Relax in the country, find tranquillity, breathe fresh air, listen to birdsong and be refreshed.

Ninety minutes from Melbourne, and just north of Daylesford in central Victoria, Lavandula has space and beautiful vistas.

At its heart is the golden stone rustica, a cluster of farm buildings constructed by Italians from southern Switzerland who came to look for gold and stayed to farm. The farmhouse is open for viewing each afternoon and gives an immediate sense of Italian rural life in 1860s Victoria. Twenty years ago Carol White restored the buildings creating a European garden and productive farming lifestyle.

Eat al fresco. The licensed café explores European cuisine and, in season, sources food from the garden. La Trattoria's seasonal menu ranges from bread and oil, salads and risotto, to baked meats or veg. With beautifully light, home-made lavender scones children can enjoy a glass of lavender lemonade, while parents can treat themselves to a glass of lavender champagne.

Enjoy the space. Lie on a rug by the creek. Children can explore the garden and find farm animals. Play petanque or climb the hill to the olive grove. In the Barn find select home wares and Lavandula's range of products good for body and soul.

Lavender is planted as crop art: in winter it's trimmed and sculptural; at Christmas the lavender is in flower and we harvest by hand with sickles through the heat of January. Bunches are hung to dry under every veranda. The products are made by hand in the Stillroom.

The beautiful garden and La Trattoria are available after-hours for small outdoor European-style functions, weddings or birthdays.

Lavandula's contemporary accommodation is just nearby at the head of a secret valley. Broad decks, big view, chic three bedrooms, spa tub and shower room, modern kitchen. Relax deeply.

Cost

Local directions

From Daylesford travel north to Hepburn Springs and turn left onto the Newstead Road. Lavandula is located nine kilometres north, on the right. Melway map X909 C8 GPS co-ordinates 37^016' 24.9S 144^0 6' 33.68E

Facilities

Activities

Opening hours

Weekends and Victorian School Holidays
10:30am -5:30pm
June, July, August 2011

Daily
10:30am -5:30pm
From 1 September - 31 May the farm and its cafe are open daily except Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Disabled access

Contact operator for further details.

Additional business information

La Primavera: Swiss Italian Heritage Day Sunday 30 October 2011
They celebrate the Swiss Italian settlers of this farm. Hear their story, see slides of beautiful Ticino (the Italian-speaking canton in the lakes district of southern Switzerland). Eat al fresco food from La Trattoria, bread and sfinci from Trentham's Red Beard Bakery, Italian-made wine, olive oils, dance the tarantella, joyful acoustic music. In a specactular reenactment see why the Italians and Swiss placed their faith in the bravery of Napoleon.

Lavandula Autumn Harvest Festival Sunday 6 May 2012
The autumn harvest shows how summer's crops can be preserved for eating through winter. Chestnuts roasted or freshly picked, grapes for wine, fruit bottling and jam making, foraged organic fruit and nuts. Help us harvest the olives, learn how to process them. From the people who do it, you can learn about growing lavender, grapes, olives, roses and cottage gardens, and about building a beautiful vegetable garden. Stalls, demonstrations and advice. Local produce and gorgeous chooks for sale. And of course there's local wines and food, a slide show about Ticino, Swiss Italian family history and joyful acoustic music.

Lavandula's Lavender Harvest Sundays 8 & 15 January 2012
Lavender is the flower of the summer, fragrant and drought proof. At Lavandula, the lavender is in flower from November through February - pink, white, pale mauve to deep purple. The colour and fragrance is at its peak in January, when the harvesters move along the rows, hand harvesting, sawing through the stems with a sickle. They celebrate the harvest with two summer afternoons of music: Sundays 8 and 15 January.