Local Treasures

Make your memories last a lifetime with tangible bespoke pieces inspired by our region’s most unique and creative artisans. From paintings and ponchos to gin and jewellery, you’re bound to find the perfect memento of your trip to the Central Highlands to take home and cherish.

Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges is renowned for art and we possess an enviable list of galleries, visionaries and artists unique to the region. These include the iconic David Bromley of Bromley & Co in Daylesford and Tina Banitska, the owner of the magnificent Convent Gallery, nestled beside the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens, which showcases over 100 artists at any one time on a two-month rotation. Bullarto Gallery features the works of painter and sculptor Phillip Edwards, while Hepburn Springs-based Radius Art Space features a rotating roster of exhibitions. It is also home to a makers’ store where local creatives showcase their wares.

Come in and peruse these stunning gallery spaces, where you can choose from an array of paintings on various mediums, sculptures, prints, photography and glass blown works. Not only will you rejoice in a beautiful piece of artwork, you will also enjoy an investment that will hopefully appreciate over time.

If you’re looking for award-winning gin to savour, our myriad of distilleries are sure to impress. Pick up a local bottle from Daylesford Spirit, multi award-winning distiller, or enjoy a tasting flight or seasonal cocktail at Hepburn Distillery (also in Daylesford).

In Woodend, sip on Gindu’s superb botanicals range at their stylish new distillery door. Nearby, the gin produced at Big Tree Distillery is a true reflection of the natural wonders of our region, while Mountain Distilling is an innovative and explorative spirit producer based in New Gisborne. In Kyneton, Animus Distillery offers premium small batch handcrafted artisan gin through their online shop.

The gin bottles themselves are also stunning; some adorned with local artisans’ work or with brilliantly designed motifs, so you can continue to love them long after the last drop is poured.

Snuggle up this season with our region’s quintessential wool and alpaca wares from popular producers like Creswick Woollen Mills and Daylesford’s Alpaca Passion. From luxuriously soft throws and blankets, to intricately woven jumpers and stylish ponchos, these quality natural fibre goods are sure to be adored for a lifetime to come.

Want to replicate the aesthetic beauty of your favourite dining experience’s table setting? Our locally handcrafted and unique ceramics have been known to leave their mark (literally and figuratively) and the region is known to be home to many celebrated ceramicists. Pollen café in Kyneton is famed for its bánh mì and loved
for its curation of delicate pottery, made by co-owner, Ruth Laird Spencer, of Fork Ceramics.

World-renowned Wingnut & Co. in Trentham is magical in its simplicity, which masks a complex understanding of the craftsmanship of wheel-based pottery steeped in Japanese tradition, married with sustainable practices like hand-dug clay sourced from country Victoria and off-cut timber ash used in glaze recipes.

Or why not create your own masterpiece to take home with you? Join one of the many and varied classes and workshops taking place across the region and get your creative juices flowing. Discover the art of printmaking at Agave Print Studio in Trentham or paint your own pet with Country Canvases in Malmsbury. Or in Kyneton,
learn how to create your own leadlight or mosaic masterpiece with Leadlight by Ettore, or make your own jewellery masterpiece at The Old Auction House.

Need something to put all your goodies in? Order yourself a gourmet box or regional grazing board from Daylesford Gourmet, not only will you get to feast on local produce, you’ll also receive a gorgeous souvenir calico tote to take home with you.