Visit the Macedon Ranges

Join the month-long Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival celebration throughout April. Less than an hour from Melbourne, discover moveable feasts, spectacular vistas, and leafy picnic locations aglow with seasonal colour across nine charming villages in the Macedon Ranges. Savour mouth-watering foodie events, destination gardens, creative workshops, genuine farmers' markets, Easter activities, and gallery exhibitions. Food and Drink Trails Passport Collect a Festival Map and Passport  at the Woodend Visitor Information Centre, or other participating venues, and let your palate guide you the way along Australia's biggest Pie & Tart Trail, the plant-based Edgy Veg Trail, or the full-of-spirit Tipple Trail. Gather Passport stamps at participating venues to enter the Autumn Festival Ultimate Food and Drink Trail Competition. Other highlights include: A full month of events! From farmers markets to creative workshops, blacksmithing, a French brocante marche, Easter activities for the kids, exclusive events and wine tastings, through to mushroom foraging, and more, discover more than 50 events during the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival! The Treasure Trail Returns! – Get ready to solve the 2025 Treasure Trail, with eight secret pie recipe clues to discover within eight leafy picnic hotspots throughout the Macedon Ranges, featuring sky-high autumnal trees. Collect your Festival Map and discover bountiful botanic gardens, glistening lakes, and adventurous playgrounds. NEW! Tipple Trail! Leveraging the success of Australia’s Biggest Pie & Tart Trail, the refreshing Autumn Tipple Trail features more than 30 Macedon Ranges venues each heroing a signature drink for the adults in your travel group. Nominate a designated driver and explore responsibly throughout April to get a taste of the Macedon Ranges’ craft brewers, gin distillers, cool country wine makers, along with country pubs and wine-bars showcasing their cocktail making talent. Australia’s Biggest Pie & Tart Trail  – Over 50 venues will be cooking up delicious pies, tarts, and other buttery, crumbly interpretations as part of the Autumn Pie and Tart Trail –making it the biggest known pie trail in Australia! Perhaps start with savoury and then move on to sweet, or vice versa.  Take on the challenge to eat your way around the Macedon Ranges across the thirty Festival days! The Edgy Veg Trail – Celebrate with more than thirty mouthwatering meals from Macedon Ranges cafes, pubs and restaurants, pulling out all stops to create innovative plant-based dishes that will wow your tastebuds.    

Join Castlemaine artist Linda Newton in this full-day drawing class where you learn to outline your sketches before using watercolour pigments to fill them with colour! Linda is known for her quirky yet incredibly detailed paintings and drawings and in this intensive workshop, she will show you how she creates her animals including how she creates movement in her characters and develops personalities. You will then be guided on how you can add dimension and drama in your composition by adding a watercolour wash to your work. Linda will go over the basics of using watercolours and the effects that can be achieved with a variety of brushes and the finishes that can be achieved with different techniques. Each participant will be provided with a kit to use during the workshop and take with them to continue their artistic journey at home. Your kit is valued at more than $70 and will include:

• Kuretake Watercolour Set - incl. 12 high pigment paints
• Zig Kuretake waterproof black fineliner
• 3 x Watercolour Brushes
• A4 Watercolour Pad

A delicious lunch will be provided created from all local organic produce and able to cater for any dietary requirements you may have. We also provide you with a divine afternoon treat and tea and coffee facilities are available throughout the course.

Sunset Cocktails at Big Tree Distillery – One Night Only!

Join us this April for an exclusive Sunset Cocktails & Canapés event at Big Tree Distillery, a one-night-only experience as part of the 2025 Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival.

Sip on expertly crafted cocktails featuring our award-winning farm-crafted gin, perfectly paired with delicious canapés, all while soaking in the breathtaking sunset over the Cobaw Ranges. With live music from the incredible Sugarloaf Creek, this is an evening of indulgence, fine flavours, and unforgettable atmosphere.

Live Music by Sugarloaf Creek

Hailing from the Macedon Ranges, Sugarloaf Creek is a dynamic husband-and-wife duo that reinterprets Blues, Soul, Jazz, Country, Rockabilly, and classic hits from the 1950s to today. Featuring Tom Martin on electric and acoustic guitar (Emma Donovan & the Putbacks, The Meltdown, Bombay Royale) and Georgia Martin on vocals and acoustic guitar (The Dingalings, The Bullettes), their timeless sound is guaranteed to set the perfect mood.

Event Details

📅 Date: Saturday, 26th April 2025
⏰ Time: 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 Location: Big Tree Distillery, Macedon Ranges

🎟️ Tickets include:
✔️ Three signature cocktails, expertly crafted with Big Tree Distillery’s premium gin
✔️ Gourmet canapés, perfectly matched to complement each cocktail
✔️ Live music in a stunning outdoor setting

Don't Miss Out!

Set against the stunning backdrop of our picturesque farm, this is the ultimate sunset soiree. Imagine a cocktail in hand, the golden hues of sunset, and the smooth sounds of live music—the perfect way to celebrate autumn in the Macedon Ranges.

🚨 Tickets sold out last year! Secure yours early and get ready for an unforgettable evening of cocktails, music, and breathtaking views at Big Tree Distillery.

The Malmsbury Village Fayre is a community day of fun, food and live music. Held in the enchanting Botanic Gardens of the historical town of Malmsbury (just an hour from Melbourne), the Fayre brings something for all – food vendors, local produce & wine, live music all day, craft stalls and entertainment for the kids. We invite everyone from near and far to enjoy the event. Bring your picnic rug and set up for the day. The Fayre features 14 food and drink vendors (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) or visit our Malmsbury local traders for dining and snacks on the day. On thing’s for sure, you can count on a wonderful music program, with live acts on the main stage all day, plus over 50 stalls with a diversity of regionally produced arts, crafts and products. There is plenty for the kids to do with lots of fun in store for the 2025 event: from face painting to storytelling to performers. It's just $2 entry per person for the fun-filled day out! Dogs on leads are allowed.  See you at the Fayre, Sunday 27th of April, Malmsbury Botanic Gardens, Malmsbury, 10am to 3pm.