The European-style lodge offers luxurious accommodation for up to 14 guests and boasts an extensive and productive kitchen garden, a vineyard, its own bakehouse, an established olive grove and an orchard of 350 heritage fruit trees
The team behind Lake House Daylesford, the Wolf-Tasker family has announced it will be opening a luxurious, exclusive-use holiday house in Daylesford, Victoria, in December 2019.
Dairy Flat Lodge and Farm is set on a 38-acre regenerative farm amid rolling hills in the hamlet of Musk, seven kilometres from Daylesford, where award-winning hotel, Lake House Daylesford is located. The European-style lodge offers luxurious accommodation for up to 14 guests and boasts an extensive and productive kitchen garden, a vineyard, its own bakehouse, an established olive grove and an orchard of 350 heritage fruit trees.
Dairy Flat Farm also has its own bakehouse, created within an existing semi-underground cellar space accessed via a tunnel beneath the lodge, and which will be operated in collaboration with Michael James, formerly of Melbourne’s renowned Tivoli Road Bakery.
All baking for the iconic Lake House restaurant will now come from Dairy Flat as will items for the Wolf-Tasker’s more casual country café Wombat Hill House – nestled in the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in central Daylesford. Surplus from the bakery will also be available at Wombat Hill House for visitors to take away. Michael James will run regular sourdough baking classes on site for Lodge guests and as an extension of the Lake House Cooking School program.
With champion of sustainable and local produce, Alla Wolf-Tasker, behind the new property, Dairy Flat Farm supplements what existing suppliers are unable to provide, as well as allowing Alla, the Lake House chefs and the Farm’s gardeners to experiment with growing rare and interesting vegetables, fruit and herbs.
“Having our own productive farm has been a long-held dream for me and the team at Lake House. It means that the vast majority of produce we serve now comes entirely from the local area. It’s also the next step for us and the Lake House family to close the loop on the immersive food-focussed experience for all our guests,” she said.
As for Dairy Flat Lodge’s accommodation, six ensuite rooms are available on the farm stay, with a live-in concierge on hand to organise every aspect of the guests’ stay. The interior design focuses on craftsmanship and artisanal production with custom-made furniture, cabinetry and upholstery, original artworks by Allan Wolf-Tasker, botanical paintings by Alesandro Ljubicic, sculpture by bronze worker Anthony Vanderzweep and woodwork from craftsman Greg Stirling.
Lodge guests will be able to partake in a farm tour or book into scheduled workshops on gardening, baking and bee keeping. They can also immerse themselves in the day-to-day activities of the farm: in the vegetable garden, orchard, vineyard, olive grove or ornamental gardens, with the bee hives or in the bakehouse.
“The Farm will continually be full of experts in their fields, giving guests an opportunity to observe, immerse or dive deep depending on their level of interest in getting their hands dirty,” Alla Wolf-Tasker added.
Lake House guests will also be able to visit Dairy Flat Farm on scheduled tours to learn about the region’s produce and growing seasons. Tours, classes, workshops and broader opportunities for learning will also be incorporated into the existing Lake House Cooking School program.