26 – Take the book and spend a weekend in Daylesford to experience the official spa centre of Victoria – August 30, 2013
To get to #26 of the list, you first have to pass #25, buying a book at Hill of Content. Since this blog is written by a German, and German follow rules sehr ordentlich, I’ve been to Hill of Content and bought a book. To be specific, I got Peter Temple’s Truth, a detective story set in Melbourne. Having done the purchase last week on Monday, pressure built up to complete the necessary #26 and to relieve my consciousness of that obligation.
Tuesday night we went online to wotif.com.au inspected all available options and then decided for The Manse, a small Edwardian style boutique hotel. In the end the decision was quite easy: Harriet went for the clawfoot bathtub, I was persuaded by the open fireplace in the room. The hotel itself is run rather pragmatically. We never saw anybody managing the hotel. No reception, no room service and no loyalty point program. But a lot of charm and attention to detail. Pretty much the opposite of my normal hotel experiences.
We had the yellow room with the expectedly huge bathtub and the fireplace, plus a comfy armchair, an outdoor veranda (perfect for a weekend full of sunshine) and some Prosecco chilling in the fridge. Combined with the carafe of port above the fire the perfect combination for lots of reading.
We drove to Daylesford directly on Friday after work, so we didn’t see much when we arrived. Daylesford a former goldmining town about 120 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. According to wikipedia, it has a population of roughly 3,000. The area is renowned for its natural spring mineral spas where visitors can sample the mineral water. The spas combined with the proximity to Melbourne makes it a popular destination for weekend trips.
Before departing I was briefed that Daylesford still has the flower power vibe going on. And we weren’t disappointed. We found a lot of quirky little shops with colourful owners and a general interest in people. As if I’ve not yet been enough impressed by Australian friendliness, Daylesford even topped that impression. We’ve gotten into conversations with strangers at the supermarket who told us that they got married in the church next to our hotel, or Theo and Geof at The Finishing Touch decor shop who gave us extensive and good advice what colours match our new place mats. I was very impressed by that generous openness towards strangers. Go Daylesford.
We had clear blue skies and sunshine, the perfect start for spring. Nevertheless, we spent most of the time inside. For one, it was so cosy that we felt quite lazy. In addition, I was a bit under the weather and needed a bit more sleep than usual. But there are worse places to be sick than in front of a fireplace in close proximity to a hot bath.
We left Daylesford and enjoyed the scenic drive back to Melbourne and have the explicit intention to return. It seems more like a winter place, but since there is still so much to do on the list, that it might take us to next winter anyway until we have time for a revisit. We are already looking forward to it.
