No low season: Life in Daylesford, regional Victoria's top tourism mecca

Think Daylesford and your mind is likely to turn to wining, dining and spa treatments, and rightly so.

Home to the much-lauded Lake House, Alla Wolf-Tasker’s two-hatted restaurant with adjoining hotel and spa, this thriving village about 90 minutes’ drive north-west of Melbourne has earned its reputation as a tourist honeypot.

Tourism town

Alongside its northern neighbour Hepburn Springs, it’s home to an impressive 65 mineral springs and ranked at number four on TripAdvisor’s recent list of the top-10 global destinations for wellness travel. On weekends, the resident population of around 3500 can swell by up to 20,000.

“We are a spectacular tourism town, people come flooding through the doors from Friday to Sunday,” says Ann Marie Banting, Lake House alumni and publican of the Daylesford Hotel.

The resident population sits at around 3500. 
Photo: Mark Chew / Visit Victoria

Hocking Stuart principal Will Walton says the tourists add “a sea of fresh faces and vibrancy to the economy”, providing employment and strong rental returns for investors.

“We don’t have a low season,” he says. “Daylesford is a 100 per cent all-year-round tourism destination and people who buy holiday homes have the difficulty of not being able to use them because they’re so heavily booked.”

The town is home to an impressive 65 mineral springs. 
Photo: Mark Chew / Visit Victoria

Walton and Banting moved to the region from St Kilda, Walton in 2015 and Banting in 2008.

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“I came up here for the whole tree-change thing and really found my place,” says Banting. “I was always intending to do business here, but I wanted to sink into the community first so I worked for Alla at the Lake House for four years.

“I’ve had the hotel for five-and-a-half years now – we’ve done a lot of renovation to the old girl and she’s beautiful.”

Community spirit

Banting says local businesses support one another. Photo: Derek Swalwell / Marie Claire 2014

The Federation-era hotel is a linchpin in the local community, offering top Aussie pub food and a selection of local wines.

“What’s good about this town is that we support each other,” Banting says. “At the Lake House if they want to send their customers for a pub lunch or a cold beer they send them to me, and I’ll send people to Wine and the Country if they’re looking for a wine bar.

We really share the love and it’s kind of funny because you become a kind of mini-tourist depot.”

One of the area’s greatest attractions is its laid-back lifestyle. Photo: Mark Chew / Visit Victoria

For Walton, a laid-back lifestyle that included an absence of traffic lights and traffic jams was a real drawcard. “Most people either move here because they’re approaching retirement or because their job allows them to work from home,” he says.

“It’s a little bit like Queenstown without the big lake and snow. It’s vibrant and fun in summer, and cosy and warm in winter.”

Top home in the area

140 Vincent Street, Daylesford. Photo: Supplied

Clad in timber, Lakevista commands sweeping views of the Daylesford countryside towards Wombat Forest.

The contemporary residence is within easy walking distance of shops, cafes, galleries and natural attractions.

Biggin & Scott Daylesford has set a price guide of $1.35 million.