Lancefield

Only 70km north of Melbourne and a short drive from the Calder Highway, Lancefield has the classic air of a pastoral working town with an arts, antiques and culinary edge that is bound to surprise.

Lancefield is still the kind of place where the post office, the milkbar and the pub are the hubs for commerce and local knowledge. Between them is the butcher, the baker and the coffee maker serving up hearty country fare without a fuss.

Boutique accommodation and conferencing, eclectic gift shopping, books, art and award-winning wineries round out the local mix, making Lancefield much more than meets the eye.

The Lancefield Farmers Market is an award winning highlight of the market calendar in the Macedon Ranges. Every fourth Saturday of the month, locals journey from all corners of the region to the shady median strip of Main Street for spuds and veggies, livestock, organic meat, fresh honey, olive oils and more.

On the arts scene, the colourful Mad Gallery has ever-changing exhibitions of affordable contemporary art, serving food and coffee in the main gallery seven days a week. Just down the road The Bankart Gallery, in the meticulously renovated old National Bank building, is open for browsing and available for art lessons by appointment. The renovated iconic building ‘The Macedonia’ has three floors of antiques and art with a café and winebar, and dominates the junction into town.

The Burke and Wills Track is an unmatched scenic drive through some of the most evocative Australian bushland you will see, past cellar doors such as Granite Hills on the back route to Kyneton. Curly Flat Winery on Collivers Road offers a nod to Michael Leunig in its name and exports Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and the world.

The indigenous history of the area is dense, with the greenstone flint quarry on nearby Mt William being a significant and powerful site for local aboriginal people. Further local information can be found at the Visitor Information Outlet located on Main Road, close to town.