Girls Weekends Away Blog

Every Sunday afternoon, Campaspe  House offers a traditional High Tea in the lounges of their 1920’s oak paneled Manor House.  
Ladies of all ages and distinguished gentlemen too, are enjoying special occasions such as birthday’s, girls weekends, hen’s days or just enjoying a Sunday afternoon out in this stunning secluded setting.
You will be served a traditional selection of sandwiches, freshly baked cakes and scones as well as their  T2 Tea selection or coffee.
The cost is just $35 per person.
After indulging, why not stroll through through the magnificent Edna Walling gardens to complete the perfect afternoon.
Reservations are essential, so please call 5427 2273 to book.

About a good 45 minute drive out of the Melbourne CBD lies the Dandenong ranges. Nestled in these majestic hills are a multitude of gorgeous townships, all offering a unique experience to the visitor. These quaint country townships provide the visitor many dining and shopping experiences. We ventured out to Olinda and spent hours wandering through the many specialty shops. Of course after all of this exertion we decided to take in some well earned refreshments and went to the Cloudehill Gardens Seasons Restaurant.  Now I must confess that I did go there after a recommendation from my mother and was pleasantly surprised. My daughter and friends loved this little treasure. It was a perfect summers day and we all sat outside on a balcony overlooking the beautiful gardens. The food here is country style; think pork belly, quiche, salmon pasta and share platters. All the meals on the board are $25 except for the share platter. There also are no entrée’s as they allow you to save room for their exquisite desserts. I had the share platter with my daughter. It  contained prawns, salmon, pate, dips, olives…..you get the idea. The platter would easily feed 3 people. They also have a nice wine list including some local wineries, ( I would definitely book for weekends) If you need to walk off your lunch then you can stroll through the Cloudehill gardens (which have been featured on numerous television shows) and be inspired for your own garden.

Where: 89 Olinda-Monbulk Road Olinda. Ph:9751 0168

About an hour out of the city and on the journey to Dayelsford is a town called Woodend. Now one would normally pass through the town on the way to Daylesford but I suggest that at minimum you take a lunch break at Holgate Brew house. This is a great little pub with a range of award winning beers and delicious meals to compliment the beers. In fact many of the dishes are not only complimented by the beers they are cooked with the beers. But don’t despair if you are not into beer, that’s okay as they also have an extensive wine list. We enjoyed a sumptuous feast from the lunch menu, which included warm olives and bread to start; followed by Veal and my friends tried the beef pie (very rich). Our waitress affectionately known as Rache was a delight and the pub has a very rustic and homely feel about it. And if you do over indulge you can stumble up the stairs to the boutique accommodation. Holgate Brewhouse is at 79 High St, Woodend. Bookings can be made by phone on +61 35427 2510. Their website is www.holgatebrewhouse.com.