Get a Taste of the Macedon Ranges this Summer
Embrace the sultry weather with a summer road trip to the Macedon Ranges and immerse yourselves in good old fashioned hospitality. Or put your bike on the V-Line train and go on a leisurely ride around our little villages. There are plenty of dog friendly fun adventures to be had too!
A snapshot of good times to be had this summer in the Macedon Ranges…
- Taste artisan, small batch gin distilled in the Macedon Ranges
- Enjoy locally farmed produce at our fantastic cafes and restaurants
- Visit award-winning wine cellar doors tucked away off quiet country roads
- Drop into local artist studios and immerse yourself in a vibrant arts scene
- Shop up a storm on Kyneton’s historic Piper Street
- Attend a special interest workshop and learn a new skill
- Go on a girls weekend and stay in a country style B&B with all the bells and whistles
- Take the kids fishing along the Campaspe River or Lauriston Reservoir
- Picnic under the shade of ancient oak trees in local botanical gardens
Gin Tasting in the Macedon Ranges
There’s nothing better than a cold G&T or gin cocktail on a hot summer’s day. Rapidly becoming Victoria’s gin distilling epicentre, the Macedon Ranges is the perfect destination to embark on a gin tasting trail over summer.
Animus Distillery, Big Tree Distillery and Mountain Distilling are three Macedon Ranges gin distilleries producing small batch artisan gin. Many of these handcrafted gins use locally foraged botanicals and rainwater collected on their farm. Quite a few of them have a swag of international awards.
Currently you can visit a gin cellar door at Mount Towrong Winery on Mount Macedon (MOUNTAIN Gin) or Animus Distillery in Kyneton (this cocktail bar and cellar door stocks all local gin brands). Alternatively, many local bars and restaurants feature our local gins on their menus.
Wine Cellar Doors in the Macedon Ranges
When you’ve had your gin fix, visit one of the many wine cellar doors dotted throughout the Macedon Ranges. Our region happens to boast the coolest grape-growing climate of any wine region on the mainland.
The small quantities of exceptionally high quality and award-winning wines produced are a reflection of our unique climate and topography. The Macedon Ranges is also one of the few regions in Australia where the wineries and vineyards are owned and operated almost exclusively as small family concerns. There’s a good chance it will the winemaker themselves pouring your tasting at their cellar door!
Don’t drink and drive… there are a number of local tour companies that will pick you up from the V-Line train station or your accommodation and chauffeur you on a guided experience, including The Regional Wanderer and Trips all Round.
Hesket Estate’s Cellar Door in the Macedon Ranges
Special Interest Workshops in the Macedon Ranges
Summer is a great opportunity to take time off work and focus on yourself. The Macedon Ranges offers a range of quirky workshops that tap into people’s lust for traditional, artisan and handmade.
The region offers a plethora of one day and weekend special interest and ‘lost trades’ workshops run by local experts including:
- Silver jewellery making
- Traditional drystone walling
- English pork pie and traditional sausage making
- Floral foraging and arranging
- Millinery
- Leadlighting and mosaics
- Furniture making
- Drawing and painting
Keep an eye out for upcoming workshops on our ‘What’s On’ page.
Immerse Yourself in a Vibrant Arts Scene
The Macedon Ranges has more professional artists working in the arts than anywhere else in Victoria. Quite literally, we’re the artist mecca of the state. There are a multitude of galleries to visit throughout the region, a Macedon Ranges Arts Trail, ‘Sculpture in the Vines’ at Hanging Rock Winery and a sand art sculpture exhibition on the property of a historic homestead. You can even book one day art guided tours that take you into working artists studios.
Stockroom on Kyneton’s Piper Street combines contemporary art and fashion.
Get Naturally Cool this Summer
If getting covered in sand at the beach is not your cup of tea, head to the ranges for a summer country fix. Explore the Macedon Ranges by car, come by train, join a small tour, ride your bike or go back in time and explore by vintage horse carriage.
Embrace a sense of freedom with our wide open spaces and slow country pace. Meet the artists. Taste the produce. Learn something new. Appreciate the old. Drink something cool. Find your happy space in the Macedon Ranges.
