Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges
Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges
Other Towns
The Spa Country boasts many picturesque townships like Glen Lyon and Muskvale which dot the hillsides surrounding Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. Heading west towards Creswick you'll discover villages such as Blampied, Newlyn and Kingston - where charming country pubs, antique shops and oak-lined avenues await. Kingston has some unique accommodation houses and is an ideal spot to end a day's exploring.
In the western corner of Spa Country, the town of Smeaton lies among lush, green pastures littered with volcanic rocks. Criss-crossed with narrow lanes and tree-lined roads, this is some of our most attractive country. Immerse yourself in the pleasures of country life - stay in a charming bed and breakfast, or a real working farm. Fill your picnic hamper at the Tuki Fishing and Farming Complex, or visit Anderson's Mill, one of Victoria's finest examples of early industrial architecture.
Overlooking Creswick from Brackenbury Lookout, it's difficult to imagine this peaceful town once had 25,000 during the gold rush. Evidence of the diggings can still be seen all around the town. Today tourists explore the state's oldest plantation pine forest, oak gullies and natural bushland via the many walking tracks encircling the town. The birthplace of Prime Minister John Curtin, Trade Unionist William Spence and the talented Lindsay family, Creswick Museum is well worth a visit with its thorough history of mining in the area, and featuring works by local artists including Norman Lindsay.
Surrounded by stone bridges and viaducts, mills and cottages, Malmsbury epitomises 'bluestone country'. Don't miss the beautiful Malmsbury Botanic Gardens where Government botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, creator of the world-famous Melbourne Botanic Gardens, finished his work in 1860. Recently restored, a main feature of the garden is a huge hybrid strawberry tree, a plant so rare it is classified by the National Trust.
The region's distinctly European flavour is a legacy of the many Swiss Italians lured by the gleam of gold in the 1850s. Italian farmhouses, built from local stone, dot the hills towards yet another small town in the region, Yandoit, and the nearby Lavender Farm attracts many visitors
