This lavender farm with Highland cows is Melbourne’s cutest day trip

A cute-as-a-button day trip from Melbourne that will only cost you $5.

Located just one and a half hours northwest of Melbourne, Lavandula Farm is a historic property near Daylesford promising a taste of idyllic Swiss-Italian village life. Here, delight comes in many forms: a cheese and wine bar in an 1870s stone barn, geese waddling through fragrant orchards, grazing alpacas and crusty woodfired pizza in an open-air courtyard. The 40-hectare farm has recently reopened with a host of new dining and shopping experiences, giving Melbourne day-trippers even more reasons to visit.

Whether you’re here for the furry friends, homemade goods or shady picnics surrounded by rows of lavender and olive groves, Lavandula Farm is the ultimate place to reconnect. We think the $5 entry price for adults (or $1 for children five and up) is a small price to pay for a day of unlimited joy.

Why you’ll love Lavandula Farm

Lavandula Farm's Highland cows — Spend the day with Lavandula Farm’s Highland cows.

An obvious drawcard that will have you melting inside, Lavandula Farm’s resident animals are well-loved by visitors – you’ll find them roaming freely around the farm during the day. Meet adorable Highland cows munching on hay, meandering pheasants and the gaggle of honking geese. You’ll even see emus and alpacas wandering the property.

lavandula farm flowers — Visit the farm from January through March to see the blooming fields. (Image: Visit Victoria)

January to March is the perfect time to visit if you’ve got your heart set on witnessing the farm’s stunning lavender crops. Time your visit from 10–12 April to witness the popular annual lavender harvest and experience the blooms at their most fragrant.

Scout out a sunny corner near the fields and set up your own picnic (you’re welcome to BYO or purchase a picnic basket packed with bites from the cafe and deli). Or perhaps head to Tinetti’s Dairy Barn & Wine Shoppe, which nods to the farm’s history as a dairy farm. Enjoy spritzes, locally made wines and grazing boards under the pitched roof to round out the afternoon. For classic pizzas under the trees and lingering conversations, opt for Woodfire – another casual yet elegant restaurant on Lavandula Farm.

picnic lavandula farm — Enjoy a picnic hamper from the Lavandula cafe or bring your own.

The Farm Shop is where you’ll find homemade keepsakes and artisan goods spanning everything from bath products to produce grown onsite, from lavender jam and honey to lavender lollies. The shop is designed to feel like a charming apothecary with sensory discovery and a deep connection to the farm’s continuing production heritage.

What’s new at Lavandula Farm

Discover heritage stone barns at Lavandula Farm. (Image: Visit Victoria)

A newly opened space, The Post Office Deli & Larder has been reimagined as a gourmet takeaway stop-in. Buttery, country-style sausage rolls and Italian paninis are the perfect lunchtime pick-me-up to bring along as you wander the gardens, while the farm’s iconic lavender scones will keep sweet tooths more than happy.

Also brand-new at Lavandula Farm is The Homestead Store. Set inside a 160-year-old stone building where Aquilino Tinetti lived with his wife and 13 children, the store combines heritage and modern luxury. Sifting through the handpicked homewares, artisan pieces and array of locally made gifts is a wonderful way to escape the sun for a little while.

Lavandula Farm's cafe — Enjoy a meal in a shady vine-draped setting at the farm.

Named after the farm’s founding matriarch, Maria Tinetti, Maria’s Trattoria offers seasonal, Mediterranean-inspired menus in a beautifully rustic stone-walled setting. While the checkered tablecloths and hearty Italian dishes remain fan favourites, the restaurant has recently launched a Lavender High Tea. The two-hour morning experience treats visitors to oven-warm cakes, dainty sandwiches and delicious quiches with a choice of lavender-flavoured beverage: spritz, tea or lemonade.

For those enamoured by tales of the past, there’s more good news – Lavandula Farm will launch history tours offering visitors a deeper dive into the property’s European settler heritage that dates back 160 years.

The details

Entry cost: Adults $5, children (5–18 years) $1, season pass $10, free for children under five

Address: 350 Hepburn-Newstead Rd, Shepherds Flat VIC 3461

Opening hours: 10am to 4pm (Monday to Friday), 9am to 5pm (Saturdays and Sundays)

Parking: Free and onsite

Accessibility: The farm is wheelchair and pram accessible with ramp access and wide paths.

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Victoria’s sweeping landscapes hold stories far older than any road map can trace – stories etched into stone, sung through generations and woven into every bend of river and rise of hill. From the lava flows of Budj Bim to the ancient middens of Moyjil/Point Ritchie and the volcanic crater of Tower Hill, the state is home to some of the most significant First Peoples cultural sites in Australia. These places, along with other immersive experiences, offer not only a window into a 60,000-year legacy, but a profound way of understanding Country itself. As more travellers seek connection over checklists, guided tours by Traditional Owners offer respectful, unforgettable insights into a living culture that continues to shape the land and the people who walk it.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Venture beyond the surf and sand of the Great Ocean Road to discover a deeper story etched into the volcanic landscape. At Budj Bim , ancient aquaculture channels built by the Gunditjmara people to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel) reveal one of the world’s oldest living cultures. While you’re in the area, head over to the state-of-the-art Tae Rak Aquaculture Centre, where you can observe the eels in a special tank, wander the shores of Tae Rak (Lake Condah), and enjoy a bite at the Bush Tucker Cafe. Also nearby is Tower Hill, a dormant volcano reborn as a wildlife reserve, offering trails through bushland teeming with emus and koalas.

eel tank — The kooyang (eel) tank at Tae Rak. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Dumawul walkingtour — Guests are guided through Kooyoora State Park on the Dumawul walking tour. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Step into a timeless landscape with Dumawul’s guided tour through Kooyoora State Park, around an hour’s drive west of Bendigo in north-central Victoria. Led by Djaara guides, this immersive half-day journey breathes life into Country, weaving together stories, bush tucker and ancient rock art. Known to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as Guyura – the ‘mountain of light’ – this dramatic granite range is rich with cultural and spiritual significance. The adventure begins with a meet-up at the Bridgewater Hotel on the banks of the Loddon River, before guests are welcomed onto Country with a traditional Smoking Ceremony – a powerful ritual that honours ancestors and cleanses those who walk the land. From there, it’s a gentle wander through rugged outcrops and open bushland, with sweeping vistas unfolding at every turn. Along the way, guides share their knowledge of how the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples have cared for and adapted with this land for generations, offering a rare and moving window into an ancient way of life that continues to thrive today.

Kooyoora walking tour — Knowledge of the Dja Dja Wurrung is shared on the trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Kingfisher Cruises

Glide quietly through the Barmah-Millewa forest – the nation’s largest river red gum ecosystem – on a scenic journey along the Murray River and into the Barmah Lakes with Kingfisher Cruises . Led by passionate guides who share stories of the cultural significance of this ancient landscape, these cruises reveal the stories, totems and traditional knowledge of the Yorta Yorta people. As you navigate narrow waterways and spot native birds, you’ll gain a richer understanding of how First Peoples have lived in harmony with this floodplain for tens of thousands of years. It’s a gentle, immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression – one where every bend in the river carries echoes of culture, connection and Country.

wawa biik

Exploring Nagambie with Taungurung leaders. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Translating to ‘hello, Country’ in the language of the First Nations People and Custodians of the rivers and mountains of Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, wawa biik guides a range of authentic and deeply immersive experiences. Leaving from either Nagambie or Euroa, the tours are woven with ancient stories of the Taungurung, telling how a sustained connection and responsibility ensures the continued health of biik – benefitting the people, animals and plants that live in and around the Goulburn River. During the wawa Nagambie experience, guests participate in a Welcome Smoking Ceremony, and enjoy lunch and conversation with two Taungurung leaders as they cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes). The 4.5-hour tour begins at Tahbilk Winery, which is set in the wetlands of Nagambie on Taungurung Country and collaborates with Taungurung Elders to share knowledge of biik.

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Cape Conran on the Bataluk Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The Bataluk Cultural Trail winds through East Gippsland like a thread stitching past to present, tracing the deep connection between the Gunaikurnai people and their land. Starting at the Knob Reserve in Stratford, visitors walk among scarred trees and ancient stone tools once used for survival and ceremony. At the Den of Nargun near Mitchell River, the earth holds stories of women’s sacred spaces, cloaked in myth and legend. Further along, Legend Rock at Metung tells of greed and consequence, its surface etched with ancient lore. At Cape Conran, shell middens lie scattered like breadcrumbs of history – 10,000 years of gatherings, stories and saltwater songs still echoing in the wind.

Healesville Sanctuary

Set on the historic grounds of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, Healesville Sanctuary honours the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation through immersive storytelling and connection to Country. Along Wurundjeri Walk, visitors are invited to reflect on the land’s rich First Peoples history, with native plants revealing their traditional uses. Wurundjeri Elder and educator Murrundindi shares culture in-person with the Wominjeka Aboriginal Cultural Experience every Sunday, and most days during Victorian school holidays. Murrundindi’s smoking ceremonies, storytelling and bush tucker knowledge reveal the sacred relationship between people, animals and the environment. Bird-lovers can’t miss the incredible Spirits of the Sky show featuring native birds daily at 12pm and 3pm.

The Grampians

Known as Gariwerd to Traditional Owners, the Grampians is a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance. This rugged landscape holds more than 80 per cent of Victoria’s known First Peoples rock art, offering a powerful window into the region’s deep heritage. Visitors can respectfully explore five remarkable rock art sites: Billimina and Ngamadjidj in the Wartook Valley, Manja Shelter near Hamilton, Gulgurn Manja shelter near Laharum, and the Bunjil Shelter near Stawell, where the creator spirit is depicted. Each site tells a unique story of connection to Country, shared through ancient handprints, dancing figures and Dreaming narratives etched into stone.

This European lavender farm with Highland cows is Melbourne’s cutest day trip

Why you’ll love Lavandula Farm

What’s new at Lavandula Farm

The details

Top Daylesford restaurants for every foodie’s bucket list

The best Daylesford accommodation for a perfect weekend getaway

A guide to the best Daylesford cafes for brunch and coffee

A visitor’s guide to picturesque Lake Daylesford

Unforgettable First Peoples tours and experiences in Victoria

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Kingfisher Cruises

wawa biik

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Healesville Sanctuary

The Grampians

Why you’ll love Lavandula Farm

What’s new at Lavandula Farm

The details

Top Daylesford restaurants for every foodie’s bucket list

The best Daylesford accommodation for a perfect weekend getaway

A guide to the best Daylesford cafes for brunch and coffee

A visitor’s guide to picturesque Lake Daylesford

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.

Budj Bim cultural landscape

Dumawul Kooyoora Walking Tour

Kingfisher Cruises

wawa biik

Bataluk Cultural Trail

Healesville Sanctuary

The Grampians

From ancient aquaculture systems to sacred rock art shelters, Victoria’s First Peoples cultural experiences offer a powerful connection to one of the world’s oldest living cultures – where every site, story and smoking ceremony invites a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet.