COMPILED BY SARAH LANG

1. Bullarto Gallery. 

Local award-winning artist Phillip Edwards has been living in Bullarto for two years and in that time has been a finalist in the Wynne prize at the Gallery of NSW, wining the Trustees watercolour prize, a finalist in the Calleen art prize at Cowra and the Kenney prize in Adelaide. His latest venture is the Bullarto Gallery – located just a short stroll from the historic Bullarto station operated by Spa Country Railway. Set in parklike surrounds, the gallery will showcase Edwards’ large-scale landscape works of Mt Buffalo National Park, the Flinders Ranges and local scenes of Wombat State Park and Sailors Creek. Plans are afoot to expand the gallery to include a sculpture garden later in the year. Edwards will also be offering ongoing group classes for locals and intensive weekend workshops. 

Bullarto Gallery Grand Opening: Saturday 8 June 2pm; 962 Daylesford Trentham Rd Bullarto.

2. A very local musical. 

Set in the Macedon Ranges, 1891, Wintersong is a glorious story of love, loss and triumph and a must-see for audiences of all ages. Music is composed by local, Scott Cameron, with libretto and lyrics by another local – novelist and author, Kathleen McLennan. The song “Dreams” from this production won a first place honours at SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyrists Awards). Produced by Kyneton Theatre Company, this great musical is being held in the charming Bluestone Theatre, Hutton St Kyneton, 14-23 June. Tickets can be purchased here from trybooking.com. 

3. Lancefield Luncheon 

Anyone who’s ever explored Lancefield knows that there’s a lot of dirt roads to traverse between wineries. And with that in mind, Curly Flat are joining forces with some formidable Lancefield wineries to put together a hyper-local (3435 postcode only!) lunch at Curly Flat in July. Lunch will be prepared by one hatted Carlton restaurant Scopri - their local connection being their biodynamically farmed kitchen garden in Romsey which keeps Scopri in seasonal produce year-round. Wines will be served from Curly Flat, Lane’s End, Lyon’s Will, Parkside, and Wilimee, and their winemaking teams will be on hand to present the wines. It promises to be a brilliant day, and what better way to experience all that the Lancefield subregion has to offer. 

Sunday 7 July. More info head to www. lyonswillestatate.com.au 

4. Explore Kyneton 

Flop House in Kyneton offer a range of beautiful period style homes and cottages to stay in and around Kyneton. They have recently released a Bike and Walking Guide to Kyneton encouraging visitors to “stay longer and explore more”. The guide takes in historic landmarks along the Campaspe River, backstreets of Kyneton in addition to the expected Piper Street highlights. The guide includes a hand drawn map by internationally acclaimed illustrator Grant Cowen who is a former Flop House guest and now tree changer to Kyneton. 

Flop House offers guests the use of a Tokyo Bike and the itinerary includes a tasting at Piper Street Food Co where guests have the option of collecting a picnic before exploring the Campaspe River trail. Finally after a day of exploring, guests are welcome to indulge in a complimentary G&T by award-winning (and Lost fave) Animus Distillery. 

For more info head to flophouse.com.au 

5. Curious about taxidermy. 

Taxidermy is experiencing a resurgence in interior design and this incredibly old craft can now be learnt using ethically sourced specimens. Museum Makers is run by Ewin Wood and Dean Smith, two of Australia’s leading natural history preparators and they are conducting a workshop using traditional museum techniques over two days on how to create a beautiful bird mount. The workshop introduces participants to the process of taxidermy and is completely hands-on with you finishing the two-day course taking home your mounted bird. 

Museum Makers; Taxidermy Workshop, 22-23 June, Castlemaine. For bookings, head here trybooking.com.