Alla Wolf-Tasker AM – Chef/Restaurateur
As the sun slowly sets, Alla Wolf-Tasker sits on her restaurant terrace overlooking Lake Daylesford with a glass of sparkling wine from the Macedon Ranges. This is her reward time, and a chance to ponder how everything went so right.
The restaurant and luxury hotel that Alla and husband Allan founded, Lake House, enjoys international acclaim. The town she loves, Daylesford, has grown from a relatively unknown small country village into a chic destination for wellbeing experiences, fine food and wine, and boutique retreats.
'People often ask me, “Was this the dream?” but it far exceeds every dream I had.' Alla says. 'Not only have we grown and developed but the region has grown and developed around us. I feel so proud and privileged to have been part of the process.'
Her original vision was to create the sort of quality rural restaurant that the Michelin Guides describe as 'worthy of a journey'. Daylesford, the summer playground of her childhood, was chosen as the location. After 27 years of work, the reality now outstrips the dream and Lake House is a Victorian icon. That has to be worth a second glass of Macedon bubbles.
Local and fresh
'Every February we hold a Regional Producers Day. Between 50 and 60 local producers set up stalls at Lake House, and offer cheeses, smallgoods, free range pork products, honey, organic vegetables and fruit, every imaginable kind of bread, berries, herbs and so on. It's a snapshot of the great things happening in the region. As many as 2,500 people come along and fill their baskets, we have live music and it's a lovely day.'
Exceptional events
'This region has a wonderful range of annual cultural festivals and events. These include the Swiss Italian Festa, Words in Winter, Foto Biennale, which attracts international attention, and the Fabulous Flower Festa with floral installations from many of the businesses in the region. There are terrific winemakers' festivals in the Macedon Ranges such as Budburst. Then there are the races at Kyneton or Hanging Rock. Glenlyon Sports Day on New Year's Day is wonderful. All the locals turn up for events like the wood chop, there is a brass band, and lots of wonderful picnic food.'
Hanging Rock and Mount Macedon
'Hanging Rock early in the morning with a mist swirling around really does have that amazing eeriness that Joan Lindsay captured in her novel Picnic at Hanging Rock. It has a very brooding quality, and when you visit there it is hard not to hear the pan-flute music from the film playing in your head! Mount Macedon is a special place. It's wonderful after a light snowfall and at night when you can see the lights of Melbourne in the distance. The famous gardens surrounding the grand mansions are often open to the public as part of the Open Garden Scheme. Many surrounding vineyards are famous for their sparkling wines.'
Wellbeing
'The Daylesford area has the largest number of naturally occurring mineral springs in Australia. You can taste the springs in many of the local reserves. We also have the largest concentration of holistic therapists in the Southern Hemisphere. Anything you want – Reiki, Shiatsu, Traditional Chinese Therapies – you name it, it's here, and as often as not being practiced by some of the best practitioners in the world. Salus Spa has these amazing hot mineral baths located in private tree houses at Lake House. You can sit there and look out over the lagoon, and personally that's one of my favourite wellbeing experiences.'
