Toyota Driving, Daylesford, VICTORIA
Airing Date: May 24th, 2004
If a weekend of relaxation, a bit of pampering and a nice drive takes your fancy, Daylesford in Victoria is the place to go. Only and hour and a half from Melbourne and surrounded by scenic hills, lakes and forests, the delightful twin towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are enjoying a revival as the 'spa centre of Victoria'.
Daylesford has a real European feel, which may have been due to the influx of Swiss and Italian people who arrived during the gold rush. It attracts all types of people, including Jenny and Graham Ellender, who originally came for a weekend and didn't leave! They set up the Ellender Estate Winery in 1996, where all visitors are welcome to purchase some of their home made brew. There are also many other artists and craftspeople to visit including Don O'Connor, who has the unusual profession of being a timber bender. His machinery is up to 145 years old but is still the most efficient way of getting the job done.
The mineral spas are one of the major attractions bringing visitors to Daylesford, and they have been operating for 150 years. These days, the approach is a lot more New Age; there are all types of treatments available from reiki, reflexology, iridology and kinesiology to tarot, hydrotherapy, massage therapy and aromatherapy.
The list of treatments is endless but for the top end of the range, the Springs Retreat in the heart of Hepburn Springs offers the very latest treatments. They can personalise your clay wrap treatment by using an ancient Chinese teaching which selects different colours to correspond with your body's reflex points and organs.
But the pampering doesn't have to stop there! How about cocooning yourself in a Soft Pack treatment bed or turning up the heat in the unique steam room? Red hot granite rocks are plunged into a copper cauldron filled with lavender scented water, which releases clouds of skin-cleansing steam for you to absorb while sitting back and relaxing to the soothing water feature wall and music.
The Springs Retreat Hotel is a short walk from the Spa Resort, located on the main Hepburn shopping parade. It has 10 hotel rooms, including five spa rooms and a spa suite. This landmark hotel has a beautiful garden setting, intimate fireside dining and a golf course - so if you're too relaxed to drive home, you can treat yourself by staying a little longer.
The facts
Single rooms at the Springs Retreat cost from $160 a night, including breakfast. Treatments cost from $70.
The Springs Retreat
Tel: 03 5348 2202
Prices correct at 24/05/04
