Daylesford & Macedon Ranges

Hanging Rock, Macedon Ranges, Vic. Photo credit: Marg Thornell/Tourism Victoria

Daylesford & Macedon Ranges

Built on gold and sustained by water, explore Daylesford and the riches of ‘spa country’.

Things to do in Daylesford

It may only be 115km north-west of Melbourne, but Daylesford is distinctly cooler and wetter.

Founded in 1852 when gold was discovered in nearby Clunes, Daylesford’s lasting claim to fame is the largest concentration of natural mineral springs in Australia. Along with the neighbouring town of Hepburn Springs, Daylesford accounts for about 80% of the state’s known springs, 65 in total.

Lake Daylesford & Jubilee Lake
The manmade lake was created in 1929 and covers the area where gold was originally found. It’s a few minutes’ walk south of the town centre and offers fishing from the jetties or the chance to hire a boat and get out on the water.

Jubilee Lake, a couple of kilometres south of Daylesford, was constructed in 1860 to serve as the town’s water supply. Now it’s a scenic spot for fishing, boating and swimming and has its own mineral spring nearby.
Whilst you’re here, head a few kilometres further south to see the 30m Sailor’s Falls.

Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens
To the east of Daylesford (but still within walking distance) sits one of Australia’s most venerable gardens. Established in 1863 on the summit of an extinct volcano, enjoy the rolling lawns, rotunda, lookout tower and conservatory. Then enjoy the equally fabulous cafe.

Hepburn Regional Park
Daylesford, Hepburn and Hepburn Springs all sit within the confines of the park. You’ll find natural mineral springs and relics from the gold mining era throughout. We’d particularly recommend the walking trails up Mt Franklin. After all, it’s not every day you get to camp in the caldera of a thankfully extinct volcano.

Things to do in Macedon Ranges
The Macedon Ranges form the southern end of Victoria’s Great Dividing Range. It’s an area busy with all the bushwalkers, scenic drivers and picnickers you’d expect, and the occasional Hollywood movie crew to spice things up a bit. Films such as Knowing and Where the Wild Things Are were shot in the forests here as they resemble those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Mount Macedon
One of the highest peaks in the range supports a small town of the same name which sits on its slopes. From the summit you can see Melbourne city, the Dandenong Ranges and the You Yangs near Geelong. You’ll find more great views at the 21m tall Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, which is dedicated to those who died in WWI.

Camels Hump
This peak (near Mt Macedon) has its own viewing platforms and is popular with climbers who love scrambling over its volcanic rocks.

Hanging Rock
This small steep-sided volcano has gradually been gouged and carved by the rain into formations with evocative names like ‘the Black Hole of Calcutta’ or ‘the Cathedral’. It’s not hard to see why so much legend has become interwoven with the history of the place. At the Hanging Rock Interpretative Centre you’ll find information on local history, mystery and geology.

This is also the location of Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, the fictional story of a group of schoolgirls and their teacher who disappeared on Valentine’s Day in 1900. We picnicked at Hanging Rock too, and are happy to report that we’re still here.

Post-picnic, explore the Macedon Ranges’ many wineries and vineyards. You’ll find plenty to choose from here.

Clunes
Clunes is only an hour and a half’s drive from Melbourne city centre but it feels a world away. Pleasingly, it still looks like a gold rush town. Fraser Street and Bailey Street especially, still carry the air of a place that was once a centre of the prospecting world.

Wander past the well preserved National Hotel, Club Hotel, or the Union Bank and you could be back in the 1850s. Clunes’ green areas, Collins Place and Queens Park are both good spots to watch the world go by. The Queens Park fountain was installed in 1887.

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