The Daylesford Macedon Ranges region is a clear winner when it comes
to overnight visitation and spend – according to the latest National Visitor
Survey results.

Released by Tourism Research Australia earlier this month, the latest visitation
figures capture the quarter ending December 2022. They report on overnight
visitation, overnight spend and daytrip visitation and spend.
According to the results, the Daylesford Macedon Ranges region had the
strongest growth in overnight visitation compared to any other region in Victoria –
with an 80 per cent growth compared to the same time in 2021. On an annual basis,
the region is also in equal first spot – with Geelong and the Bellarine, with 52 per cent
growth.
Daylesford Macedon Tourism CEO Steve Wroe said it was a fantastic result.
“Overnight visitors to our region are worth over $500 per person, so to see such a
strong growth in overnight visitors is extremely positive.”
Another key metric is overnight spend. In the quarter ending December 2022,
the Daylesford Macedon Ranges region had Victoria’s second highest year-on-year
spend growth, at 113 per cent with Geelong and the Bellarine leading at 115 per cent
growth.
As for daytrip visitation and spend, for the December 2022 quarter, the region
had the highest growth of any in Victoria year-on-year spend, 197 per cent, and the
highest growth in daytrip visitation for the quarter at 91 per cent.
“What all of this equates to is an extremely healthy visitor economy when it
comes to visitation and spend. Our annual performance has been near or at the top
of the table in terms of overnight and daytrip visitation and spend compared to other
Victorian regions. More excitingly, our quarterly growth, the most current numbers
from December 2022, have us at number one or two in all categories.”
Mr Wroe said the numbers could be attributed to a couple of different factors
including marketing by DMT and “the amazing group of operators and experiences
that we have within the region, continually delivering a world-class product and
experiences that both attracts new visitors and keeps return travellers visiting time and
time again”

The 2023 Victorian Landcare Grants and the 2023 Victorian Junior Landcare
and Biodiversity Grants are now open to volunteers and kids care for the
state’s precious environment and biodiversity.

Grants of up to $5000 will be available for projects that provide childcare centres,
kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, scouts, girl guides and youth groups
with a chance to participate in hands-on projects including planting indigenous
gardens, building habitat to attract native insects and birds, collecting data about
nature and excursions to wildlife sanctuaries. Link: environment.vic.gov.au/grants

A new group which aims to support people dealing with anxiety, depression,
panic attacks, stress or any feelings of sadness or despair is being held each
week in Kyneton.
Tools 4 Living Well is facilitated by one of Sunbury and Cobaw Community
Health’s counsellors and the sessions draw on the experience of members of the group
as they share their stories and their strategies on managing their mental health.
The group gives people the opportunity to connect with others who are going
through similar life experiences.

The free sessions also include practical skills such as mindfulness and breathing exercises which can improve a person’s wellbeing. Those interested can contact Gina Alvarez on 5421 1617 or gina.alvarez@scchc.org.au

In case you missed it – here are now 21 Priority Primary Care Centres in Victoria, including Ballarat which opened in December.
The centres accept walk-ins and bookings, with doctors and nurses on site to treat
common conditions like mild infections, lacerations, fractures and burns, as well as
diagnostic services including pathology and medical imaging.
The Ballarat Priority Primary Care Centre, operated by UFS Medical and at 4
Windermere Street, is open from 10am to 10pm every day of the year for urgent care
when it’s not an emergency. This includes weekends and all public holidays.
Treatment is free, even if people are not eligible for a Medicare card. Patients can
either walk in, or phone the centre on 4320 0820. www.ballaratppcc.com.a

Words: Bill Wootton

Poetry collection launch
Pushing my own barrow here, I am chuffed to announce that Ross Gillett
will launch Watch, my new poetry collection, at Radius Arts, 76 Main Road,
Hepburn Springs on Saturday, May 6, from 3pm-5pm. All welcome.
Here is the title poem:

Watch
Face the size of the newly released ten cent bit
the watch Grandma Beat gave me for my tenth birthday
was just right for my narrow wrist
A thin red second hand jerked over solid black numbers
Luminous lime on skeletal gold
outlined the prime movers
The brown leather band was stiff and the buckle flimsy
but whizzo was its presentation in a crimson Bevilles box
which closed with a soft huff
Long ago the watch was left in a squash change room
but the box is still in fine order
home to badges also once worn
No Nukes The Clash Legalise it
and already obsolete –
a pea-green iPod nano
Time back then was on everybody’s hands
Pre-digital creatures we were
Wrist ready
Does it mean anything now to tap
on your forearm interrogatively?
Grandma Beat ran out of time a year after gifting me
The old box having seen off its ticker within
may yet outlive
its worn wearer

Work is expected to start soon on the upgrade of Daylesford Hospital’s
operating theatre.
Central Highlands Rural Health received an additional $1.6 million in
contingency funds from the Victorian Health Building Authority this month to cover
significant increases in build and materials costs due to global supply shortages.

The contingency funds will add to the $4.5 million grant from the Regional
Health Infrastructure Fund for the upgrade, including an expanded operating theatre,
six patient recovery beds, toilets, staffroom, reception, waiting room, interview room
and offices.

By Donna Kelly

A FEW things.
First up, well done to Beck Lewis who, despite having breast cancer, is
spending her downtime from treatments encouraging others to get checked.
Amazingly she is nearly through her radiation treatments, they finish at the end of
this week, and all going well, that will be that. Sounds simple but of course the truth
is the worry of maybe, then the shock of it happening to you and then the never-ending trips to Ballarat and back for radiation therapy.
Beck got in early and has a 99.9 per cent chance of being able to look back at
“the little hurdle” over 2022/2023. So, please follow her call to keep health checks
happening – and many of us have been a little lax/reluctant over the past few years –
and stay on your game.
Cancer is something we all are going to have to face one day, or know someone
close to us who will face it, but science has come so far, so many can be removed or
treated. Of course, it’s still scary, but burying your head in the sand never worked
well for anyone. Well, it does for ostriches, they push their beaks into the sand to turn
their eggs over. True story.

Secondly, Nicole Chvastek and Statewide Drive being “temporarily replaced” by
the ABC due to “operational reasons” beyond their control. That’s nuts. It’s all under
their control. They are the ABC.
Why would an organisation like that remove the regional part of their weekday
Victorian radio service? Who else has a voice like that? And that is not just Statewide
Drive – that’s Nicole’s voice as well. I was lucky enough to do a few shows with
Nicole and it’s like watching a magician at work. She is on top of everything and
everyone. She can be as tough as nails when needed, hello pollies avoiding questions,
and as nice as pie at other times, hello regular callers.
I would sit there thinking about what I was going to say while Nicole was already
10 steps ahead of me, already working out the next segment while hitting buttons to
queue in interview grabs or let in a feisty listener. Pure gold. The ABC bloke I talked
to said he “believed” she would be back – and they would be mad if they let her walk
away. What a loss that would be for all of us in the regions.
Thirdly, and maybe finally, well done to all those people who donated to the
Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal – and to those who spent hours in
the rain shaking tins. It was a crappy, rainy day but there they were in high vis gear
hoping for a few bucks.
I knew they would be there so raided my piggy bank for a note and dropped it in
their tin. I hope you did the same. The Royal Children’s is an amazing place – full of
hope and love and science.
I did a short stint there when I was about seven years old. Very bad asthma attack.
I was at school, Grade 3 maybe, and the teachers noticed my breathing was getting a
little ragged and asked if I would like to go home. No, I said. I loved school. After a
while they just called Mum who called Dad and off I went to Melbourne.
It was a little different in the early 70s. One parent visit for one hour per day and
some pretty strict nurses. I remember a group of us kids getting told off for holding
wheelchair races down the corridor. But I got better and was home within a week. I
donate something every year.
I enjoyed this edition. Kyle was off in NZ – see his Rant – and while it was quiet I
felt like it was a nice little bit of alone time. Don’t tell him that. I had to do all the “I
missed you stuff” on his return but I was quite OK. Just sayin’..

JUST back from visiting my dad in NZ. Left on Saturday, back on Wednesday. Long enough.
I decided during Covid, when we couldn’t see anyone, that I would catch
up with the old man twice a year. He’s 78 and fit as a fiddle but you know…you never
know what is around the corner. In 2020 it was a pandemic. I mean, who saw that
coming?
But unlike pre-Covid days (how easily does that slip off the tongue now, I wonder
if they used to talk about the world wars like that) I don’t feel like I have to stay for
weeks on end and “make the most of it”.
I know, NZ is not that far away and some would almost call it another state
of Australia, but you do have to get through customs and Dad lives in a tiny town
called Coopers Beach which means also adding a domestic flight and then about a
40-minute car ride. So, you know, it is travel.
Anyway, I found that a few solid days of bonding was enough. I love my Dad but
sometimes I just wanted him to shut up for a minute. Maybe even 10 minutes. He is
a whirlwind of a bloke, loves a chat and just hanging with him is exhausting.
Luckily my 15-year-old great-nephew was visiting at the same time so provided
a bit of a buffer. Sort of. The trouble with teenagers is that they don’t realise it’s a bit
rude to visit and then after a while just zone out on their various devices. Being an
older polite person I had to listen to every single anecdote, even the ones I had heard
a thousand times before.
And I feel guilty too. Dad’s wife, my step-mother of 30 years, died last April and
I watch as he loosens his grip on tidiness and attention to detail. The crockery and
cutlery need a good clean and there’s always a pot or pan left on the stove top or
bench. Jackie will be looking down and not happy.
The towels are getting threadbare and he’s got caught up with some mates who
are all about hand-me-down clothing, which is commendably sustainable but doesn’t
quite hit the mark. Shirts are too big and jeans are too small, shoes are scuffed, that
sort of thing.
Yeah, I know I could clean the house and take him shopping but it would just be
a stopgap thing and perhaps he would start feeling bad about himself. So you, that’s
me, just go along with the visit as planned and head out on his boat for a fish, cook
that up after you have double checked for bones after Dad’s filleting efforts, and then
have a few beers as you/he reminisce about the old days, while the young bloke looks
at YouTube and wishes his holiday away.
And in a few days the visit is over and you fly home to Australia and book a flight
for another six months and just hope that you don’t get a call to say you are needed
earlier than that. And you tell everyone you had a great trip, and that your dad is
great and all is well on the other side of the “Ditch”.
Now before you get sad about my dad, all is well. As I said he is a whirlwind of
a bloke and already keen on finding a new life partner. So he has joined a few dating
sites, not quite Tinder, but the over 60s set, and gets a bit of interest. He’s been on
a few dates and someone might have stayed over once after a nice dinner – separate
bedrooms of course. He is nothing if not a gentleman.
So if all goes to plan, his plan, someone will one day join him in his home, head
out for a fish on his boat and for a chat at night. And while I don’t expect them to
clean up for my visits it would be nice if they got Dad back on track – and out of an
increasingly messy bachelor pad.
I love my Dad but don’t want to live with him. Rant, over.

Macedon Fizz
Macedon Ranges is the coldest wine-growing region on mainland Australia. It has an average altitude of 500m and a degree of continentality, which means the summer days are warm to hot, but the evenings are cool, this helps retain the natural acidity in the grapes. These are some of the factors that make it the perfect spot to grow grapes to make into sparkling wine. However, it does not receive the
recognition it deserves, and top billing often goes to Tasmanian wines.
Exactly 40 years ago, winemaker John Ellis thought the Macedon Ranges
would be ideal for making sparkling wines. He bought a property called Jim Jim
and planted a vineyard on a chilly south-facing slope at 650m that became the site
of Hanging Rock Winery. He planted D5V12 and MV6 clones of pinot noir, and
a Swiss clone called Mariafeldt as well as four clones of chardonnay sourced from Mumm Champagne House in France.
During the years we have seen the rise of sparkling wines in the region with
Hanging Rock leading the charge to use ‘Macedon’ to indicate a traditional method
sparkling wine from the area. Using the term Macedon is similar to the way the
French use Champagne. Our region is also home to Australia’s leading contract
sparkling wine maker – Kilchurn Wines. Some good sparkling wines from the
region include Mount Towrong Vivace NV, using nebbiolo instead of pinot noir,
and Wombat Forest Blanc de Noir NV. Other styles include a nice prosecco from
Red Hare and tasty Pet Nats from Attwoods, Hunter-Gatherer and Zig Zag Road.
Coming back to Hanging Rock. Fast forward to 2023 and we await the release
of Macedon NV Cuvée XIX, the 19th release of John’s vision. John’s son Robert
is now in charge of production and oversees the Macedon sparkling wine which
consists of a blend of vintages going back 10 years, some using a unique Solera
system for ageing. The wine also benefits from around three years on yeast lees.
The current Cuvée XVIII has rich brioche, biscuity and honey aromas with a firm,
creamy, nutty and zesty palate producing a long finish. A fine complex sparkling
wine that is in the style of Bollinger, but uniquely Australian.

• Clive Hartley has just published the 7th edition of his book The Australian Wine Guide
  and is running a two-hour master class on the Macedon Ranges featuring 8 local wines on
  April 29 and June 3. To purchase a book or tickets go to www.australianwineguide.com.au

Hi there, I am Yoshi. I am a 13-year-old boy, black and tan, German Shepherd cross Kelpie.
I love attention and really want to be around people as much as possible.
Being a bit older I have mild arthritis – don’t we all – and have a little bit of deafness.
So I would love to find a home where I can spend the rest of my senior years living a more quiet life with lots of love and attention.
If you would like to meet me just call the folk at MAAW on 5472 5277 – and then come see me at Castlemaine.
Microchip no. 956000008026014
Link: www.maaw.org.au

Community Bank Maldon & District chairman Ross Eggleton visited the Cairn Curran Sailing Club on Saturday to meet members and see the club’s newly installed shade sail.
Club members had been hoping to provide much-needed shade on their deck for many years and were
delighted when Bendigo Bank provided a grant of $12,000 towards the $20,000 cost of installation and purchase.
Members were preparing to take part in the annual Serg Vescovi trophy on the misty day when Ross visited. Serg was an Italian immigrant and early member of the club, and the Serg Vescovi trophy race was named in his honour in 1975. The race was designed to “let your worries fade away, feel at peace within yourself, and find yourself smiling at special memories of days gone by”.
Cairn Curran Sailing Club was established in 1959 and was originally run from the boot of a car, before a
basic clubhouse was built on the shores of the lake. It was gradually improved over the years, providing a welcoming base for sailors to return home to after a sail on the lake.

Words & images: Eve Lamb

FLOWERS are good for the soul. So says Lyonville’s Janae Paquin-Bowden. And she should know.

Together with her husband Chris, Janae owns and runs organic family flower farm, Fleurs de Lyonville, where the couple live with their two young children and their yin and yang, black and white, little terrier dogs. It’s the sort of job description that makes the word “idyllic” spring to mind.

“It’s physically hard, and a bit taxing on the body, and the weather is challenging,” Janae says to the suggestion that this work environment is more than a little enviable.

“But there’s so many rewarding stages,” she concedes.

Chris and Janae both have professional backgrounds as teachers. In fact they met as teachers, and that background comes in handy when they deliver their on-farm events ranging from flower arranging workshops to farm tours.

In business these days, it’s accepted wisdom that you need a good story to tell. And theirs is a beauty.

The couple’s organic flower farm journey started back in 2014 after they experienced some issues in finding flowers for their own wedding.

“We found it quite difficult to source local organically grown flowers for our own wedding,” Janae says.

“Thankfully we came across Matt and Lentil from Grown and Gathered who were growing flowers for trade at the time.

“When Lentil pulled up in her van and opened the back door, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The van was full of flowers and foliage from foxgloves to Queen Anne’s lace…we knew this was what we wanted to do on our farm. Grow flowers.”

Clearly a woman of determination with a keen eye for business, Janae became the main driver in getting Fleurs de Lyonville up and going, such that at the end of 2021 Chris too was able to leave his job as an assistant principal, to devote his working days to the flower farm full time.

“I haven’t looked back,” Chris says.

Late summer, on a sunny day, the farm occupying about just under half a hectare of their 3.2 hectare block is a dream to visit.

There are gleaming new sunflowers, the mauve gauze of globe artichoke heads, the cobalt blue structure of echinops spheres held aloft on silvery spikes, a riot of fragrant old-fashioned sweet peas, blousy cosmos on slender stalks, a field of bobbing poppies, and glorious musk pink dahlias…to name just a few of the floral abundance.

Chris and Janae say there’ll be plenty of chrysanthemums ready for Mother’s Day too, thanks to the recent addition of two big new polytunnels.

Not long ago they clinched a handy Agriculture Victoria grant that covered half the cost of installing the two new polytunnels, completed October 2021. It’s a move poised to deliver a major benefit in extending the flowering season beyond the warm, bountiful days of spring and summer.

“They have been a game changer,” Chris says.

The couple supplement the sale of their organic blooms and arrangements by also offering an array of on-farm workshops that, judging by the “sold out” posts, seem to be going down a treat with aesthetes and flower lovers.

Janae’s working background features ceramics and she says she’ll be offering some ceramic hand-building workshops as part of the series.

“Because we have a background as teachers, we love to talk,” she says. Janae knew starting Fleurs de Lyonville was a winning idea – although following through with such a vision is not for the faint hearted.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. But I’ve always followed my gut and I knew it was the right decision,” she says.
Post those difficult days of Covid lockdowns, the wedding trade picked up, Chris says, creating a strong demand for their blooms which are all grown with a careful eye to variety in form and colour.

“I do a lot of the picking and design work but after a while I just have to put my hands in the soil,” Janae says.

Being organic, working with nature, using birds and friendly bugs as natural little pest control agents is an important aspect of their operation, she says.

And getting their heads around succession planting, always planning ahead, being ever-ready for the implications of frost and heat is a necessity.

“We didn’t have a clue how to do anything at the beginning. We’ve learnt a lot through failure,” Janae says.

“We’ve lived and learned. We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved. The aim was to be together working off the land.”

Ceridwen McCooey and Darcy King, above, will return to Yandoit Cultural, the old church in the bush – for a concert on Saturday, May 6 from 6pm.
After a packed house and standing ovation at their concert last year Ceridwen,
on cello, and Darcy, on classical guitar, are returning for another fabulous concert.
Ceridiwen McCooey is both cellist and composer and together with Darcy
King’s classical guitar they are a formidable duo. Both Ceridwen and Darcy are
graduates of Melbourne’s Conservatorium of Music and will soon leave Australia to
pursue postgraduate studies.
They will present a new varied repertoire of contemporary classical music
from around the globe as well as a series of Ceridwen’s own compositions for solo
cello and electronics from her upcoming album. Entry by donation and bookings
essential. Contact Alison King on 0415 555 081 or email ycfcpg@gmail.com

THE Harry & Peggy Maddicks Golf Day, held on April 14, raised just under $14,000 for medical equipment and facility upgrades at Daylesford Health.
Central Highlands Rural Health board deputy-chair Kate Redwood spoke to the
players, sponsors and guests to thank them for their generosity and to highlight the
need for significant upgrades across the ageing Daylesford Health facilities.
“What a wonderful day at the Hepburn Springs Golf Club for a good cause.
Thank you to all who gave generously to ensure the success of Daylesford Health’s
first charity golf day. The funds raised will contribute to the future of the health
service. We will continue to rally support so that locals can be assured that they will
continue to receive quality healthcare close to home,” Kate said.
Event sponsor Tim Byrne, Harry and Peggy Maddicks’ estate executor, said he
knew his friend Harry “would be so happy that his and his sister Peggy’s legacy live
on. We need to keep supporting the rural hospital; it’s essential.”
The Maddicks family estate has been supporting the Daylesford Hospital since
1999, thanks to Mr Byrne, who sponsored the event in their honour, bringing the
total giving to $278,000.
Hepburn Shire councillor Lesley Hewitt and the late William Stanbridge (MLC),
Hans Gunter Brachmann and Ernest Zelman were also honoured at the event for
their individual contributions to the health service since it opened in 1862.
The family of Ernest Zelman, who led a capital campaign to upgrade the hospital
in the 1930s, are still contributing to the health service he was passionate about,
almost 100 years later. His grandson Max Zelman and great-granddaughter, Kate
Sellars-Jones, donated items to the auction in his memory.
Cr Hewitt reflected on the day after enjoying afternoon tea with players, sponsors,
Central Highlands Rural Health’s Board and staff.
“I am so pleased that the idea raised with Hepburn Springs Golf Club’s past
president, Barry Files, has evolved into this successful event enjoyed by all involved.
“Honouring the legacy of those who contributed so much to create and maintain
our local health service is important. This is a great opportunity for us all to consider
the legacy we are creating for ourselves and the impact we could have on future
generations of Daylesford residents.”
Words & image: Contributed

with Eve Lamb

TRENTHAM’S Morag Turner hails originally from Lanarkshire, Scotland and it was her love of art that led to her completing a degree in textile design which then led to her moving to Australia. Today she’s inspired by the landscape and natural beauty she sees around her. But this well-established local artist is equally at home turning her talent to life drawing and portraiture, and to realism or abstractionism.

Eve: How do you describe your artistic style?
Morag: I work mainly in artistic realism, without trying to be photographic. I also
do abstract, life drawing and have been practising pencil portraits.
Eve: How did you come to art?
Morag: As a child I loved creating and drawing. I won art prizes at school. I
got my degree in textile design and built a career. That’s what got me to Australia.
It was a desired profession. I didn’t practice art for over 25 years. Life got in the
way, immigrating three times, being a working mum and a marriage break-up. The
kids flew the nest and I got remarried. My husband is extremely supportive and
encouraging. He is building me a studio and comes to all the exhibitions I enjoy
when travelling.
Eve: Which artists have influenced your work?
Morag: Dali’s imagination and drawing skill and Van Gogh’s use of colour and
movement. Like Monet, I use my garden as an endless source of subjects. I was lucky
enough to visit his gardens in Giverny and stood under the wisteria on the bridge
over the lily pond. A very special moment.
Melbourne artist Paul Borg taught me a lot when I attended his art school. One
of the reasons we moved to Trentham was because of the art in the area. I am now
privileged to be part of a local life drawing group. I draw alongside very inspirational
artists Rose Wilson, Helen Cottle and Louise Otten. Great artists and lovely people.
Eve: What is your medium of choice?
Morag: Traditionally I’ve used watercolour, but more recently I love painting with
oils and drawing with graphite. My dad always wanted me to use oils like he did, but
I preferred watercolour.
On holiday here 10 years ago he left his oil paints behind and gave me a quick
rundown before leaving for Scotland. My husband gifted me lessons with Paul Borg
and I have never looked back. I like to experiment with different mediums in travel
sketchbooks.
Eve: What is your subject matter of choice?
Morag: Nature, flowers, trees, landscape and the human form. Nature is so varied.
No two trees are the same. I love drawing the human form as it’s so unique.
Eve: Have you ever worked in any other area besides your arts practice?
Morag: Yes, I’m a public servant. I work full-time. Roll on retirement.
Eve: What are you working on at the moment in your current arts practice?
Morag: I am putting together a collection of flowers. I am playing with the
composition and using close-ups to give a different aspect, making the subject not
obvious at first glance.
Eve: Do you like to play music when you create your art?
Morag: I like to listen to gentle, but not elevator, music. My own playlist or
Spotify café list.
Eve: To date, what have been your career highlights as an artist?
Morag: Selling paintings. It’s a thrill when somebody wants my artwork in their
home.
Eve: Do you have any exhibitions or special arts events coming up?
Morag: We are in the process of renovating my studio. I am planning an open
studio for the Melbourne Cup weekend. I am considering an exhibition in a local
gallery.
Eve: What do you think are the main challenges for practicing artists today?
Morag: The digital world. Photography, photoshop, CAD. Look what has
happened to animation. Computers have taken over people skills.
Eve: And the rewards?
Morag: I find art relaxing and de-stressing. I appreciate that many of the
traditions in the art world no longer exist. I enjoy working from photographs. I
experiment with mixing mediums – unlike the impressionists who were shunned for
being different.