LOCATED about half an hour’s drive from Ballarat, many tourists who take the Great Southern Touring Route head to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs after the regional centre, and Bellinzona is the perfect place to relax and explore these historic towns.
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Dating back to the 1800s, when Bellinzona was first built as a family home by a Swiss Italian migrants, it then became a boarding house during the gold rush era and later a guest house when the region became popular for visitors enamoured by the mineral springs.
It was during this time that the owners also built the Hepburn Pool at the back of Bellinzona, a natural pool that’s now heritage listed.
The region is well known for its amazing produce and the team at Bellinzona recently launched the first regional wine and food hub in Daylesford, bringing many top regional wine producers into the hub and giving visitors an opportunity to taste a wide variety of regional wines under one roof.
Nestled within well matured gardens and neighbouring the Wombat State Forest, birds such as kookaburras often visit the deck at Bellinzona.
The proximity to the forest also provides guests with ample opportunities for wonderful walks. In-house guests are offered a regional produce picnic basket, which they can take with them on a picnic at one of the many beautiful parks or lakes around Daylesford.
If you stay over on a Thursday, you can even join a local group that does their walk every Friday morning. It’s free, you just need to book, and what better way to explore the area than with the locals.
Day trippers can visit Bellinzona for a sumptuous Italian cuisine, inspired by the region’s original Swiss Italian Heritage, with fresh handmade pasta made daily when the restaurant is open (Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm).
On Saturday, there is a heritage high tea, which guests can enjoy while admiring the beautiful natural surrounding and Bellinzona’s gorgeous Edwardian style dining room and history.
With Lavandula, Willow Cricket, Chocolate Mill, Convent Gallery and fresh producers/farm gates just minutes away, you’ll find plenty to do in the area.