Escape to the Country: Dairy Flat Farm in Daylesford
“Gatherings. They’ve always been important but now the word has a special poignancy,” says the legendary Alla Wolf-Tasker, co-owner of Dairy Flat Farm, the new but old-souled luxury lodge and sister property to the Lake House restaurant, hotel and spa in Daylesford. “Starved as we’ve been of close contact and the opportunity for celebration with friends and family, the specialness of being able to ‘gather your tribe’ shall never again be lost on us.”
Dairy Flat Farm, less than 10 kilometres from Lake House and a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, was designed with the warm art of gathering at its heart. The central Lodge consists of six luxury suites, each with an ensuite, plus there’s a reading room, lounge and sitting areas, dining space and kitchen. It can be booked exclusively for one group or smaller groups (including couples).
Outside, on the 15 hectares of sprawling grounds, you’ll find a manicured formal garden, fruit and vegetable plantings, olive grove, vineyard and orchard, perfect for hiding and exploring, as well as the Bake House, producing fresh sourdough daily. And beyond the property there are quiet country lanes for rambling on foot, picnic basket swinging, or using the property’s electric bikes.
Wake each morning as the birds break into song in a shimmer of fresh country mist and spend the day doing a little of everything or very little at all. In the late afternoon, bring everyone together and cook using produce picked directly from the garden, along with honey from the farm’s hives, fresh bread and local meats and fish that can be delivered to the lodge by your personal concierge. Or, if you’d rather indulge in each other’s company playing board games by the fire, allow the onsite chef to take care of the meal preparation for you – after your concierge mixes aperitivo cocktails to sip as the sun goes down. Then, as the stars glimmer in the night sky, venture out to enjoy a nightcap in the hot tub.
This comforting escape has family and connection baked into its bones. “It’s balm for the soul and the place to build a zillion precious memories,” says Wolf-Tasker.
