Daylesford has scooped silver in the nation’s Small Tourism Town Awards announced today.

The Hepburn Shire Council says it’s “honoured and exceptionally pleased” to have received Silver in the Small Tourism Town Award category for Daylesford at the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards this morning at Parliament House in Canberra.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that to have Daylesford recognised on a national level is a monumental achievement.

“Here in the shire, we know that Daylesford is an exceptional place to visit, now the rest of Australia will know just how vibrant our small town is,” Cr Hood said.

“The Silver award is shared with local businesses, community members and of course the Daylesford Macedon Tourism team who continue to advocate for this beautiful pocket of the world.”  

After being named the best Small Tourism Town in the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town awards earlier this year, coming runner up in the national awards is an incredible achievement.  
 
“We are exceptionally pleased to see beautiful Daylesford recognised among a competitive cohort of other small tourism towns with Exmouth, Western Australia, winning Gold and Richmond, Tasmania, coming in third,” said Cr Hood.  

The recognition is a credit to staff at Daylesford Macedon Tourism team for their considerable amount of work producing a comprehensive submission which was developed in collaboration with Council’s Economic Development and Visitor team.  

Importantly, the achievement recognises our Daylesford businesses and communities which continue to offer exemplary visitor experiences.  

“Thank you to our community and the visitors who voted for Daylesford, and we look forward to taking advantage of the award for the benefit of the community,” Cr Hood said. 

Exmouth in WA won the gold in the Small Tourism Town category, with Huskisson in New South Wales taking home gold in the Tiny Tourism Town category.

Devonport in Tasmania has been crowned Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2024, winning gold in the titular award category, during a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.

Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards celebrate the regional towns that help shape the landscape of Aussie tourism, with national finalists determined from the gold winners from each state and territory.

Breaking news on The Rex, Daylesford

The Local Government Inspectorate has issued a media release about the Hepburn Shire Council and The Rex Theatre Development.

“In 2019, the LGI received a complaint that made allegations relating to the Hepburn Shire Council’s involvement with the Rex Theatre redevelopment,” the release says.

“Since receipt of the complaint, the LGI has undertaken a rigorous investigation of the allegations. Throughout, Hepburn Shire Council and its councillors have co‑operated.

“The LGI’s investigation has now been finalised and the CMI has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove to the requisite standard of proof the commission of any disciplinary breaches or criminal offences contrary to the 1989 Act. 

“Further, the CMI is satisfied that the council has taken remedial action to put in place measures to avoid future complaints of a similar nature, including the creation of a new governance and policy framework.

“Accordingly, the LGI will not be taking any further action in respect of the investigation. Nor will the LGI be publishing any report.”

The release says the Local Government Inspectorate is the dedicated integrity agency for local government in Victoria.

“The Chief Municipal Inspector leads the LGI and has functions and powers, including those set out in the Local Government Act 2020, to enable the LGI to examine, investigate and prosecute any matter relating to a Council’s operations and any potential breaches of the 2020 Act and its predecessor the Local Government Act 1989 (1989 Act).”

Hepburn Shire Council response

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said that it was extremely disappointing that it had taken so long for the Inspectorate to arrive at this decision and that no report will be issued.

“We are frustrated that a comprehensive, detailed report won’t be released. The failure to issue a report into The Rex project denies transparency and accountability and lets down the community, councillors and council officers,” said Cr Hood.

Hepburn Shire Council CEO Bradley Thomas said that it was important to note that the Chief Municipal Inspector has concluded that “council has taken remedial action to put in place measures to avoid future complaints of a similar nature, including the creation of a new governance and policy framework”.

“We have significantly improved governance, policies, and the culture in the organisation, implementing systemic change and improvements to ensure that the failures of The Rex project are never repeated again. This should give councillors, and most importantly the community, confidence as we move forward,” said Mr. Thomas.

Some of the organisational changes put in place since the commencement of the Inspectorate investigation include:

• Creation of a Major Projects Team (that does not report to the CEO)
• Development of a Project Management Framework
• Updates on high risk/complex projects being provided regularly to the Audit and Risk Committee (the Audit and Risk Committee comprises four independent members)
• Adoption of a contemporary Risk Management Framework
• Established a CEO Employment and Remuneration Committee, with external, independent members, along with Councillors
• Adoption of a new Procurement Policy
• Development of a Disposal and Acquisition of Land Property Policy that ensures all purchases and sales comply with legislation, and that a current and independent valuation is obtained before Council enters into such arrangements
• Significant investment in the Governance and Risk Unit to ensure it has appropriately skilled and experienced staff to provide advice and monitor compliance with legislation and governance requirements. 

Interim Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lucas paused the Hepburn Hub at The Rex project in June 2018, when becoming concerned about governance failures, also reporting the issue to the Audit and Risk Committee. Incoming Chief Executive Officer, Evan King reported concerns to IBAC, and ultimately the Inspectorate commenced an investigation. 

Councillors, officers, and the Audit and Risk Committee have been fully supportive of the reporting, working through the investigation and have repeatedly called for the finalisation of the investigation to occur. The LGI have noted that throughout, Hepburn Shire Council and its councillors have co-operated in the investigation.

Cr Brian Hood said: “Ensuring we have the appropriate checks and balances in place means failures of the past will not be repeated, and having a culture where officers of all levels feel able to raise concerns about governance is vital.

“Council has been unable to find evidence that an independent, external valuation was completed prior to the purchase of The Rex building, something that is now a requirement due to the adoption of the Disposal and Acquisition of Land Property Policy.”

Cr Hood said that although extremely disappointing “that we won’t have a report, we can now endeavour to draw a line in the sand and move forward as an organisation and community”.

“I’m pleased this announcement was made before the end of this council term. We have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us with the consideration of the next stages of the Future Hepburn project including township structure plans, the financial vision and the last council meeting for the term.

“Council is progressing a project to assess the feasibility of maximising the community use of the Daylesford Town Hall site, with an option to consolidate and upgrade the building so it could become more of a community hub, and possibly incorporate the Daylesford Library. This has included the creation of a community-based Project Advisory Group, and also the appointment of a lead architect for the Daylesford Community Facilities Project.

“It is imperative that the Inspectorate has the appropriate powers to investigate failings in local government and that it has adequate resourcing into the future, preventing delays such as with this investigation, and ensuring that there is transparency and accountability in the use of ratepayers funds.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: File

Australian culinary hero Alla Wolf-Tasker has accepted the Gourmet Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Icon Award for her Daylesford restaurant Lake House, which celebrated its 40th anniversary recently.

Introduced last year, the Icon Award is the only award voted for by the public.

“What Alla and her family created at Lake House really established the archetype for Australian regional dining that continues to inspire and inform chefs and restaurateurs across the country,” Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin said.

“Alla’s vision and hospitality has been shaping the industry for 40 years – and welcoming diners with warmth and care has been Lake House’s signature since day one.”

Funding from Telstra’s Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal is enabling the Hepburn Shire Council to host ongoing free sessions for local residents to learn how to make better use of their devices, stay safe online and improve their tech knowledge.

Interested locals are being invited by the council to: “just turn up with your devices to learn about scam awareness, getting the most out of your phone or tablet, staying safe online, trouble shooting, and the shutdown of the 3G network”.

The sessions have been designed to be fun and social and are open to all participants, regardless of age, experience or the type of device they are using.

Sessions begin on 2 September at the Creswick Hub on Mondays 10am-12pm, The Warehouse – Clunes on Mondays 2pm-4pm, Daylesford Library on Tuesdays 10am-12pm, The Mechanics Trentham on Tuesdays 2pm-4pm. 

A new housing project taking shape in Daylesford aims to provide long-term affordable housing for women and children at risk of falling into homelessness.

Women’s Property Iniatives (WPI) has recently acquired four new homes at “The Village” in Middleton Field to provide good quality, affordable longer term rental housing for women and children in the Daylesford region.

WPI is a not-for-profit community housing provider which has been creating new beginnings for women and children at risk of homelessness for over 25 years.

On any given night 122,494 people in Australia are experiencing homelessness and women are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Australia, accounting for more than 80% of the recent increase in homelessness.

In 2023, more women than men in all age groups other than children under the age of nine sought assistance from specialist homelessness services.

Approaching the task of providing housing first, WPI prides itself on managing a portfolio of well located, well designed and sustainable homes including a mixture of apartments, townhouses and houses to cater for the diverse needs of the women and children housed by WPI.

Alongside the provision of permanent affordable housing, WPI also offer access to support networks and ongoing advocacy, building secure futures for women and children in need.

Located in Daylesford’s newest neighbourhood, Middleton Field, the homes at “The Village” have been designed by Melbourne based sustainable architect Breathe.

Civil works at the site of The Village have already started with construction of the homes planned to commence later this year through a single appointed builder.

Ballarat based developer Hygge Property started working with WPI in 2020 towards the future delivery of essential new homes in regional centres including Daylesford. Hygge Property is working with Belle Property, Daylesford.

Funding for the four homes at The Village has been secured by WPI through the Big Housing Build, an initiative of Homes Victoria – a government agency building and managing social affordable housing across Victoria and some of WPI’s generous partners.

WPI in Daylesford is a dedicated and impactful organisation committed to making a difference in ending women’s homelessness.

National Homelessness Week, held each August, raises awareness of homelessness in Australia and the importance of the delivery of social and affordable housing as a long-term solution.

The 2024 theme of “Homelessness Action Now” is a call to build community, private sector and government support to help end homelessness across Australia.

Words: Based on a supplied media release

Work is soon to begin to renovate the historic day basin at Daylesford’s Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.

The Day Basin, which historically served as Daylesford’s town reservoir, is set to be transformed into an attractive water feature for the popular local gardens.

The Basin is located at the base of the historic Pioneer Memorial Tower near the Wombat Hill car park.

The project has been championed by the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Garden who are providing some of the funding towards the project.

The Victorian State Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund and the Hepburn Shire Council are also helping to fund the project which is a key one for the Friends group.

Daylesford playwright, theatre maker and social worker, Rebecca Lister (pictured above) will collaborate with writer, visual artist, poet and critic Eloise Grills to adapt Elouise’s 2022 illustrated memoir “big beautiful female theory” into a play.

The project has been funded by an $18,000 grant from the state government’s Creative Projects Fund and will take Grills’ work from the page to the stage enabling a far greater audience to engage with this ground breaking material.

The book is a feminist exploration based on Elouise’s personal experience, of how fat bodies have been idealised, fetishised and demonised and the impact of this in a society obsessed with the narrow appearance ideal.

Beck, was putting together a creative writing program as part of her job as a counsellor for Eating Disorders Victoria and wanted someone to speak on body image.

Her search located Elouise who happened to be living in Daylesford at the time. Beck read the book, thought there was material for a stage production, and a friendship was born.

The two will work together over 11 months to develop a production draft and they plan to hold a public reading in Daylesford for industry professionals and others in May 2025.

Eloise Grills, now Ballan-based, is an award-winning artist and writer whose illustrated memoir ‘big beautiful female theory’ was published in Australia by Affirm Press in 2022.

The book was shortlisted for the 2023 Stella Prize, shortlisted for the 2023 Indie Book Award for Illustrated Nonfiction, highly commended in the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for Nonfiction and highly commended by the judges of the 2021 Peter Blazey Fellowship.

Rebecca Lister is the co-artistic Director of arts company Anvil Productions and a counsellor at Eating Disorders Victoria.

She is also the monthly MC of intergenerational storytelling show Generation Women and the monthly host of live chat show ‘On the couch with Beck Lister’.

Her book, co-written with Tony Kelly, ‘Growing Pineapples in the Outback’ was published by UQPress in 2020.

The Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens were planning their annual Taylor and Sangster Lecture for 2024 when president Frank Page considered the possibility of growing that event into a full-blown celebration of the wintry gardens.

The Friends have always marveled at the unique beauty of Wombat Hill, even in the worst days of cold, fog and rain. Time to celebrate and share the unlikely joys of a challenging season.

Frank orchestrated a partnership with the Daylesford and District Horticultural Society, Historical Society, Agricultural Society and U3A to fill the weekend of August 3 and 4 with informative talks and walks, great conviviality and even a competitive opportunity for the local community and visitors alike.

Thanks go to the organising committee – Frank Page, Denise Robinson, Patrice O’Shea, John Binnion, Don Harvey, Gary Lawrence and Annie Duncan. Between them they produced four fascinating talks, a walking tour of the significant trees on Wombat Hill, an exhibition at the Daylesford Museum, a magical winter dinner in the Town Hall, two lavish teas and an inaugural Winter Flower Show.

Speakers were Janet O’Hehir, honorary curator of the Camperdown Botanic Gardens, Helen Botham and Helen Page, both active horticulturalists and garden historians – Helen Botham especially connected with Governor La Trobe and his gardening and Helen Page, former president of the Garden History Society.

Local tree enthusiast John Beetham led a walk around the gardens highlighting the remarkable collection of very important trees that our bracing climate and deep volcanic soil have preserved over the past century and which we also have a profound duty to preserve.

Peter Leigh spoke at the dinner on Hellebores – Winter Wonders in the Garden. Peter breeds beautiful hellebores in Ashbourne and has made significant donations of plant material to Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens over many years.

The huge collection of these extraordinary and diverse blooms currently lighting up the gardens was part of the motivation to time the event in what could be seen as horticultural downtime. Any visitors to the gardens over the weekend will realise that this is far from true.

The dinner, pictured above, itself was a celebration of the warmth of good food and good company in a stunning setting created by Denise Robinson and her team of indefatigable helpers.

The abundance of colour, fragrance and form that the winter garden actually provides was clearly evident at the Flower Show where 171 entries vied for rosettes and sashes in the great tradition of friendly competition between home gardeners.

Also on show at the Alf Headland Conservatory was the work of two local artists. Miriam Porter’s installation of her sculptures of local birds and huge, wonderful conifer seeds was an extraordinary show of her considerable talent.

Marcia DeVincentis shared her exquisite and quite arresting botanical paintings. Their colour and detail just underlined the potential and richness of the season.

The exhibition at the Museum was another fascinating exploration of the depth of the collection held by the Daylesford and District Historical Society and a wonderfully nostalgic experience for those of us who already appreciate or have just discovered Daylesford and Wombat Hill and its remarkable heritage.

This excellent show will be open to the public each weekend this month. So many individuals put so much work into making the weekend the triumph it was, and we thank them most sincerely.

Grants were received from Hepburn Shire and Community Bank Daylesford District. BigginScott provided the huge and eye-catching signage outside the gardens, a game changer in advertising. And they organised the presentation of the botanical artwork in the Conservatory.

But the prime mover, guiding hand and vision for what was a heroic collaboration of community groups and a significant showcase of our district was Frank Page, and many thanks must go to him for his extraordinarily hard work and perseverance.

Words & images: Contributed

Daylesford’s Ruth Bray, pictured above with husband Malcolm, has taken part in the National Carer Roundtable in Brisbane.

Participants were asked to identify the major stresses and problems facing older carers and suggest solutions in response to the National Carer Strategy announced by the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in October last year.

But the trip for Ruth, who cares for her husband of 59 years, Malcolm, was not as simple as it could have been. Partly because she is a carer and also because she is an older Australian.

Ruth said after the initial stress of organising the household and support for Malcolm with just five and a half days’ notice, she also had to contact a number of older carers to talk about issues to raise and then ask her daughter and son-in-law to answer emails, organise digital wallets, virtual cab charge, plane tickets and an online photo.

Ruth then had to convince the organisers she needed to fly to Brisbane the day before the event.

“Getting up in the middle of the night in Daylesford (their suggestion) to catch a plane at 6.10am to advise the government at 10am and return that night, at 83 years of age, was not OK for me.

“I soon found myself clutching my luggage and walking stick, and in a wheelchair being pushed by a Virgin staff member, speeding through Tullamarine Airport to find a gate somewhere or other at the far end of the terminal.

“On the plane I met another delegate who did not have a young person in her house, so she had been unable to attend to all the online requirements.

“She decided our first problem was people not understanding that older carers may not be too computer literate.

“And perhaps some training, or maybe using snail mail with plenty of notice might be good. As I actually had my digital wallet by this time, even if I did not know how to use it, I suggested she share my taxi to the hotel.”

Ruth said the next morning about 50 carers, all aged over 65, from all over Australia, gathered for the roundtable.

Many topics were discussed including the long wait time for the My Aged Care assessment with more trained staff needed, the long wait time for support services, the need for training of workers who come into the home to help and not enough appropriate services available when needed.

Other discussions were around carers neglecting their own care and health needs, issues related to physical, financial and emotional abuse of older people, many carers not identifying as carers and missing out on extra financial and other support, the issues around older carers caring for adult children and older carers caring for more than one person.

Ruth said carers also talked about the different agencies in the same home often being uncoordinated with aged care packages, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.

“My husband and I both need transport to the gym. He has a package and I am under CHSP. Two workers in two cars arrive at our home at the same time, from the same agency, to take us to the same gym, as I am not permitted in his worker’s car. This is your taxes at work.”

Carers also raised the issue of the education of carers so they can self-manage the government care packages instead of an agency, using just 10 per cent of the monies involved for management not 30 per cent – leaving much more money for services.

Finally, carers asked for a possible phone app for carers with emotional supports and information, help for carers in isolated and remote areas with transport and services, and computer training.

“There were other issues, and other roundtable meetings with different groups of carers, but if you are a carer and wish to contribute before September 5, contact National Carer Strategy at engage.dss.gov.au.

“If you are a carer on the aged pension, if you apply for a carer’s pension you will, like me, get an additional carer allowance of $153.50 per fortnight.”

Ruth said she would like to thank all taxpayers for her plane tickets, a comfortable hotel room, accessible bathroom – and the grilled barramundi and Asian greens on a bed of rice she had for dinner.

A DSS spokesperson said the Australian Government valued the input and participation of carers in consultation activities on government policy and programs such as the Carers’ Roundtable in Brisbane.

“This is critical to ensure that our initiatives, such as the new National Carer Strategy under development, reflects the experiences, perspectives and needs of carers.

“We recognise that due to all of the demands on carers, coordinating in-person contributions can be challenging, and consultation on the National Carer Strategy will include many avenues for carers to have their say that can be completed in their own time, such as online submissions and an online questionnaire.

“The government will continue to work with our consultation partners, including Carers Australia, to ensure carers are appropriately supported to participate, have a positive experience, and feel confident that their voices are heard and valued.”

Forever famed for his role as Dale Kerrigan in 1997 Aussie Move classic The Castle, actor Stephen Curry has quite a special connection to Bullarto it seems.

That connection has been highlighted in recent weeks by popular SBS program, Who Do You Think You Are?

The well-known actor who will always be remembered for his line “dug another hole” recently featured on episode 7, season 15 of the SBS lineage discovery show during which he unearths a paternal connection to British Bronze Age treasures and a “whistle blowing” gold rush banker in his mother’s family history.

Stephen learns that his own great-great-grandfather Thomas Hodgens, who emigrated from Ireland to the Castlemaine goldfields in 1852, went on to become a store owner, gold buyer, mayor of Chewton and branch manager of the Oriental Bank at Chewton up to 1862, during the heady days of the gold rush.

The actor’s intrepid forebear also had a pretty interesting life in the Daylesford area, particularly at Bullarto as members of the Daylesford and District Historical Society were able to help discover.

During the making of the episode, Stephen catches up with Smeaton-based Keir Reeves who is a professor of history at Federation University’s Future Regions Research Centre.

Through Professor Reeves, Stephen learns that some dubious activity involving a gold bar led to his great-great-grandfather Hodgens becoming a whistleblower and subsequently parting ways with the bank.

As Stephen and Professor Reeves catch up in the Red Hill Hotel in Chewton, Professor Reeves informs the actor that tragedy struck when his great-great grandfather, then lost his wife and, leaving Chewton, made his way, with his three young children in tow, to Daylesford.

“His story is an exemplar of many people on the goldfields,” Professor Reeves later told The Local. “I found it quite moving to follow the story and like so many families, there’s ghosts in the cupboard.”

During the making of the intriguing Who Do You Think You Are? episode, Stephen also meets with the Daylesford and District Historical Society’s Jan Smith on site at the Bullarto Hall where he learns about his own strong family connection to the site itself.

“It was a terrific time for many in Daylesford and Thomas obviously saw an opportunity to improve his life,” says Jan who, as part of the team of enthusiastic volunteer researchers with the historical society, played a vital role in providing background research for the episode.

Like Professor Reeves, Jan also appears in th episode, helping Stephen peel back the layers of his past and providing the research that shows his great-great-grandfather Hodgens had remarried, going on to have 10 more children with his new wife, Mary Jane, including Curry’s great-grandfather.

Jan is able to inform the actor that, while contending with a very large debt burden and 13 children, his great-great-grandfather Hodgens had in 1865 been granted 38 acres of land at the site where the historic Bullarto Hall itself now stands, building a house and also a hotel there.

After moving to the area he had also run a store, worked as a slaughterman, and also grew crops at Bullarto after he was granted the land.

“The thing that’s always amazing about delving into the past is that once you start learning their stories it becomes quite emotional,” Jan told The Local.

“I felt happy that we were able to provide a positive part of his great-great- grandfather’s story. Stephen was so happy that there was a good outcome for his great great-grandfather.”

Jan said that the Daylesford and District Historical Society’s volunteer research team frequently receives requests for assistance with interesting research projects, effectively drawing on 60 years of volunteer work and dedication in the process.

“The one thing he never lost sight of was the importance of optimism and I think that’s come down through the generations,” muses Stephen after Jan shares with him key details of his ancestral connection to the area.

Don’t worry if you missed the initial SBS free-to-air TV screening back on June 18, as the episode is easy to find online at SBS On Demand.

The episode also lifts the lid on some of Stephen’s darker family closet secrets going all the way back to Ireland in the 1800s.

These include the discovery that, while one of his early maternal ancestors was an extremely wealthy Irish merchant, another had been jailed for abducting a very rich young heiress in 1820, while another was jailed in 1884 for bigamy, having been married to at least five different women.

Words: Eve Lamb  

The Hepburn Shire Council has today welcomed a Victorian Liquor Commission decision to refuse Dan Murphy’s a licence to operate in Daylesford.

The council had strongly advocated for the refusal during the submission process and at hearings, along with a number of committed community members.

Announced this morning, the Victorian Liquor Commission decision represents the first time the new definition of “harm” under the Liquor Control Reform Act has been used to refuse a licence, making it a landmark decision.

“The decision, which was announced this morning, was made namely on the basis that granting the licence could pose a public risk, encourage harm (particularly minors) and have adverse social impacts,” Hepburn Shire Council CEO Bradley Thomas said in a statement issued this afternoon.

In announcing its decision The Commission: “concludes that granting the Licence would be conducive to or encourage harm, specifically to minors.

“In particular, the Commission concludes that there is an appreciable risk that granting the Licence would result in an increase of secondary supply of alcohol to minors in Daylesford and (therefore) an increase in alcohol consumption by minors and (therefore) increased harm from the misuse and abuse of alcohol by minors.

“This conclusion is driven by the accumulation of a number of factors … deriving from the “particular local, social, demographic and geographic circumstances” of Daylesford.”

The full decision can be found at https://www.vic.gov.au/liquor-decisions-and-hearings

Work to rennovate Daylesford’s historic Stanbridge Hall is expected to start within days after funding was secured from the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo from the sale of church properties.

Situated on Central Springs Road in Daylesford, the historic hall was once the first girls school in Daylesford and was established by the pastoralist and mining investor William Edward Stanbridge, a notable local historic figure.

It has been in urgent need of rennovation for some years and works are now expected to begin within days.

Work will include repainting walls, installation of window furnishings, re-flooring the stage, new and directional lighting in the hall, a new commercial kitchen and a new pantry.

The space currently known as “The Green Room” will be renovated and extended making it very suitable for small groups to hire for craft, small conferences and meetings, while the stage is well suited to live performances.

A number of early morning walkers in Daylesford will have seen the sign advertising an application to Heritage Victoria on behalf of Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.

Until this application is finalised, the full detail of plans and siting cannot be determined. The current proposal is a wooden seat and shelter in the style of a botanic garden’s traditional pavilion.

A similar one existed on the other side of the gardens until the 1980s. The main purpose of the structure is to provide a small, sheltered seat to enjoy the view to the south and east.

The rustic timber cladding has been preserved from the dead giant redwood felled in 2021, whose stump remains a little further up the bank above the seat.

Last month’s French National Day event held in the Daylesford Town Hall has raised over $5000 for the Daylesford Community Brass Band to purchase new instruments.

Organisers say the result was made possible by the strong support of the local business community and their many different ways of contributing.

In a public statement of gratitude they said those who generously contributed to the event had included: Albert Street Butchery, Bar Merenda, Belle Property Daylesford, Bendigo Bank, Beppe Restaurant, Blake Family Grocers, Blooms Pharmacy, Brian Nash – artist, Cellarbrations, Clayfire Gallery, Cliffy’s Emporium, Coles Daylesford, CWA Daylesford, Daylesford Bakery, Daylesford Brewing Co, Daylesford Cidery, Daylesford Community Op Shop, Daylesford Home, Timber & Hardware, Daylesford Meat Company, Daylesford Seafood Bar, Daylesford Shoe Co, Daylesford Trading Co, Double C Jeanery, e Casa, Enki Apothecary, Frances Pilley, George & Matilda Eyecare, Gewürzhaus, Harry & Me, Harvest Café, Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa, Hepburn Brewing Company, Hepburn Distillery, Herbal Lore Liqueurs, Himalaya Bakery, Istra Smallgoods, Jodele, Lake House, Larder, Lavandula, Magic Pudding, Manteau Noir, Marcella Q, Mineral Springs Hotel, Officeworks Ballarat, The Palais-Hepburn, Paradise Bookshop, Portal 108, Rijk Zwaan Seeds, Rubens Restaurant, Sailors Falls Estate, Sault Restaurant, Spice of India, Springs Medical Centre, Sweet Decadence at Locantro, That Bargain Place, The Local, Tonna’s, Walters Café, Winespeake Cellar and Deli and Wombat Hill Florists.

Organisers issued a special thank you also to the Daylesford District Community Bank (Bendigo Bank) “for their considerable and continuing support”.

They’ve also especially acknowledge dand thanked “those wonderful people who came along on the night, bought tickets, raffle tickets and auction items and took part wholeheartedly in the spirit of the evening”.

The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is an event held at locations around the world where participants recreate the music video for musician Kate Bush’s 1978 song Wuthering Heights.

The event’s inspiration is Shambush’s The Ultimate Kate Bush Experience, which took place in 2013 in Brighton, United Kingdom, as part of Brighton Fringe, created by performance collective Shambush! who attempted to set an unofficial world record for the most people dressed as Kate Bush in one place, with hundreds attending.

And thanks to Spade to Blade’s Gary Thomas, centre, and the Hepburn Dancers, this wonderful event was also held at the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in Daylesford – led by dancer Tuesday Telford Perkins – on Sunday July 21.

Photos on the day were taken by Janine Bennetti, Trudi Blick & Isabella Thomas