When I was growing up Daylesford was the kind of place my grandparents would go for a day trip. The…read morekind of place where you bought alpaca knitting yarn, preserved fruits and other "old people" stuff. Now, either Daylesford has got trendy or I've become old because now I love the place! A weekend away in this part of Victoria is a relaxed affair, and while I might be willing to give up the city life for a couple of days I'm not prepared to give up on city quality food and booze. That's where Wombat Hill comes in. It's a charming spot inside the botanical gardens which means you can have a pre or post lunch stroll and a climb up the tower that gives good views over Daylesford. Come for breakfast, a hearty lunch or afternoon tea. There's big comforting meals like meatballs and soup, or if you're wanting to stick to healthy things you can order beautiful salads and even a bottle of keffir! Booze hounds are equally looked after with cocktails and wine. A sure bet when you're in Daylesford for the day. Note: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

This delightful cafe/function venue is a highlight of a trip to Daylesford. Set in the beautiful…read moreWombat Hill Botanical Gardens the cafe invites fireside eating and drinking in stylish and a"home beautiful" setting. If the weather is mildish or even better sunny head for the attached conservatory (guaranteed "warm inside") or open area with fire pit. We have sampled breakfast, lunch and in-betweens. The prices are very good value for the area and there are always special soups, pizzas and curries of the day. A highlight today was home made crumpets with poached pears which will unfortunately put you off bought crumpets for all time! The sweets cabinet has a scrummy selection of home made temptations including the cutest mini carrot cakes. Wombat Hill is fully licensed and has a blackboard menu of cocktails - I spy an Espresso Martini or a Citrus Fizz. How about a gelato martini with 1 scoops or 2? Does anyone know what time cocktail technically starts as their kitchen closes at 4.00pm!!! Oh I forgot any hour on holiday is cocktail hour!

This place was nothing short of awesome, right from the really cool entrance that is the alleyway…read moreright to the huge range of beers they have, not just on tap but also behind the bar. In fact, I believe they have something like 100 beers available, which is almost reminiscent of Belgium. The other really cool thing about this place was that there were a heap of painters here when I was visited, which certainly added quite a lot of character to the place. Oh, and of course, we can't forget the beers.

Really recommended place. Good atmosphere. Some course's…read morename on the menu are very interesting. Such as ' Lost in a forest ' ,'Nice to meat you '.

It may be in the middle of nowhere, but it's a bloody good pub!…read more Radio Springs is the most fantastic and weird mix of a tiny little local, constantly buzzing with the inhabitants of Lyonville, and quite a fancy restaurant, offering some pretty delicious (though not super cheap) dinner options. I had the steak with garlic sauce which was pretty damn drool worthy. The chips & vegies on the side were great too. Radio Springs is a little bit like visiting someone's house- you can sit on the open verandah area and have a beer if the weather is nice, feast on dinner around the fireplace with a live band in the background if that's what suits, or head around to the red room at the back, where you'll feel transported to a different era in the rather elegant and dimly lit dining room. This one is worth a visit for the overall experience. Don't expect a regular restaurant as this place is in a world of it's own, but I'm not complaining!

Between Dalysford and Trentham in what can be called inner rural Victoria, or more to the point a…read moretown called Lyonville, places like the Radio Springs are a bit of an oasis. the place had a wonderful eclecticism going on, and when you walk into the rather small space we found the walls held up be several musicians playing very laid back tunes together. The music is ragtime and 1940s things and the bartender is nowhere to be seen. It's only when the song had finished and one of hem stands up and walks round the other side of the counter that it sinks in. This is pub full if the most intimate of locals, locals from all around. There are actual hotel facilities (unlike several places in Melbourne called a Hotel, which are in fact only a pub). From what I heard they're reasonable rooms and in nice surroundings when the sun's up.

I visited Zagames about 15 times over a two month span. Here is my final review for this place,…read moresince I will never be returning to this country, let alone this business. Staff are hit or miss at Zagames. Some polite, most unbelievably rude. Not a great experience, I didn't go to a casino to gamble on whether or not the staff would be hospitable. I found Red Lion to have better staff. Some staff at Red Lion were partying on my previous visit with the customers, which was unprofessional, but at least they were courteous when I ordered a drink. I gave the food at Zagames several tries over a two month span and it was always awful. The only edible food I found were the fries. I do like that they gave out free samosas one time, but they were the most flavorless samosas I've ever had. Moreover, I was told the management do not allow tips, so even the very few times a staff member was courteous, I was unable to tip, the staff refused. I do believe that good service should be rewarded, even if at this casino/restaurant it is a rare occurrence.

We were recommended Zagame's as a family restaurant and we were not disappointed. The combination…read moreof a gambling venue and family restaurant is odd; however it works very well and the Kids Wonderland is the best kids play area we have ever seen in a restaurant (and we have visited a few!) It was a busy Saturday night and the staff were very accommodating to fit us in without a reservation. We have numerous allergies in the family and they were meticulous to ensure they got our meals right, the chef even came out to check everything was spot on! There were plenty of a Gluten Free and Vegetarian options on the menu, and the Asian Pork Belly and Chicken Ballotine that we had were very delicious (not to mention the deserts). There was even healthy grilled / salad options on the kids menu. I would class it as quality pub food, just what we wanted when travelling with a family. The service was excellent from the Maitre'd right through to the trainee!

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.

We'd actually been here a number of times before, and it's quite a treat. Great coffee, fun food,…read morereally good live music, and a very serious beer selection makes it worthwhile of multiple return visits! Nestled in the heart of Hepburn Springs, The Blue Bean Love Cafe is great for a cheeky weekend brunch, or lunch. Or pretty much anything. Their burgers are great, as is their avo' in the morning. The kids devoured the waffles too! They have a very large selection of domestic and imported beers, and a few ciders as well. They will also very happily shake it up with a cocktail or two as well :) The eclectic knickknacks around the cafe make for fantastic conversation starters with the friendly staff... and there's even some fantastic books to pull down and have a flip through over a delicious single origin coffee. If you're in the area, make a pit stop in here. Wonderful.

Coffee terrible, breakfast over priced and very average. Service also average. Plenty of better…read moreplaces to go.

This was a rather nice and relaxing pub on the outskirts of Ballarat - sort of. I probably…read moreshouldn't say outskirts because it really isn't all that far out, but it is far enough out that it did take me a while to get to. Anyway, as a pub this place was actually pretty cool. The staff were quite friendly, and the layout was awesome. However, the beer selection, at least the beers on tap, really wasn't all that great. Still, it was a nice pub.

Pleasant, warm and inviting hotel with full bar and separate restaurant. Bustling, without being…read morenoisy. Perry impressive for a Monday night. Friendly staff. Good selection of modern Australian cuisine.

Great hot chocolate and coffee. Excellent pear pistachio cake. Fun selection of cheese and relish…read more Lovely staff