Daylesford

  Daylesford offers visitors on holiday in Australia natural mineral springs, acclaimed cuisine, award winning day spas, spectacular scenery, , romantic hideaways, country resorts, historic streetscapes, great entertainment, fabulous art and exciting golf courses. The Shire boasts the highest concentration of mineral springs in the country and is complemented with an equally large array of therapists. Continuing the region’s long tradition as a place of healing, holistic health services are provided in conjunction with the mineral springs and spas.

  The natural beauty of the area and its period character have drawn a widening artistic community, providing visitors and the community with performing and visual arts by artists of national and international repute. Lake Daylesford covers the land upon which gold was first discovered and is just a few minutes walk south of the town centre. The area offers numerous picnic spots, walking tracks and several mineral springs. There are also jetties for fishing and for those wishing to hire rowboats. Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens which were first established in 1863 are short walk east of the town centre. The gardens are situated on an extinct volcano and offer stunning views over the surrounding countryside from its manicured lawns and pathways. The gardens also feature a rotunda, lookout tower and conservatory. Jubilee Lake is a few kilometres south of Daylesford and although it was coonstructed in 1860 as a water supply, today it is a scenic location for fishing, boating and swimming.

Autumn time is the clear favourite for regular visitor to Daylesford, but as with most places in Australia, every season has its charms and benefits.   

To give allow you to make an educated choice of when you should visit, we have put together some highlights for each of the four seasons.

Winter

  Winter (Jun-Aug) is peak tourist season in Daylesford, fuelled mainly by Melburnians seeking mid-year solace. The weather is dependably chilly and damp, ideal for enjoying hot mineral springs, the cosy interior of a good restaurant or the Words in Winter literary festival.

Spring

  Spring, at least in September, doesn't always differ hugely from winter, although by late October and November the sunny patches will be longer and more distinct. The spring quickening coincides perfectly with the Daylesford Agricultural Show, held annually on the last Saturday in November. An advantage of spring is that there is an abundance of wildflowers that spring up in surrounding parklands. Spring also offers several annual events such as the Swiss-Italian Festa in October and the Fabulous Flower Festa in November.

Summer

  Like all of Victoria, Daylesford in summer can be mercilessly hot, although its 600m elevation tends to take the edge off the really extreme days. Strong northerly winds enhance the danger of bushfire from December to February; only the ever-present likelihood of a cool change relieves the heat on really bad days. Perversely, this is the season of the Daylesford Highland Gathering, billed as the largest in the southern hemisphere.

Autumn

  All things considered, autumn is probably the best time to visit. The days are still long, the weather is stable and sunny (without being oppressively hot) and the town's deciduous trees sport the whole fiery spectrum, from red to gold. Autumn offers perhaps the best balance of sunshine, long days and gentle temperatures. Average daily minimums between March and May (when the mercury starts to dip with a vengeance) range from 6.4° to 11.0°, maximums between 13.3° and 22.0° and monthly precipitation from 50mm to 60mm.