As the tenth anniversary of Mitch Duncan and Steven Chau becoming custodians of Daylesford’s Farmers Arms Hotel approaches, it’s a good time to take stock of changes to the town’s oldest pub.

 “I’m a glutton for making good food simple.” Everything at the shops is made in-house, from the fudge and fruit compotes flavouring the ice-cream to the cookie crumbs folded into the cookies and cream version along with a pinch of salt to make it zing.

The Trading Post is the kind of place that’s all things to all people. It’s a café and wine store, a grocer and a place to pick up take-home meals for the nights when you really can’t be bothered cooking.

The idea for Little Hampton Spring Water was born after the three families which make up the business’s second generation purchased a spring on pristine farmland in the tiny town of Little Hampton, near Trentham.

Gindu is short for Gin Down Under and the idea behind the brand was to create a range of gins, all using native botanicals from across Australia, that represent a sense of place. 

Daylesford Wine Tours offers an impressive range of options, full day and morning tours, which include lunch, and afternoon tours that take in three cellar doors and end with a tasting at one of Daylesford’s distilleries.

Long Paddock Cheese boasts an eclectic selection of eight cheeses, each with the richness of Australian terroir. "We've got eight cheeses at Long Paddock Cheese. Seven of them have strong French sort of accents or twists I would say and one of them has an English identity and that one is called the Granite,"

Clair's story is more than a narrative of gardening; it's a testament to the transformative power of horticulture. From a child marvelling at a neighbour’s pumpkin to a visionary reshaping perceptions of garden design, her journey illustrates the limitless potential from learning to grow. 

Traditionally, we'd always thought of them more to cook curries, or Indian, Moroccan cuisine. They’d use spices in things we were already cooking, like spaghetti bolognese, and it was to enhance everyday cooking rather than change it.

In a world where design can sometimes feel like a fleeting trend, Jenden’s work is a celebration of timeless beauty. He’s not just designing for the present; he’s designing for the future, creating spaces that will continue to tell their stories for generations to come. 

“Every time I move between Ireland and Australia,” Farmer reflects, “the birds are the first to tell me where I am.” It is this migratory rhythm, a personal symphony of feathers and songs, that pulses through her art.

Jobbo was struck by the creative power of barbering, “with building I was always adding, but with cutting hair I was always subtracting. It’s very sculptural.” 

There’s something about summer that stirs up memories of childhood holidays - those long, sun-drenched days when the world seemed full of endless possibility. 

'There really are so many reasons to get out of the house and get LOST in nature this Spring. We hope the stories in this edition lead you to your next great discovery.'