The farm has been inspiring and providing much of our menu, beverage selections and floral décor at Lake House for over a year. In addition, our olive grove has already yielded a beautifully aromatic EVO from our first harvest. Beehives at the farm are promising a good summer yield. The opportunity to immerse themselves in a program of working with lesser-known plants and vegetables, especially heirloom varieties and truly reflecting the seasons here where we live, adds enormously to the ongoing enrichment of our teams.

The Bake House at Dairy Flat Farm

Yes, we have a fully equipped Bake House on our farm! A ‘meeting of minds’ collaboration between Lake House Culinary Director Alla Wolf-Tasker and Michael James, one of Australia’s most venerated bakers, the Bake House offers a local alternative to industrialised bread and supports the growers and millers of small local grain economies. A variety of beautiful long-fermented loaves, delicious fruit pastries, croissants and doughnuts are delivered daily for guests of Lake House, and to our little sister café Wombat Hill House at Daylesford’s beautiful botanical gardens, where visitors can eat in or take away with their morning cup of St Ali coffee.

The Lodge at Dairy Flat Farm

A fully serviced place for escape. Something new for experiential travellers, setting a benchmark for sustainable luxury.

The long birch-lined drive, the formal garden rooms and that first glimpse of the steepled roofs and tower of The Lodge, immediately suggests that these are no ordinary lodgings. Built over 25 years ago with no shortage of eccentric detail, new and quietly luxurious interiors curated by Larissa Wolf-Tasker celebrate the idiosyncratic personality of the building with much local craftsmanship and art, providing a secure sense of place.

Staying at the Lodge 

Tempted out on a beautiful morning by the sight of low lying mist in the gullies and several ‘roos’ and their joeys grazing at the edge of the forest beyond the vineyard and pasture, you’ll no doubt smell the bread baking in the Bake House and hear the beans being ground for early risers. Make your way through the olive grove down the ‘pear walk’ to the stillness of the spring-fed dam. As the rest of the house stirs, your eventual amble back, for the country breakfast that awaits, should sharpen your appetite. The rest of the day is for relaxation and gathering together, venturing out down country lanes on foot, or electric bike, to the nearby Daylesford Cidery and Passing Clouds cellar door. Or perhaps even Istra, our local maker of beautiful smallgoods. They’re all mere minutes away with no need for the car. Evenings are for gathering around the bar, games, plenty of conversation or even a plunge in the outdoor hot tub and stargazing at the Milky Way sprinkled across black inky skies. The Lodge at Dairy Flat Farm is booked on a ‘Gather your Tribe’ principle for exclusive use by 12 to 14 guests, depending on availability, it may also be booked for non-exclusive use by groups of four or eight people.

Whether it’s a special celebration or just time out together, you’ll be banking a lot of great memories.

Lake House, Daylesford lakehouse.com.au
Dairy Flat Farm, Musk dairyflatfarmdaylesford.com.au
Wombat Hill House, Daylesford wombathillhouse.com.au
Daylesford Cider, Musk daylesfordcider.com.au
Passing Clouds Winery, Musk passingclouds.com.au
Istra Smallgoods, Musk istrasmallgoods.com.au

Words: Alla Wolf-Tasker AM, Culinary Director Lake House Daylesford