoria’s Central Highlands, about an hour’s drive from Melbourne, offers good B&Bs and plenty to dining options.

Garden designer Paul Bangay at his Stonefields estate in central Victoria.

GO: Victoria’s Central Highlands, blessed with ideal gardening conditions, is about an hour’s drive from Melbourne. My local towns of Daylesford, Trentham and Kyneton are packed on weekends with visitors staying at a wealth of good B&Bs and enjoying local produce at myriad restaurants; visitdaylesford.com.au.

EAT: Annie Smithers’s restaurant, du Fermier, in Trentham is one of the best regional food places in Victoria. Like many of the restaurants around, Annie uses local produce, mostly grown on her farm. Each week is a different set menu, always suiting the seasons and weather. The atmosphere is country sophistication with no city pretence, but plan ahead as the restaurant is often booked out; dufermier.com.au.

DRINK: The Midnight Starling in Kyneton is our local bistro, serving coffee during the day and drinks and bar food at night. The selection of wines reflects the abundance of regional varieties. It’s a relaxed bistro and is often full of locals, always a good sign, so a great place to catch up on gossip. If you want to take home a drop of the best wine from anywhere in the world, then Banks Fine Wine, also in Kyneton, is one of Australia’s great bottle shops. Having a diverse and sophisticated choice of wines is a rarity in the country and we are lucky to have Scott Banks in our area; midnightstarling.com.au; store.banksfinewine.com.au.

SHOP: One of the benefits of a brisk tourism trade is the renovation and preservation of old buildings and shops. Piper Street in Kyneton has a plethora of both. Stores of note are Kabinett, with its array of semi-industrial furniture and antiques, and Stockroom, with its artisan-made homewares. Then venture over to Phillip & Lea in Trentham, which sells beautifully crafted kitchen and garden implements; kabinett.com.au; stockroom.space; phillipandlea.com.au.

EXPLORE: The area is home to many specialised nurseries and gardens. Two of my favourites, and an absolute must for serious garden lovers, are Frogmore Gardens at Newbury and Lambley Nursery at Ascot. Both have large, interesting properties and knowledgeable owners to help and guide you. On your way to Frogmore Gardens, drop in to see the Trentham Falls in the Wombat State Forest, best viewed in winter when they flow vigorously; frogmoregardens.com.au; lambley.com.au.

Paul Bangay is a landscape designer and author. His Stonefields estate, in central Victoria, offers private tours; the next is on September 30; paulbangay.com.au. Bangay and interior designer Thomas Hamel will host a Garden + Design weekend at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, on August 19-21; capekidnappers.com.

Insiders editor: Graham Erbacher

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