Daylesford turned on the sunshine for the Barefoot Bowls “Fun”draiser at the Daylesford Bowling Club on Sunday, November 10.

The event definitely lived up to its name with off-duty fun police in attendance and lots of laughs from all the teams.

The competition was so tight that it ended in a three-way bowl off to determine the winners.

Organisers conveyed their thanks to the sponsors, donors and players whose collective efforts resulted in at least $4752 being raised for Daylesford Health’s operating theatre.

The dollars will assist to purchase an emergency response trolley and new defibrillator. The new equipment is needed to provide life-saving care in the event of an emergency in the new operating theatre. 

The silent auction remains open for anyone in the community to bid on paintings by local artist Adele Perry and donations are being welcomed to fund the equipment needed. 

Those keen to contribute can bid here: https://forms.gle/3PE9KppeqLWjMjMt7 

Organisers were keen to convey special thanks to the Daylesford Bowling Club’s Neil Jordan and volunteers Chip and Joan who assisted the teams throughout the day and selected the best dressed winners. Each team was named after a sponsor or a current/past supporter of Daylesford Hospital. 

Congratulations went to the winners: 1st place: The Donald McLeod team, 2nd place: Mr James Daly team, 3rd place: Adaptive Housing team, Best dressed team: Cr Lesley Hewitt team and Best dressed individual: Melissa Murphy. 

A Biggest Morning Tea held at the Daylesford Bowling Club has raised $2700 for the Cancer Council.

Organiser Carol Collins said almost 100 people attended the now annual event.

Carol said she had plenty of help from friends who provided tasty treats for the May 27 fundraising morning.

Australia-wide, this year’s Biggest Morning Tea events together have raised more than $9,501,817 after 26,397 hosts registered to hold morning tea events nation-wide.

“Meet you at the Bowlo,” has been a part of Daylesford’s dinning vocabulary for many, many years.

While other establishments come and go, the Daylesford Bowling Club has been a centre of the community for 125 years. And that tradition is set to continue with recently arrived chefs Geoff Wellington and Sharnee Halson and a new menu commencing this month.

“We are just putting the finishing touches to it now” says Geoff, “including local beef cheek and mash with red wine, chicken scaloppini and scotch fillet.

“It will also feature some blasts from the past specials such as ham, steak and pineapple, lambs fry, steak and kidney, curried sausages and salmon patties.”

I decided to see what was on offer on a busy Sunday afternoon and brought friend Gabrielle along, who did not need too much convincing.

Aside from the great selection on the current menu, there was a host of specials on the board.

I choose Sharnee’s chicken kiev with chips and salad ($36) and a Hollick the Bard Cabernet Sauvignon ($8.5). A fantastic dish and sure to become a popular choice from the specials board with sumptuous chicken breast drenched in garlic butter encased in a golden breadcrumb crusted chips and a crispy garden salad.

Gabrielle selected the pan grilled salmon with tossed salad, chips and hollandaise sauce ($36) accompanied by a 750ml bottle of Villa Jolanda Prosecco ($10).

It was a great choice with a thick salmon steak grilled to perfection smothered with a fresh, vibrant hollandaise sauce.

Dessert was a straightforward matter with two choices. I took the pavlova with berries, couli and cream while Gabrielle had the sticky date pudding. Both were only $12 and the perfect finish to a great Sunday lunch.

The Daylesford Bowling Club is very much a part of the local community supporting families and the young and older with kids-eat-free offers and seniors’ discounts. There is also a tradies’ lunch Monday to Friday with a 25 per cent discount on all main courses.

Or opt for the Sunday lunch carvery with roast pork, crackling, apple sauce and vegies accompanied by one more selection of beef, lamb or chicken and dessert for $30.”

As part of the Bowlo’s 125th anniversary celebrations the club will also have a promotion where every main meal purchased gets a ticket to go in the raffle drawn on the first of every month.

First prize is a $125 club voucher. Second is any meal in the pub for $12.50 and 3rd prize will get you any drink including a bottle of wine. All this and one of the best views over Daylesford.

Words & images: Tony Sawrey

Do you recognise any of these bowlers?

The Daylesford Bowling Club will celebrate its 125th anniversary in April this year.

The club is keen to record and copy any photos, objects or records related to the club activities that current or former members may have at home or with family and friends.

The Daylesford & District Historical Society is assisting to photograph and scan items for the anniversary.

Email history@daylesford.net or contact the club committee representative Dot Bull on 0419 482 866 or Daylesford & District Museum curator Gary Lawrence on 0412 665 087.

The Daylesford Bowling Club was formed on April 17, 1899 and was opened on December 20, 1899 with 64 founding members. The first club president was J Wheeler and the first secretary was J Anderson.

In 1904, the club joined the North Western District Bowling Association and in 1907 the Daylesford Tennis Club was brought in.

This combined body then became The Daylesford Bowling and Tennis Club. The Bowling Club had four rinks and the Tennis Club had two asphalt courts.

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barnes

Above The Greens, the Daylesford Bowling Club’s bistro is back up and running with some great fare on offer from chef Geoff Wellington.

Geoff, who is a bit of a raconteur, got his career start in hotels and has also spent a fair bit of time in clubs already – so he knows how to provide well priced, good food for the community.

By his own admission, Geoff is not into fine food, but he is into hearty meals with loads of flavour. And that shone through when we arrived last Wednesday in time for the first day of opening. (Mind you, some people had popped in on the Monday not realising the bistro was closed, so Geoff just cooked them up a meal. How good is that. Welcoming and hospitable.)

We started with the traditional bruschetta ($12.90) with Turkish bread topped with Spanish onion, tomato, toasted garlic, EVO and cheese. It’s a big serve and really tasty with a great combo of flavours. Off to a good start.

Next up were the vegetarian arancini balls ($15.90) atop a tomato relish served with balsamic glaze and parmesan. These deep-fried rice balls had a deliciously crunchy breadcrumb coating and were just yum. We had three between us and I scored two before Kyle knew what was happening.

Oh, drinks. This is a club so you are still only paying genuine 1970s prices. A pot of beer is from $5.80 – $7, a schooner is $8.20 – $9 and even a pint is just $10-$11.50. Wines are from a tiny $6.50. I guess there are also non-alcoholic drinks available…

We decided to share a main, the serves are big, and Geoff served us up the nasi goreng ($34). Rice based, it was loaded with jumbo prawns, big hunks of juicy chicken and peas, and flavoured with onion, chilli, garlic and ketjap manis.

As is per tradition, on top was a lightly fried egg with the yolk just folding into the meal. This is really good. Slightly sweet, slightly hot. I guess umami is the best description – covering all the flavour bases. And certainly enough for two.

We were pretty done by this time but there are plenty more mains to choose from. Of course there are all the club classics but there’s also a few different dishes to try like the jambalaya risotto, the cauliflower steak or the bbq pork stirfry.

One dish I have not seen for a while, might provide a challenge, The Beast. It’s an 800gm rump steak ($68) cooked to your liking with a choice of sauces or an additional $12 for the surf ‘n’ turf sauce with prawns and calamari in a creamy, garlic white wine sauce. You also get a beer, wine or soft drink as part of the deal.

Now I am not much of a red meat eater but I do know a few people who will take on that challenge and I know couples who will share it for something special.

If you are keen on dessert, there is pavlova with coulis, berries and cream or sticky date pudding, both $12. Kids’ meals are all $14 and seniors get a great deal on weekdays with a main for $20 or a main and dessert for $25.

So find your way down to Above The Greens and settle in for a nice arvo or evening with great food and service. And you’re bound to find a local to chat to at The Bowlo.

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barnes

It’s always a great meal at the Daylesford Bowling Club. It starts with a warm welcome as you walk in, sometimes from the manager Neil, or the bar staff, and the good vibes continue.
The bistro is run by chef Lenny Giri who clearly loves his career choice – and is always working towards more flavour and flair. His latest move is a food carving course in Thailand – just to keep things interesting.
We chose a table overlooking Daylesford – with most of the restaurant ready for a big group from Woodend celebrating Christmas in July. It’s a great view and one that Neil says many of the members enjoy for their evening tipple.
We leave the menu choice to Lenny and it’s fantastic. A little bit of many things finishing with the huge lamb shanks.
We start with chicken lollipops with a special schezuan sauce. They are delicious and crunchy on the outside with really tender chicken inside. The sauce is sweet with a fair bit of heat. Just right. ($19 for four, $30 for eight with chips)
Next up is the bruschetta with tomato, basil and extra virgin olive oil topped with a little parmesan sitting on a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Really fresh and mouth-watering. I could just enjoy a plate of these on their own. ($14)
Lenny’s special lamb and parmesan meatballs are up next. Lovely bite-sized flavour bombs with a little rocket on the side. Yum. ($16)
Finally, out comes the lamb shank. It’s a huge serve on top of mash with loads of sauce and vegies. The bone just comes straight out – no wonder seeing it has been cooked for 24 hours. Lenny also makes the sauce from scratch and that takes 48 hours which accounts for the massive flavours. Perfect winter fare. ($29)
Ok, it wasn’t the last dish. Lenny then brings over the tiramisu with rose water and whipped cream. It is really light and rich, if that is possible, and it’s devoured in minutes. I think we are starting to become dessert people. ($18)
Now, those who know me know I like a little wine and I like it even more at the Daylesford Bowling Club where it is just $6 for a glass of Hanging Rock Chardonnay. Same for the Duck Shoot pinot noir. Yep, just $6. That must be the best value for a drink in the region.
As I said Lenny likes to keep things happening and every month there is a Thursday to Sunday change of menu from somewhere around the world. We just missed Italian and before that was Greek but Egyptian is the next one coming up – so keep an eye on the club’s Facebook page. Could be very interesting. Belly dancing anyone? Oh, and don’t forget Wednesday, it’s steak night. A 300gm scotch or porterhouse for just $29. There’s that value again. See you at the bowlo!