You’re doing 12-hour work days that intrude on your Netflix time. When you get home, you still have to make dinner and put kids to bed. Your brain is fried after work, and the endless discussions about what happened at school. You try and follow who said what to whom and then sit back and dispense wise counsel, or just referee.  You think you have a partner, but you can’t remember what they look like, nor the last time you had a conversation which didn’t involve the logistics of ferrying children around.

You went to the gym was 6kg’s ago. Chocolate and wine are your go to, but their calmative effects are wearing off. You occasionally, irrationally roar at those you love like a she-wolf and regret it all five minutes later. If this in any way sounds like you, then my luscious lovely ones, perhaps it’s time for a girls’ weekend away? I decided to get the low-down from Tracey (name changed for fear of being recognised and accused of not inviting all of her girlfriends). She recently ventured to Piper St, Kyneton for a weekend mini-escape with some friends.

What prompted the weekend getaway?

We have an annual girls’ weekend away, and we choose different locations each time. We have as much fun planning the weekend as the weekend itself.

Where did you stay?

We arrived on Friday night to a large cottage in Kyneton that slept 12 of us. It was gorgeous. It’s important to find a place that is really conducive to relaxing.

On the first night, we stayed in, as most of us were travelling from Melbourne after work; all arriving throughout the evening. We drank local vino and ate cheese. Unfortunately, that night we all had nightmares from the blue cheese on the mammoth grazing platter that would have catered for an army.

Apart from tripping out in your sleep on blue cheese and imbibing one of life’s great elixirs, what else did you do?

We had breakfast in Piper St. There were loads of options for great coffee and food. We chose Duck Duck Goose & Larder. It was delightful. Then we drove to Hanging Rock for a beautiful hike and to walk off breakfast (and the wine and cheese).

We shopped the local precinct. I loved Piper Street’s cobblestone lined footpaths. Everyone enjoyed the range of unique homewares, art and clothing in the local businesses and having a chat with the people that ran them. There’s a great clothing shop called Camilla on Piper and the day we were there, there was a market out the front of the café next door. We found some real treasures.

Hanging Rock Winery is well worth a visit. The wine is delicious, and they also have an amazing sculpture exhibition showcasing some of Australia’s best artists in the vineyard at the moment. In the afternoon we all crashed.  We took some time to catch up on trashy magazines and the latest fashion magazines.

Where did you eat out?

We ate out on Saturday night at a local restaurant, booked well in advance to be sure they had room for a party of twelve. This was a wise decision, as a lot of restaurants were busy. We also had a drink beforehand at Animus Distillery. After dinner, we kicked on at Major Tom’s. We had a lazy Sunday breakfast at the cottage with the regional produce we purchased on Saturday at the market. After a weekend debrief over coffee (large mugs), we slowly and with slightly foggy heads, packed up and left mid-morning.

Any advice for the rest of us yearning for a weekend of respite and laughs with our female folk?

I would recommend visiting Hanging Rock and all the surrounding wineries. Plan ahead with anything in a big group. Bring runners so that you can exercise and feel less guilty for eating and drinking so much. I also always take my own pillow.  I just sleep better. Allow for your itinerary to change as you may discover new things to explore.