I took Easter Monday as an opportunity to go out with friends and family on a day trip to Daylesford to explore the area and see some autumn leaves. It turned out to be gorgeously sunny and some much needed time spent in nature and without any responsibilities in the back of my mind. We began with a short walk around Lake Daylesford, before heading to the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.
After lunch at the Wombat Hill House in the courtyard, we headed to out beyond Hepburn Springs into the valleys to explore a farm.
Lavandula Farm actually belonged to Swiss/Italian immigrants before it fell into neglect until it was restored to its present condition. It’s a delightful place, completely rustic and the European influence is a treat in the Australian countryside. We walked around enjoying flowers and leaves and olive yards and farm paraphernalia, before enjoying some ice-cream and mineral water on our way back to Melbourne.
As Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in The American Notebooks, “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”