“I’ll pack my maternity one-piece.” If this isn’t a sentence that signals a party, I don’t know what is.
I’m emailing with my friend Mariko to organise our glorious reunion for a girls’ weekend in Melbourne. It’s something we’ve been doing for years, starting when we were young whippersnappers in our early 20s and both living in Auckland.
Now we’re in our 30s, and Mariko lives in Melbourne with her husband, toddler, and another baby on the way. But just because shopping and whisky have been replaced with naps and Earl Grey, doesn’t mean you can’t live it up adult woman-style for a long weekend away.
Presenting a grown-up’s guide to a ‘girls gone mild’ break in Victoria.
Abalone with barbecue ice at Lûmé
Food, glorious food: Eat a 10-course meal at Lûmé
It’s very easy to eat very well in Melbourne; throw a stone and you’ll hit a delicious eatery, food truck or hole-in-the-wall. But Lûmé, a fine-dining restaurant in South Melbourne, is different.
As soon as we sit down, the plates start arriving and it’s epic from the word go (you know you’re in for a great night when even the bread and butter leads to rapturous conversation).
Two courses into the 10-course degustation, we’re presented with this extraordinary combination: duck pâté in a salted white chocolate shell served with fried bread; which instantly sets itself up in my ‘top five things I’ve ever eaten’ memory bank. The rest of the dishes are just as sublime; abalone with barbecue ice; smoky and sweet charred baby corn; smoking ice cream with poached pear.
Eating this way is conversation-friendly; the food and wine just keep coming, so you don’t waste precious catch-up time looking at a menu. There are three menu options: our 10-course feast was AU$140 per person, with matching wine for an additional AU$95 per person.
Want a lower-priced option?
Try Rosa’s Kitchen or Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar for Italian, and Gazi for Greek, in particular the 10-dish sharing menu.
Road tripping: Explore beautiful Victoria
The thought of driving in central Melbourne brings me out in a cold sweat, but once we’re out of the city and on the motorway, it’s a dream.
Our first mini road trip is to the Mornington Peninsula, just over an hour south of the city. For our second, we venture two hours north into the Macedon Ranges, just me, Mariko and our slightly passive-aggressive GPS, who we nickname Susan. It’s our first foray into rural Victoria and it’s picture perfect as we drive along under a canopy of autumn leaves.
After a closer day trip?
Sherbrooke Forest Walk in the Dandenong Ranges National Park is just 40km east of Melbourne’s CBD and the ideal place for a picnic and a bush walk.
Gourmet Daylesford: Eat local at Lake House
If a girls’ weekend can’t revolve around food and wine – see: pregnancy – you better believe it will revolve around food and pampering.
Luckily these are two areas Daylesford (try to say that without a Kath & Kim accent!) excels in. There are thermal springs all through the area and local produce is taken very, very seriously.
Don’t miss: Lake House. Executive chef and co-owner Alla Wolf-Tasker is revered for her regional cooking and the lakeside setting, above, (guarded by some assertive geese) is a sensational spot for lunch.
Time to spa: Relax at the Peninsula Hot Springs
In Mornington Peninsula, Susan the GPS directs us down a long, dusty road to the Peninsula Hot Springs. Just 10 years ago this was empty farmland, now it’s a popular thermal spa surrounded by 40,000 trees planted by the owners.
The spa is split into two sections: the Bath House (a public area with more than 20 different spa experiences, including a cave spa and hilltop pool) and the tranquil adults-only Spa Dreaming Centre.
Sitting in the magnesium-rich waters as native birds twitter in the gum trees around us, it feels like we’ve gone back in time.
More of a sav girl than a spa one?
Take a winery tour around the scenic Yarra Valley. Our picks are the historic Yering Station, and TarraWarra Estate, which is in a spectacular setting.
Work up an appetite: Climb Hanging Rock
Even if you aren’t familiar with the story of the missing Victorian schoolgirls in the classic Australian novel Picnic At Hanging Rock, an air of intrigue looms over the place.
A 40-minute drive east of Daylesford, we arrive in the late afternoon, the sun low in the sky and the temperature dropping. A sign tells us the gate shuts at 5pm, so we quicken our pace – this does not feel like a place you would want to get left behind in the dark.
The strange rock formation is the result of a volcanic eruption six million years ago and spindly eucalyptus trees tower over us as we walk steadily to the peak.
It’s steep but not difficult; even quite-pregnant Mariko has no problem with it, and the view of the icy blue sky and the farmland 105m below us is spectacular.
Not after a bush walk?
Lavandula is a Swiss Italian farm in Daylesford with sprawling grounds filled with lavender and olive trees. After a stroll around, head to the farm’s café to indulge in the Grazing Platter, a mix of local meats, cheeses and olives, and then a lavender scone for dessert. Accompanied by lavender honey and a lavender lemonade, it is divine.
Rest and recuperate: Stay at Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel
Here’s the thing about a girls’ trip: it’s important. Most weekends disappear in a brisk haze of chores but when you go away, you realise just how much you can get out of that time.
Even though Mariko and I have been friends for almost 10 years, and are in constant contact over social media, in our long weekend together we unpack parts of our lives we haven’t touched on before: old boyfriends, old jobs, the nitty-gritty details that never get delved into during the brief life catch-ups you trade over email.
We hit peak close-friend time while staying at the divine Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel back in Daylesford where, after eating on-site at the Argus Dining Room, we separate in the evening.
I have a soak and a pinot noir in the obscenely large bath in our room, while Mariko lies on the sofa and watches television (a rare treat when you have a toddler).
We have talked non-stop for two days straight; it feels like the grown-up version of a sleepover, only instead of swooning over boy bands, we wax lyrical about the different types of butter we’ve tried on the trip.
As our time draws to a close, we make a pact to continue our girls’ weekends in Melbourne every year: a three-hour flight seems a small price to pay for a trip back in time.
Note to self: Start planning the next break as soon as possible!
