Winter is the perfect time to go Enid Blyton-style adventuring around Victoria. In addition to an annual summer holiday by the bay, I always look forward to a couple of misty, winter wonderland adventures in the crisp winter months. After all, Victoria’s got the Yarra Valley, romantic goldfield towns rich with local produce and hotsprings both inland and by the bay. Annually Mr Ruby Assembly and I adventure to Daylesford for a weekend of gastronomic delights sitting by an array of crackling fireplaces. Here’s a few highlights from a latest sojourn (inset above – my girly favorite store Lark in Daylesford – an example of a successful e-commmerce business located in regional Victoria).

Daylesford has a bookstore to end all bookstores – fittingly named Paradise Books – where bibliophiles can while away the hours thumbing through pre-loved classics and new releases. It is full of golden tomes, like this copy of David Marr’s Patrick White biography (pictured far left) and a copy of Robin Boyd’s The Australian Ugliness (a rare find I hooted over audibly when spotted). I loved opening  the Patrick White biography and discovering a bookmark in the form of a Zone 1 $1.80 ticket from 1991. The middle image is a balcony view from my favorite accommodation in Hepburn, Peppers Mineral Springs Retreat.

Enjoying a moment of wintry sunshine outside of Lark.

Each time I visit Daylesford I discover something new. My favorite discovery on the latest Daylesford sojourn was Wombat Hill House, located in the Wombat Botanic Gardens. High above Daylesford, the gardens have their very own Sleeping Beauty tower (far left) and lush formal plantings. They’ve also got Alla Wolf-Tasker’s gorgeous Wombat Hill House, a homely casual cafe with charming murals depicting flying fat-bummed wombats, pine trees and more. We enjoyed piping hot carrot soup, rosewater meringues and more – I’ll be back!

Decorations at Wombat Hill House – they had me at hello!