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.

Video credit: Tourism Australia

From coast to mountains, hiking in Gippsland offers a stunning array of landscapes, with trails that take you deep into the region’s heritage.

I step out onto the sand and it cries out underfoot. Kweek! I take another step and there’s another little yelp. Screet! Picking up the pace, the sounds follow me like my shadow, all the way down to the water. It’s obvious how this spot got its name – Squeaky Beach – from the rounded grains of quartz that make the distinctive sounds under pressure.

For many, Wilsons Promontory National Park is the gateway to Gippsland , and the best way to explore it is by walking its network of hiking trails, from coastal gems such as Squeaky Beach through to the bushland, among the wildlife. But it’s still just a taste of what you’ll find on foot in the region.

Venture a bit further into Gippsland and you’ll discover the lakes, the rainforest, and the alpine peaks, each changing with the season and offering summer strolls or winter walks. Just like that squeaky sand, each step along these trails has something to tell you: perhaps a story about an ancient spirit or a pioneering search for fortune.

The best coastal hikes in Gippsland

sunset at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling wilderness with many coastal bushland trails. (Image: Mark Watson)

Wilsons Promontory National Park (or ‘The Prom’, as you’ll end up calling it) is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne, but you might ditch the car when you arrive, with much of the park’s 50,000 hectares accessible only by foot. From the inky water of Tidal River (dyed dark purple by abundant tea trees), I like the easy walks along the coast, among lichen-laden granite boulders, to golden beaches and bays.

a couple on Mount Oberon — Panoramic views from the summit of Mount Oberon. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

The trail to the panoramic views at the summit of Mount Oberon is a bit harder, up steep timber and granite steps, but it’s a popular 6.8-kilometre return. The more remote hikes are found through the open banksia and stringybark woodland of the park’s north, or along the multi-day Southern Circuit , which ranges from about 35 to 52 kilometres, with sunrises and sunsets, kangaroos and cockatoos, and maybe even whales.

a golden sand beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Walk ‘The Prom’s’ golden sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Australia/Time Out Australia)

You might also see whales on the George Bass Coastal Walk , even closer to Melbourne on the western edge of Gippsland. This dramatic seven-kilometre trail along the clifftops takes in sweeping views of the wild ocean, occasionally dipping down from grassy green hills to coastal gullies and a secluded beach. It also now links into the Bass Coast Rail Trail for an extra 14 kilometres.

Over at the eastern edge of Gippsland, in Croajingolong National Park, you can wander along the lakeshores beneath koalas and around goannas (I keep my distance since one chased me here!). For those who are even more adventurous, the park is also the starting point for the 100-kilometre Wilderness Coast Walk , usually done over seven days.

the Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland — Wander along the lakeshores in Croajingolong National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The best bush hikes in Gippsland

the Baw Baw National Park — The alpine heath of Baw Baw National Park. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Deep in the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine at Walhalla, mining guide Richard tells me how this small town in the mountains east of Melbourne boomed when prospectors found gold here in 1862. These days, you’ll find most of the town’s treasure – its heritage – above ground, with the Walhalla Tramline Walk a wonderful way to explore it.

Just seven kilometres long, the walk takes you through decades of Gold Rush history, following the original rail trail from lush bushland to the mining sites, and through the charming village of just 20 residents with its wooden cottages and old shopfronts adorned with turn-of-the-century advertising posters. Blazing a trail where trailblazers once opened up the region, this is also the starting point for the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

Nearby, Baw Baw National Park has walks through gnarled snow gums and alpine heaths that show off the colourful wildflowers in summer and the pristine carpet of white in winter. Several trails are perfect for snowshoes, including a 45-minute route from St Gwinear up to vast views across the Latrobe Valley.

Further up into the mountains, the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk is an easy 2.2-kilometre path that serenades you with the sound of flowing water as you pass mossy rocks and tree ferns en route to two sets of waterfalls cascading over boulders in the remote wilderness.

The best cultural hikes in Gippsland

the Mitchell River National Park, Gippsland — Hike the Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

Across a pool in a natural sandstone amphitheatre, deep within a cave behind a waterfall, it’s said the Nargun has its lair. A fierce creature, half human and half stone, that abducts children and can’t be harmed by boomerangs or spears, the story of the Nargun has been told around the campfires of the local Gunaikurnai people for generations.

As a culturally significant place for women, hikers are asked not to go into the Den of Nargun, but a 3.4-kilometre loop walk leads you through a rainforest gully to the entrance where you can feel the powerful atmosphere here in Mitchell River National Park , along Victoria’s largest remaining wild and free-flowing waterway.

the bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park — Bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail , a series of important traditional Gunaikurnai sites through central Gippsland. Another location is Victoria’s largest cave system, Buchan Caves Reserve, with trails to important archaeological sites of human artefacts up to 18,000 years old. The FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk includes the naturally sculpted white limestone steps of the 400-metre-long Federal Cave, while the Granite Pools Walk goes among tall timber and moss-covered gullies.

the ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park — The ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park. (Image: Josie Withers)

Also important to the Gunaikurnai people is Tarra-Bulga National Park , known for its ancient myrtle beeches and enormous mountain ash trees. Just 40 minutes return, the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk offers a taste of this verdant landscape, while the Grand Strzelecki Track takes you deep into the lost world of forest giants on an epic 100-kilometre trail rich with tradition.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the WildernessRetreats in The Prom — Wilderness Retreats in The Prom. (Image: Christian Pearson)

Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory offers glamping-style tents with luxurious queen beds. Star Hotel is a reconstruction of a Gold Rush-era hotel from 1863 in the heart of heritage Walhalla. Caves House is a historic three-bedroom house with views over the Buchan River.

Eating there

the Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — Enjoy a post-hike lunch at Carrajung Estate. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Kilcunda General Store serves great coffee and meals of local produce at the George Bass Coastal Walk. Alpine Trout Farm is located near Toorongo Falls in Noojee. Fish for your own lunch and barbecue it with the provided cookware.

Carrajung Estate is a short drive from Tarra-Bulga National Park. The winery’s restaurant offers a seasonal menu of regional ingredients and you can stay at The Lodge.

a seafood feast at Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — The table is set for a seafood feast at the estate.

Video credit: Tourism Australia

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

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