Some days you just have to follow the sunshine, get off the beaten track and see where you land…read more Hopefully you find yourself here at The Daylesford Cidery's The Tavern. What started off as "we'll stop for 1 drink and then go climb a mountain' turned into a lazy 3hr Sunday session. Which only ended because we really had to get home. The staff here are amazingly friendly and helpful. They really know their cider and have a delicious range of locally sourced produce available. Start off with a tasting before you buy a bottle or two. With four distinct varieties it's best to try before you buy. The Tavern area itself is a quaint barn/church hall style building. Big comfy couches, warming rugs and a lot of blue stone. The outdoor area has half a dozen tables and a pizza oven. As well as two very friendly dogs. We'll be back again in winter to sit by the wood fire and drink our cares away.

Perfect spot for a chilled out cider by the fire. Met the new owners, British Claire and her Aussie…read moreboyfriend Macky who makes the cider. The surrounds remind me of many English pubs I've visited in the Cotswolds. Claire served us simple but fresh, tasty and local soups she made (spiced pumpkin and chicken&leek), coupled with handmade soughdough bread. Macky built us a fire and chatted about the 18 different varieties of apples used in the 4 different ciders they produce on site. Just brilliant - go!!!

Stopped in for a quick snack on our way to Adelaide and was blown away by this cute little old…read morefashioned diner! Historical ads and pages from the Woman's Weekly Magazine paper the walls (think 1950s and earlier) and you must make a quick trip to the restroom to check out the decor! Lamb, feta and spinach sausage roll was absolutely delicious - big enough for a decent snack for two and perfectly balanced with the gaminess of the lamb and the saltiness of the feta! Tempted by the HUGE biscuits but needed to get back on the road and not in a food coma!! Stop by.. The food and the atmosphere is awesome!!

This local favourite is so much better than it looks. A wide variety of rolls and quiches and cakes…read moreplus some creative extras eg fruit salad ( pineapple and berries) with chia yoghurt Watch out for homemade iced tea on hot days.

The golden city hotel as wonderful as full food I got the chicken Parmey with crisp and the salad…read moreand my friends for the flake and crips. The staff what very friendly and helpful with such a big group.

I found this pub to be a little too fancy for my tastes, particularly since the beer options really…read moreweren't all that extensive as well. In fact, the lack of beer options made this place rather disappointing to be honest, and in a way I felt that with it being so fancy and all that, they could have actually had some craft beers available, particularly on tap. Sure, the service was okay, but honestly, that was about it.

I LOVE Curly Flat wines. I'm a fan of Macedon ranges wines as it is, but Curly Flat definitely…read moreearns my 5 stars as one of the gem producers of Victoria. There are some excellent wines on tasting here and some really good value picks too. We came here (unwittingly) during the Budburst wine festival. There was a special menu on that day - so I'm not entirely sure if they regularly do food or if this, like the menu, was specific to the event. Still, we settled in by one of the two fires and enjoyed a MASSIVE glass of Chardonnay. Bottles are sold in the restaurant at cellar door prices, making it exceptional value. Food options were home style comfort cooking and also reasonably priced. The staff that attended to us at both the tasting and in the restaurant were helpful and chatty - great country hospitality. Put this on your list if you're touring through this wine region.

Curly Flat is out of the way, far from main towns or other vineyards, so only the truly dedicated…read morewine enthusiasts will probably find themselves here. But your effort will be rewarded. They're only open on the weekend, and at around 80 minutes from Melbourne it's possible to pay a visit on a nice day when you want a drive out in the countryside. They can also do a tasting on other days, but you'll need to ring ahead and make an appointment. In winter you will be warmly greeted and encouraged to sit where you like. There's no stand-up cellar door bar but rather large tables and chairs and multiple sofas by the warm and inviting fire. Watch out though, the resident cats love these spots too so be sure not to sit on them! A tasting here is relaxed, friendly and as in-depth as you want it to be. As we were the only ones there during our visit, we got to ask a lot of questions about their methods of wine making and the history of particular vintages. Pro tip: sign up for their newsletter for information about new releases and special events.

Ambience was lovely. Food was delicious with more than enough as the serving…read more Ordered Eggs Benedict. The usual bagle was replaced with a waffle. Added mushroom on the side. Absolute perfection. Was busy but not noisy. Overall I recommend The Hydrant as a great place for delicious food.

Over priced. Ordered eggs benedict and a milkshake with only having a choice of lemon or choclate…read more (what?). Milkshake was $4.50, when it came out it was literally in a 10cm glass! Rip off! Eggs benedict didn't have any bread, came out with eggs on top of pull pork which was on top of shredded potato. Was interesting but did taste quiet delicious, apart from having one egg way overcooked. When offered water we got 2 tiny cups of water with no jug to refill. Which would have been okay if our milkshakes werent so small! There was salt on the table but no pepper... When asked for pepper a lady came over and cracked it over our food, when we said stop she kept going leaving a way too much pepper on our food. We were served by 2 different waiters, with all having no personallity. When going to pay for our meal, I wanted to kay in cash with the last $5.00 in gold coins. Felt very judged by the waiter as if he was looking at me like I had no money, so I said "just put it on the card then", in which he didnt reply and looked annoyed so I ended up paying cash. Overall, there was no music creating no atmosphere, staff were rude, playground was unsafe with having a concrete floor and no barriers so children could just fall off and the place was well overpriced. Basically I am saying, this place is a shit hole dont go there.

GLENLYON ESTATE (previously Ellender Estate)…read more Situated in the beautiful Australian countryside this winery had long been our favorite place to spend an afternoon while savoring their delicious thin crust pizzas and sipping on quality local wines... but now it's even better! The new owners Simon & Lee have managed to keep everything that was great (local produce, beautiful setting) and make it better than ever. With a wonderful energy and zeal for outstanding customer service they make you feel like a close friend who's been invited to their estate to share good times and great food (did I mention the pizza is our all time favorite). Bookings aren't essential but highly recommended to ensure you don't miss out and I would be sure to allow a few hours to really relax and let the beauty of the place sink in... can't recommend this place highly enough. Visited February 2017

What a gem of a bakery. My husband did a motorbike trip with his mate and stumbled upon this place…read more He's been here 3 times since and only now he has taken me! Sausage rolls, pizza, veggie pie, sweet treats and everything sourdough! Staff were ever so friendly and were able to help with taste profiles so that it would pair well with making a Camembert toastie! The ambiance is very quaint and I loved reading about the history of the bakery. If you're around Daylesford, make a trip here for lunch and have a walk around town!

WOW. What a gem. I…read moreread about an amazing sourdough bakery in Trentham, so decided to try Red Beard on the way home from Daylesford (about a 20 min drive). What a great decision. The sourdough is fantastic - certified organic and baked in a wood fired oven - tasted unlike any I had tried before. I went home with the Blonde (described as a 'crusty Vienna load who'll go home with anyone') and the most perfect fruit bun. Next time, I'll be the Redhead (the traditional tin loaf) and the pumpkin thatch (and maybe more fruit buns). Loaves are around $6 to $8. Breakfast at Red Beard is delicious. We had the best Eggs Benedict that we've ever had - beautifully buttered sourdough topped with amazing ham, perfectly poached eggs and a thin but creamy hollandaise. Bliss. Nice coffee too. Beautiful courtyard outside for a relaxing summer's day. Oh, and the cakes looked divine (e.g. rich vanilla slice, beesting, dense & rich carrot cake). If you're keen, you can also book in for a guided tour or baking workshop (the latter comes with a bottomless coffee, food, a bag of organic flour and your own creations). I'm adding this to my list for next time, for sure.

I couldn't find much information online about this place so I thought it would be good to do so!…read moreMaybe it's because it's a well kept secret Really nice to sample some Italian wines and not just the standard. The food was very tasty, elegant and mostly local produce. Although, I think the menu is quite small. You'll need to book ahead, it was full on a Sunday lunch time. A lovely little find hidden away in Mount Macedon. The staff were very friendly and helpful. They were flat out though, and it did take us a long time from start to finish with the wine tasting, entree, main and then coffees. The reason I only gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because there were times our table needed waiting but the staff were polishing glasses or doing other things like that. It took a little over 3 hours all up. Worth the wait though and we had a really lovely time. They are also hard to get on the phone. They said they often don't hear the phone when they are busy, so I had to give up and just arrive with more people than I originally booked for. Including us, they had a few big tables full and there was not a spare seat or table in sight, so we probably saw them at their very busiest. The cheeses, antipasto and bread were very good quality. And the bread was still warm from being baked. Very yummy!