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A home lovingly filled with art and vintage collections, Ebony Twigg in Hepburn Springs is a charming miners cottage converted into a cosy and stylish getaway for eight. Be one of the first to stay at this stylish property!

A life surrounded by art and artists inspired couple Greg and Kerrie to find a place in Hepburn Springs where they could come with their children on family holidays and offer it as an artist’s retreat to their close friends and colleagues. Once they finished renovating they wanted to also open it up to guests coming to the region looking for the same experience that drew them to the charming cottage now known as Ebony Twigg.

We ask them some questions about their love for the region and what they have done to create a lovely relaxing getaway for eight.

What attracted you to the region?

Like many people who feel the need to escape the hectic pace of Melbourne, we have been coming to Daylesford with our family for years, attracted by the area’s natural beauty, history and strong food and wine culture. Many of our artist and gallery clients are in the region and we have discovered lots of our neighbours here are involved in the arts too.

We operate a busy art services business in Melbourne and were looking for a place in the country where we could escape for the weekends so we weren’t tempted to work seven days a week. We also wanted somewhere we could offer our artists a space to get out of town for a few days to paint, draw and create.

What we found was an 1860’s miners cottage with good bones. The blue carpet and purple flock paintwork certainly needed an overhaul but as soon as we saw the beautiful old green wood-burning stove in the kitchen in great condition, we knew we’d found our place in the country.

Tell us a bit about the house?

The house dates back to the 1860s with some original features and some 50s, 60s and 70s additions. The house was given a makeover and Ebony Twigg was born, the name chosen for her black painted exterior and a desire to bring aspects of the countryside to the interior in the form of branches, flowers, pine cones and natures lovely things. The front door was painted the same shade of green as the heart of the home stove.

Throughout the house hang artworks from our talented clients, many given to us as a thank you after enjoying their stay at Ebony Twigg. We hope our guests enjoy her relaxing and warm atmosphere, full of things of interest without being too precious.

We have enjoyed decorating with an assortment of vintage items we have found locally – we love the Daylesford Sunday Market, the Mill Markets, the lovingly curated shop Found in Vincent Street, and from surrounding small towns,
 giving Ebony Twigg a personality of her own.

What are your favourite shopping, eating and sightseeing haunts close to Ebony Twigg?

There is a lovely walking track that runs behind the house along Spring Creek which takes you to the Old Hepburn Pool that was used by the guest houses in the 1930s. If you look closely you will see the numbers of the swimming lanes. 
Keep going through the gate there and the path will take you to the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve.

We love the village of Hepburn Springs, the General Store has the all the essentials, breakfast at Blue Bean Café is a must, Frank & Connie’s is great for lunch and then dinner at Surly Goat or The Argus. Don’t forget to pop in and see what’s new at Portal 108.

Of course at the other end of the street, Daylesford has all the charm of a country town, with none of the chain stores. My favourite boutiques are Manteau Noir and Harry and Me, along with the eclectic Bromley & Co.

One of the great things about staying in Hepburn Springs is that it is only a short drive in any direction to explore other interesting towns – Ballarat, Trentham, Creswick, Clunes, Kyneton, Castlemaine, and everywhere in between.

There are also many natural wonders to explore – Sailors Falls, Trentham Falls and The Blow Hole to name a few.

Regardless how you have spent your day you can then come home to Ebony Twigg, sit on the back deck overlooking the Wombat State Forest and watch the stars come out.