Its goldfield area is full of heavenly food, rich culture, wineries and living history.
A triumphant mix of rich past and modern flair, Victoria’s goldfield region is full of heavenly food, great cafés and wineries, rich culture and living history.
When it comes to food and wine, Victoria’s goldfield region is bursting with fabulous flavours, excellent wines, scrumptious savoury dishes, more sourdough breads than you can imagine and decadent sweet treats that are works of art.
Farmers’ markets showcase the best produce grown nearby; think crisp, crunchy apples, ruby red rhubarb, foraged mushrooms, thick lemon curd to die for and the healthiest of leafy greens.
Restaurants and cafés have impressive followings, with dedicated chefs eager to flaunt the region’s goodies with swoon-worthy dishes and innovative menus. And when you need a break from indulging, you can rug up for a winter countryside meander, wander through eclectic art galleries, discover quirky shops and bathe in warm mineral waters.
The charm of the goldrush era seems to live on. You can still strike gold today with grand architecture, fascinating towns and food adventures that are all about paddock to plate and vineyard to glass – heaven, really.
BENDIGO
Once considered perhaps the world’s wealthiest city – with more gold found here between 1850 and 1900 than anywhere on the planet – Bendigo is now a goldmine for food.
Declared Australia’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2019, more than a dozen new restaurants and cuisine outlets have opened in the past 12 months alone.
Step inside the swish Bluebird Patisserie – named after the muchloved greengrocers that was there for decades – which stars pastry chef Mynette Richardson’s sweet creations. Jewel-coloured treats piled high with cream and strawberries, chocolate patisseries sandwiched between flavoured mousse and the lightest of pastries are all irresistible.
Nearby, chocoholics will love Indulge Fine Belgian Chocolates, while those with savoury tastes can try great offerings at the Good Loaf Sourdough Bakery in what was once a circular Beaurepaires tyre depot.
Ellis Wines has a new city cellar door – come taste great drops grown in rich red Cambrian soil at Colbinabbin.
Breakfast stops include Hoo-Gah café – owner Gina Triolo will soon open Bendigo’s first vegan café next door. Meanwhile, café Percy And Percy serves terrific coffee. Oh, and grab some produce at Edwards Providore.
Renowned sommelier Lincoln Riley and Michelin-star-trained pastry chef Marsha Busse, who have worked in some of the world’s best restaurants, run Harvest Food and Wine. It showcases the best of central Victoria produce plus wines including its own label, North Run. As well, Marsha shares her pastry secrets at regular cooking classes.
You can watch the dazzling sunset light up Bendigo’s skyline, which is dotted with church spires, at lofty cocktail bar Nimbus Rooftop, perhaps with a passionfruit mojito in hand.
For dinner, head to Ms Batterhams. Set in the basement of the old school hall at Mackenzie Quarters, head chef Travis Rodwell will prepare fabulous shared plates such as swordfish pastrami, pickled cucumber, finger lime and sea spray.
The owners named it after Winifred Batterhams, a teacher who won Bendigo’s Centenary Prize for her composition Song of Bendigo in 1951.
Stay next door at the Residence of Mackenzie Quarters, built in 1877. The two-storey red brick gothic revival style family home has five bedrooms and beautiful facilities.
Located in a well-preserved historic building, the elegant Alium Dining is another stunner, with excellent food and service overlooking Bendigo’s iconic fountain. Other restaurant standouts include Masons of Bendigo and The Woodhouse.
For the freshest of produce, jump aboard Bendigo’s vintage talking tram where you can listen to the history on the way to PepperGreen Farm, a social enterprise of Access Australia.
It’s on the site of the oldest Chinese kiln outside of Asia and the original Chinese market gardens. There’s a café and vegetable garden and the housemade relishes are delicious.
There are more than 50 cellar doors including Balgownie Estate, Bendigo’s oldest working winery. Small-batch breweries include Cornelia Brewery and Palling Bros Brewery. The Dispensary serves fabulous cocktails. Stay: The Residence of Mackenzie Quarters (mackenziequarters.com /theresidence) or Mercure Bendigo Schaller (mercure-bendigo-schaller .hotelsone.com).
CASTLEMAINE AND SURROUNDS
Bustling Castlemaine is known for its eclectic arts scene, rich goldrush history and fabulous food.
It’s the little sister and in the middle of the two Bs – Ballarat and Bendigo – but it packs a huge punch when it comes to cuisine, architecture and character. Highlights include the regal Theatre Royal, which opened in 1858 and is the oldest theatre still in operation in mainland Australia.
Visit the popular Farmers’ Market to find tables laden with fresh produce, delicious cheeses and home-cooked goodies.
The Mill, which started life as the Castlemaine Woollen Mill in 1875, and finished as Victoria Carpets in 2013, is filled with vintage markets and makers producing clothing, furniture, art, small-batch coffee, beer, wine and smallgoods.
Inside you will find Long Paddock Cheese, offering delicious artisan cheeses made by French cheesemakers Julie and Ivan Larcher. Don’t leave without trying authentic Austrian treats at Das Kaffeehaus, a Viennesestyle coffee house. The apfelstrudel is amazing. The Schaerfs bring more than 60 years of family tradition and skill to the art of roasting and blending specialty coffee.
Back in town Bistro Lola is excellent. It’s named after dancer Lola Montez, who used to entertain the gold prospectors in Theatre Royal. Chef Carly Lauder presents regional Italian-style dishes that are simply ‘bellisimo’. For great coffee, try the hole-in-the wall café Origini, which has a daily cake selection. Johnny Baker’s Drive-In also offers tasty croissants, pies and cakes.
Head out to nearby apple-growing country and stop at the Harcourt Produce and General Store. It is a café and wine bar, with craft beer and cider on tap, barista coffee, great food, plus produce and preserves.
The sweet smell of Danish pastries seduces you as you enter. Annette Larsen Rae, who left Denmark 15 years ago, and husband Bruce have restored the once-derelict shop. A trained pastry chef, she’s up at 5am daily making the pastries and fabulous food. She also grows beautiful proteas and waratahs.
Annette uses produce from the kitchen garden and their farm at the foot of Mount Alexander. The Wine Hub in her shop showcases wines and seasonal produce from Harcourt and the surrounding area. She prepares her own salmon, which is delicious. “Yes, there’s a bit of Danish coming through the menu for sure and I love homegrown produce,” she says. “Harcourt is a hidden gem; it’s amazing how many different wines this area produces.”
Sutton Grove Winery on the southern edge of Bendigo produces handcrafted drops by winemaker Melanie Chester. The vineyards were planted in 1998 using organic methods and tastings can be booked. Stay: The Empyre (empyre.com.au) features French antiques and a magnificent cast iron balcony. Mossbank Cottage (mossbankcottage .com) is surrounded by a fabulous country garden.
BALLARAT
There’s a grandeur about Ballarat’s historic architecture that reflects the wealth of the goldrush days. Set on a hill overlooking the Victorian goldfields, Ballarat is just an hour from Melbourne.
Well-preserved miners’ cottages feature along with grander homes. In the heart of the city, the Town Hall, Old Court House, Post Office, Public Library and churches from the goldrush era reflect Ballarat’s growth from a humble town to an influential city that is dubbed the ‘Gateway to the Goldfields’.
Beautiful Lake Wendouree is perfect for a brisk scenic walk. No matter what the season, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens always looks lush and picturesque.
Ballarat was named a UNESCO Creative City in 2019. It is set to host the Ballarat International Foto Biennale exhibition this year, which includes Linda McCartney: Retrospective (29 August to 24 October).
Ballarat has some great innovative chefs including Derek Boath, who worked in some of the world’s top restaurants including 3-Michelinstarred New York restaurant Per Se.
Returning from New York, he opened a pop-up every Saturday night for eight months and now has Underbar that caters for 16 at a communal table. “It’s great to be working with top producers and purveyors around Ballarat and cooking what we want to,” Boath says.
“We are all about really good food and wine defined by the seasons.” It’s named after the Swedish adjective ‘oon-de-bar’ that means delectable, divine, gorgeous, lovely, marvellous and wonderful – just like his food. Boath uses local produce including from Spring Creek Organics, owned by David and Lisa Tatman. They produce certified organic seasonal vegetables and sell at farmers’ markets and their farmgate shop.
Mitchell Harris Wines is another popular haunt with great atmosphere, food and wine. A converted produce store, tentmakers and motor workshop, you can still see the pegs used to stretch canvas for goldfield tents. It has a cool wine bar and dining space, where you can enjoy regional drops by the fireside. Its winemaker John Harris works with growers in the Pyrenees, Macedon, Ballarat and Henty wine regions.
Beer lovers are well catered for at Aunty Jacks brewery, located in a converted garage. For a fun Koreanthemed dinner, try Roy Hammond. Check out the bird cages hanging from the ceilings. Other standouts include Mr Jones, Lola, Ragazzone, Moon & Mountain and Saigon Allee.
Stay: Battista in Ballarat (airbnb.com.au) offers luxe accommodation in a grand renovated Baptist church that was also once a nightclub. It’s been meticulously restored – the architecture is incredible – and you won’t want to leave.
The Provincial Ballarat sits pretty on Ballarat’s historic Lydiard Street (theprovincialballarat.com.au)
DAYLESFORD
If you’re heading to Daylesford, take a detour and stop at tiny Trentham. It sits atop the stunning landscape of the Great Dividing Range and punches above its weight in the foodie stakes.
Load up on chestnuts, cherries and heirloom fruit at The Nutty Orchard, and stop in at Wallaby Creek Olive Grove for olive oil tastings. Dine on sourdough breads and pizza from Red Beard Bakery’s 120-year-old Scotch oven and seasonal local pub fare at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Book early for French farmhouse cooking by celebrated local chef and farmer Annie Smithers at du Fermier.
Daylesford and Hepburn Springs have long been considered special places of healing – you can soak in mineral waters at Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa and Peppers Mineral Springs. The area is also a foodie’s paradise and home to the beautiful Lake House at Daylesford, as well as Dairy Flat Lodge and Farm, where Alla WolfTasker weaves her magic when it comes to style and cuisine.
The Convent Art Gallery is the brainchild of artist Tina Banitska, who transformed the Victorian mansion built in the 1860s as the private residence for the Gold Commissioner. Purchased by the Catholic Church in the 1880s, it was a convent and boarding school for 100 years and acquired by Banitska in 1989. The seven galleries feature work by local, national and international artists. The restaurant offers delicious, seasonal food.
Another standout to visit is Sault Restaurant, which is set in a beautiful two-storey country house among countryside reminiscent of rural France. Named after the famed French lavender town, Sault is also a working lavender farm and distillery sitting amid lavender fields and overlooking its own lake. Head chef Liam Scott loves regional produce and creating fabulous dishes – the degustation including a vegetarian version showcases his skills.
A local institution, Cliffy’s Emporium is fun, while sister restaurant Beppe serves fabulous Italian dishes inspired by strong Italian communities in the region. The lamb ragù, peas, mushrooms and pappardelle is fabulous and the pizza has a strong following.
Black garlic thrives in the area and has been grown by Carmel and Brett Masterson of Springmount Fine Foods since 2015 – they now produce 25,000 heads of garlic a year. Carmel likens the first time she tasted it to tasting a good red wine. “At first you are shocked by how sweet it is, then you get the balsamic tangy flavour that’s almost like licorice and then an earthy garlic flavour – it’s delicious,” she says. Stay: Beautiful Hotel Bellinzona (bellizona.com.au) in Hepburn Springs is a landmark. Built at the turn of the 20th century, there are 43 rooms with bespoke décor and fabulous original drawings by Derek Erskine.
The Lake House in Daylesford is amazing (lakehouse.com.au).
For more information see visitvictoria.com