The beautiful Lake House Hotel in Daylesford, Victoria, offers plenty in the way of local ambience, with rustic sophistication and lush gardens. Along with a swish spa, the hotel offers an on-site cooking school where you can take a Master Class with a top chef. Enhance your stay with a bushwalk from Trentham Falls to Mount Franklin’s ancient volcanic crater and iconic Hanging Rock. A selection of boutique wineries are located nearby, along with a number of small farms such as Istra Smallgoods, galleries including Covent Gallery, and natural hot springs where you can soak up a spa treatment courtesy of Mother Nature. Other things to keep you busy nearby: Go penguin spotting and whale watching along the dramatic coastline of Phillip Island with Wild Oceans EcoBoat Tours. The coastline also boasts one of the most extensive fur seal colonies in all of Australia. Prefer to stay on terra firma? Rent some wheels and head for the mineral springs and markets of Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges, just 45 minutes from Melbourne. You can leave the driving to locals with an exclusive, two-day food and wine tour in the area offered by National Treasures Touring that takes in wineries, organic farms, bakeries and gardens.