February
BEST OF BRITISH Cooking School – Piper St Food Co
Sat 2 – Kyneton
This 4 hour hands-on class will have you producing the tastiest pork pies, cornish pasties picalilli and eccles this side of the equator – plus all the good things that go with them. Class Includes – Recipes, Lunch and lots of take home goods
$185
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Paul Bangay Stonefields Private Tours – Summer
Fri 8 – Denver
Experience the garden at Stonefields in each season through the eyes and words of its creator.
Tour will be conducted by Paul personally, with tour numbers around 24 people to personalize the tour. This is a special opportunity for passionate garden lovers to enjoy the garden in the company of the designer.
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Tools of the Trade PORK PIE WORKSHOP – Piper St Food Co
Sat 9 – Kyneton
An incredible opportunity to work with Master Craftsman Glen Rundell from Rundell & Rundell, in his workshop, to create your very own bespoke wooden ‘dolly’ and rolling pin. 3 hour workshop.
Then use your handcrafted tools in a Pork Pie workshop with Damian Sandercock chef/owner of Piper St Food Co. 3 hour workshop.
$395
More InformationMarch
Macedon Ranges Sustainable Living Festival
SUN 3 – Woodend
The Macedon Ranges Sustainable Living Festival is a vibrant showcase of the region’s premier environmental programs, projects, products and services. Located in the scenic Macedon Ranges, festival visitors will be inspired by an engaging and diverse event format that features an exciting line-up of innovative exhibitors, free eco-workshops, guest speakers, film screenings, and kid’s activities.
9am – 3pm, Free Entry
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Chillout
Thu 7 – Mon 11 – DAYLESFORD
ChillOut, Australia’s number one Queer Country Pride festival is in its 22nd year in 2019.
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Lost Trades Fair
Sat 9 – SUN 10 – Kyneton
Celebrating the art of skilled manual work, ancient crafts and rare trades, the Lost Trades Fair, returning to Kyneton is once again giving career artisans and traditional tradespeople a platform to showcase their life’s work and share their knowledge with festival goers. There will be a range of local food makers serving fresh traditional food & drinks.
DAYLESFORD POLO – MINGELA POLO CLUB
Sat 23 – DRUMMOND
Rolling greens, rustic chic, flowing drinks, buzz and beauty, and 1,000 acres of picturesque country scenes…
Introducing, Daylesford Polo.
Mark your social calendar for Saturday March 23, 2019 for this inaugural event, which will undoubtedly blossom into a must-attend fixture on social calendars everywhere.
Mingle and sip drinks in style in a private, fully-catered fieldside marquee, or soak up the vibes in the stylish general admission sections, taking in all that the latest Polo event has to offer. Sponsor packages are also available to add incredible value for you and your clients, including invaluable brand exposure.
Alongside the excitement of the Mingela Polo Cup match, there will be delicious food, wine, DJs, and iconic Polo activities like the ladies’ and men’s dash.
All profits from this event will be benefiting TLC for Kids, and helping to make an enormous difference in the lives of sick children and their families. To find out more, visit TLC for Kids.
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FULL DAY CHARCUTERIE MASTERCLASS – Piper St Food Co
Sat 23 – Kyneton
FULL DAY WORKSHOP -POULTRY
The art of Charcuterie was born out of necessity – it was a way to preserve precious meat for the leaner months before refrigeration. We will teach you the skills & techniques based on ancient recipes. You will learn how to bone and break down a bird and then lots of different ways to prepare and preserve your poultry
$295 Class Includes: Hands on and demonstrations, recipes, lunch served with regional wine and take home products
More InformationBEST OF BRITISH Cooking School – Piper St Food Co
Sat 30 – Kyneton
This 4 hour hands-on class will have you producing the tastiest pork pies, cornish pasties picalilli and eccles this side of the equator – plus all the good things that go with them. Class Includes – Recipes, Lunch and lots of take home goods
$185
More InformationApril
Paul Bangay Stonefields Private Tours – Autumn
Fri 26 – Denver
Experience the garden at Stonefields in each season through the eyes and words of its creator.
Tour will be conducted by Paul personally, with tour numbers around 24 people to personalize the tour. This is a special opportunity for passionate garden lovers to enjoy the garden in the company of the designer.
DMR Open Studios
Throughout Daylesford & Macedon Ranges
Usually begins on the last weekend in April
Set over 3 wekends the annual Open Studios event highlighting the artists of Daylesford and Macedon Ranges. A chance to take a peek into the inspiration and creation of the artists and have an enduring arts and culture experience.
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AUTUMN IN ITALy Cooking School – Piper St Food Co
Sat 27 – Kyneton
A pasta class but with so much more- Hand cut egg pasta with ragu, classic seasonal side dishes, a Tuscan bread & tomato ‘soup’ , plus quail & pancetta and finished off with the best tiramisu you’ll have tasted
$185 Class includes: Hands on class, recipes, lunch with a glass of wine and take home pasta
More InformationMay
Plate Up Ballarat
Ballarat
A new annual food festival for Ballarat. A celebration of local produce, food and wine.
A program of food related events are scheduled throughout May including the inaugural Federation University pie competition, judged by a panel of experts and a peoples choice award.Local producers
All the details are on the website.
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Booktown Festival
Sat 4 and Sun 5 – Clunes
Each year the Clunes Booktown Festival attracts 18,000 people who enjoy the most amazing whole town bookshop in the world. Think author talks, workshops, live entertainment, a kids village, and good food.
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Lavandula Autumn Harvest Festival
Shepherds Flat
Enjoy the harvesting of the lavender at Lavandula, a historic stone villa and property just a few minutes from Daylesford.
Demonstrations and stalls and a wood-fired oven producing mouth-watering meals.
More InformationJune
Woodend Winter Arts Festival
Woodend
Dates announced closer to the event
The 15th annual Woodend Winter Arts Festival brings together Australian and international artists, performers, authors and commentators for the Macedon Ranges’ premier arts festival.
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Everything In It’s Right Place – Wine Festival
Daylesford
Dates yet to be announced
Showcase wines made with integrity. “Nothing commercial, nothing tinkered with, just real wine made by real great peeps.” as they say.
July
Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival
Castlemaine
Dates confirmed closer to the event
The Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival (CDOC) is an annual three day event held in July.
More InformationAugust
Words in Winter
Daylesford and District
Usually a full months program. Dates announced closer to event.
Founded in 2002 Words in Winter is an annual literary and arts festival held in August each year in Daylesford, the Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts.
It is a celebration of words, stories and ideas in all their forms shared by locals and visiting presenters through readings, poetry, theatre, music, talks, workshops, visiting authors, and exhibitions.
More InformationSeptember
Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival
Kyneton
Generally the first week of the month.
The includes favorites such as Kyneton’s Festival of One Act Plays, the Antique and Vintage Fair, Ferret Racing, Buskers, Open Gardens, Scarecrow displays, the Spring Flower Show and the continuation of the recently added Kyneton Dog Dash.
The Daffodil Art Prize and the Art Photography Prize will be exhibited throughout the Festival and a host of local galleries and studios will open their doors to display the work and practice of our diverse local artists.
More InformationOctober
Paul Bangay Stonefields Private Tour – Early Spring
Fri 4 – Denver
Experience the garden at Stonefields in each season through the eyes and words of its creator.
Tour will be conducted by Paul personally, with tour numbers around 24 people to personalize the tour. This is a special opportunity for passionate garden lovers to enjoy the garden in the company of the designer.
Paul Bangay Stonefields Private Tour – Early Spring
Fri 11 – Denver
Experience the garden at Stonefields in each season through the eyes and words of its creator.
Tour will be conducted by Paul personally, with tour numbers around 24 people to personalize the tour. This is a special opportunity for passionate garden lovers to enjoy the garden in the company of the designer.
Kyneton Music Festival
Kyneton
Kyneton Music Festival is an annual, locally conceived festival featuring a great line up of Australian music. Not to be missed if you love your Australian indi music.
Dates published closer to the event
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Ride Daylesford Fundraiser
Spa Country
Annual fund raiser with over 2,000 cyclists who will ride through the beautiful countryside of Hepburn, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander Shires. The ride will pass the towns of Kyneton, Malmsbury, Elphinston, Faraday, Taradale, Harcourt, Walmer, Maldon, Newstead, Franklinford, and Hepburn Springs before returning to Daylesford.
Date published closer to the event
More InformationNovember
St Erth Spring Garden Fair
Blackwood
Come and enjoy this historic garden nestled in the hills of Blackwood and take in a free tour or mini-workshop while the kids enjoy garden art activities.
Castlemaine Festival of Gardens
Castlemaine and Region
Every two years, in Melbourne Cup Week, a selection of gardens are opened for your enjoyment. As always there is a variety of gardens, from grand and historical gardens to small cottage plots and gardens which will intrigue and inspire.
Next scheduled event 2020
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Kyneton Cup
Kyneton
A Marquee event and public holiday in Kyneton, forming part of Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival. This event day attracts people from all over Australia and other parts of the world, who now attend this day each year as part of their Melbourne Cup Week activities.
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Creswick Garden Lovers Weekend
Creswick
This annual community event, now in it’s fifth year, is organised by Business & Tourism Creswick Inc. All profits are used for local Creswick projects. We invite you to visit the scenic, historic Central Goldfields Region of Victoria and see an array of diverse private gardens, iconic commercial gardens and nurseries, and more.
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Kyneton Agricultural Show
Kyneton
Carnival Friday Night 5.30 – 10.30 and Show Day Saturday
A classic country show with rides, pets, farm animals, craft tent, show bags and all the regional produce, art and cooking prizes. There is a ute muster, Friday night fireworks and plenty of entertainment.
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Budburst Food and Wine Festival
Macedon ranges
Budburst is the regions number one food and wine festival where mainly small and family owned wineries open their doors. Explore and experience the diversity of wine styles grown and vinified across this outstanding winemaking region.
More InformationPaul Bangay Stonefields Private Tour – Late Spring
Fri 15 – Denver
Experience the garden at Stonefields in each season through the eyes and words of its creator.
Tour will be conducted by Paul personally, with tour numbers around 24 people to personalize the tour. This is a special opportunity for passionate garden lovers to enjoy the garden in the company of the designer.
Paul Bangay Stonefields Private Tour – Late Spring
Fri 22 – Denver
Experience the garden at Stonefields in each season through the eyes and words of its creator.
Tour will be conducted by Paul personally, with tour numbers around 24 people to personalize the tour. This is a special opportunity for passionate garden lovers to enjoy the garden in the company of the designer.
Malmsbury Village Fayre
Malmsbury
The annual Malmsbury Village Fayre, a fun day full of festivities in the lush Malmsbury Botanic Gardens. This year’s theme is “Magic in the Gardens”: fairies, fortune tellers, medieval actors and magic will feature across the day with something for everyone to surprise and delight.
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Daylesford Show
Daylesford
Billed as ‘one of the states best exhibitions’ expect a classic country show day with entertainment, animals, food and of course the show of the regions best produce.
More InformationDecember
ChillOut’s Queer COUNTRY BAKE OFF
Sat 1 – Farmers Arms Hotel – Daylesford
GET BAKING! Put your baking and decorating skills to the test and you could see yourself crowned as the baking King or Queen of ChillOut. All cakes competing in the show will be auctioned off with funds raised going towards supporting Thorne Harbour Country and in honour of World AIDS day. Make sure you come along and support this fun event.
The entry fee is $10 for all cakes.
Categories
The Home Baker Categories: The Most Creative Cake; The best Equality Wedding cake
The Under 15 years old Baker : The Most Creative Cake
The Professional Baker : The best Organisation/Business Pride Cake; The Best Equality Wedding Cake
A Baroque Christmas – Australian Chamber Choir
Sat 1 – Church of the Resurrection, Macedon
In European countries across the centuries, Christmas has been marked by vibrant and joyous music-making. Serious composers would compete with each other to write music with the maximum popular appeal for adults and children alike. This program represents the “pick of the pops” from the late 1500s to the late 1700s. Includes works of Hammerschmidt, Schutz, JS Bach, Gabrieli, Praetorius, Scheidt and more.
$20-$60 starts 3pm.
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An Enchanting Afternoon of Music Greats
Sat 1 – Musk Farm – Musk
Musk Farm is holding an afternoon of music. Featuring four Internationally acclaimed artists, Michael Lampard, Raymond Lawrence, Alexandra Lidgerwood and Elizabeth Garton-Chennel, performing the music of Mozart, Verdi, Rogers and Hammerstein & Cole Porter.
Pack a picnic hamper, a rug, chairs & refreshments to enjoy on the oval at Musk Farm. The picnic will be followed by the concert on the Chestnut Lawn.
3:30 – 7:30. Tickets $50
Enquiries phone 0407 264 275 or email muskfarm@bigpond.com
Affinity Quartet – Guilford Vineyard
Sun 2 – Guilford
Don’t miss Affinity Quartet’s final concert for 2018, a program of music from the nineteenth century to the present including Osvaldo Golijov’s Tenebrae, Australian composer Matthew Hindson’s TechnoLogic for string quartet, and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2.
Bring your own lunch picnic and enjoy the beautiful grounds of the vineyard, located midway between Daylesford and Castlemaine.
Tickets start at $30
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Gold Rush Trail Run
SAt 15 – Hepburn Springs to Sailors Falls
Starting at Hepburn Springs going via Lake Daylesford and on to spectacular Sailors Falls in the south of Victoria’s restful Spa country. A perfect weekend running getaway.
Course length: 24km + 13km + 6km
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New Years Eve Parade
31- Daylesford
Annual free event for the whole family to enjoy.
Daylesford Wine Tours – Classic Day Tour
Region Wide
Join wine guide Clay Watson for a whole day tour of local wineries. Tours kick off and return to Daylesford (or your accommodation) and includes all tastings at 5 locations plus lunch at the Farmers Arms.
$220 per person – approx. 6 hours
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Regular Local Markets
Every Week
Saturday: Wesley Hill Market (Castlemaine) – 149 Pyrenees Hwy, 7.30am – 1pm
Sunday: Daylesford Market: Old Daylesford Railway Station, Raglan St, 8am – 1.30pm
Sunday: Daylesford Farmers’ Market, The Woodshed, 21A Raglan St, 8am – 4pm
1st Saturday of the Month
Daylesford Farmers’ Market: Daylesford Primary School Vincent St, 9am – 1pm
Woodend Farmers’ Market: High and Forest St, 9am – 1pm
2nd Saturday of the Month
Kyneton Farmers’ Market: St Paul Park, 8.30am – 1pm
2nd Sunday of the Month
Maldon Market: Fountain St, 9am – 2pm
Clunes Farmers’ Market: Collins Place and Fraser St – 9am to 1pm
3rd Saturday of the Month
Trentham Farmers’ Market: Trentham Town Square, 9am – 1pm
Creswick Market: Creswick Neighbourhood Centre, 9am – 1pm
3rd Sunday of the Month
Glenlyon Village Market: Glenlyon Shire Hall, 9am – 1pm
Woodend Village Market: Forest Street, 9am – 1pm
4th Sunday of the Month
Trentham Station Trash and Treasure Market: Victoria Street, 9am – 2pm
Live Music
Blue Bean Love Cafe – Hepburn Springs
Music all through the week. Check their Facebook page for details.
The Palais – Hepburn Springs
Beautifully renovated and well loved entertainment venue and bar. Visit The Palais website for details.
Daylesford Cider Co – Musk
Monthly daytime live performances at the cidery. Check the calendar here.
The Old Hepburn Hotel – Hepburn
Mainly Saturday night bands. Check what’s on here.
Spa Bar – Daylesford
Live bands, DJ’s and more, no cover charge. Check what’s on here.
January
New Years Day Races
New Years Day – Hanging Rock
This event attracts over 3,000 each year. Racing at the Rock is considered by most people as a very unique experience, the best that Country Racing can offer, a true Aussie Day Out and a must for the “Bucket List”.
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Glenlyon Mixed Sports day
New Years Day – Glenlyon
Join in a long tradition of fun and games at the Glenlyon Sports Day on New Year’s Day. Since 1857 locals have battled it out on the racetrack, in the wood chop arena, delicate women have competed throwing gumboots (not very PC – is it?), sculling mineral water, scoffing bullboars …. From 10am at the Glenlyon Reserve. All proceeds go to local charities and organisations.
Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm – Harvest Festival
Shepherds Flat
Celebrate Lavandula Swiss Italian Farms lavender harvest. Visitors are welcome to learn about the lavender process from cutting in the field to watching the flowers being distilled for their precious essential oil. Hundreds of bunches will hang beneath every available verandah and, of course, our fresh lavender will be available for sale. 10am-5pm
More InformationAustralia Day Races
Sat 26 – Hanging Rock
This event attracts over 3,000 each year. Racing at the Rock is considered by most people as a very unique experience, the best that Country Racing can offer, a true Aussie Day Out and a must for the “Bucket List”.
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