AUTUMN FESTIVAL Christine McKimm
EXCITE YOUR SENSES Enjoy a day out at Blackwood Ridge where you can soak up the elements and indulge at our highly acclaimed ‘Garden Room Restaurant’ and the award winning rare plant nursery and gardens.
GARDEN FRESH | FUN | ADVENTUROUS
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812 Greenhills Road Blackwood, Vic Ph: (03) 5368 6707 Fri, Sat & Sun 10am- 4pm For lunch bookings book online at www.blackwoodridge.com.au
Daylesford Macedon Life | 30
Everyone loves a good autumn festival, right? So we’re going to let you in on a little secret. You can get your weekly autumn colour fix regularly this year, and you don’t have to drive far to do it; the Macedon Ranges is so close to Melbourne and other regional hubs, you can knock off work and be here in a flash. This year the Macedon Ranges is shining a spotlight on all the fantastic autumn offerings in the region with an inaugural Autumn Festival from late March, right through to the end of April.
Authentic farmers’ markets brimming with fresh local vegies, fruit, handmade cheeses, meats, olives, preserves, honey, cider, beer, and wine will have you salivating and stocking up on wholesome goodies.
What this means is an everchanging, exciting line up of autumn events held across all the region’s historic villages, to immerse you in a bounty of the autumn colours and autumn-inspired food, drink, and artistic experiences which have put the Macedon Ranges on the ‘must-do’ map.
You can tap into your inner-creative with poetry, photography, drama, and garden workshops. Or ground yourself with wellness retreats and workshops in nature, surrounded by autumn leaves, fresh air and a cup of Chai by the campfire.
The festival will be serving up a series of events and creative workshops, kicking off with The Gathering of the Goddesses – a three-day camping festival for women, by women, set in the golden autumn beauty of Riddells Creek. For foodies and wine lovers, there will be a line-up of delicious autumn-inspired winery events tucked down sigh-worthy country laneways. You’ll also be treated to cooking classes with a focus on fresh, local autumn produce, as well as autumn-infused menus at pubs, distilleries, and restaurants right across the region. Villages from Kyneton to Lancefield, Woodend to Malmsbury are coming alive with everything from autumn produce and craft markets, live music, and art installations.
Cycling enthusiasts can double up exercise with visual beauty via our autumn bike trails. At the same time, nature lovers can enjoy the vivid colours of autumn with historic village walks, botanic garden rambles, and open garden experiences. Autumn in the Macedon Ranges is so much more than Mt Macedon and oak-lined avenues. Every village you visit, every country road you trip down, is home to an abundance of colourful deciduous autumn trees, flowers, rustic bakeries, farmgate produce and Instagram-worthy photo ops. Plan your autumn day trip or getaway to the inaugural Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival. Go to visitmacedonranges.com to find out what’s on, where to stay, and itinerary suggestions. Photography by Chloe Smith
