Australian Country Road Trips 3: European Tastes

European tastes With airfares at exorbitant prices, a European holiday may be currently beyond the reach of many. However, a short drive from Melbourne to the Victorian Goldfields region can conjure a most Continental experience.

GOLDFIELDS , CENTR A L V IC TORI A | 3 DAYS

BY RODERICK EIME

W

hile the revived rail service from Melbourne to Bendigo can deliver day trippers to the heart of the action, a leisurely drive through the surrounding villages is an appealing option, allowing you to motor between attractions and pile the car with goodies.

If you’re driving, it’s a loose 300-kilometre round trip from Melbourne. Ditch the boring M79 motorway after Kyneton and take the Calder Highway to Malmsbury. At Elphinstone, hang left onto the Diggers Way and then the Pyrenees Highway and you’ll notice a most peculiar roadside ensemble at Chewton. It’s a likeness of local hot-rodder, Rod Hadfield, whose shed is full of some of the most outrageous homemade vehicles imaginable.

Outstanding even in this astonishing collection is the handmade Warman Special, powered by a 27-litre Rolls-Royce V12 engine out of a Centurian tank shoehorned into a highly modified 1932 Packard Limousine chassis. If this monster were unleashed, it would nudge 300kph but no one is brave - or stupid - enough to try it.

Feeling peckish? You’re spoilt for choice in Castlemaine, but do head for Origini Cafe in Barker Street where native Italian, Luca Sartori, serves linguini and lasagne just like his mother makes. The tiny nook of a cafe on the main street is thronging at lunchtime, so be sure to book.

Hunger sated to satisfaction, head to The Mill to pick up on the artisan producers skipped on a previous journey. You can easily spend a full day

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THESE PAGES: (Above) Le Sel in Maldon; Buda is a historic home and garden inn Castlemaine that’s now open to the public.

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THESE PAGES: (Clockwise from right) The Mill in Castlemaine is a one-stop shop for all things artisan; charcuterie at The Mill; stop by Long Paddock Cheese; chocolates from Cabosse & Feve; time for drinks at the Theatre Royal.

at The Mill, which is like a mini circuit of Western Europe. Our first stop is to meet flamboyant couple, Elna Schaerf-Trauner and Edmund Schaerf, owners and operators of the boutique small-batch coffee roastery, Coffee Basics, which adjoins Das Kaffeehaus, their Vienna-themed restaurant full of Austrian regal memorabilia. The menu reads like a Wagnerian opera laden with grosses fruhstuck, wurstel and klein speisen. And the coffee is superb and roasted on the premises.

Be sure to visit Long Paddock Cheese, a small batch producer using certified organic dairy products sourced from local farms. You might recall the recent kerfuffle over the naming of European cheeses, well, LPC has sidestepped this debate by giving their products wholly Australian names such as Silver Wattle, Driftwood and Ironbark while retaining the traditional recipes, free from industrial-scale compromises.

French cheese guru, Ivan Larcher and wife, Julie, were recruited by Alison Lansley, MD of LPC and The Cheese School which also operates from the same premises at The Mill.

“All our cheese is handmade in our small-scale and purpose-built fromagerie in Castlemaine sourced from strictly local organic products,” Alison says. LPC’s superb artisan cheeses are a perfect pairing for wines from the Heathcote or Bendigo region. In fact, you could pop across the corridor to Tim Sproal’s Boomtown Wines for his “small batch, honest wines, made with fruit sourced from great Central Victorian sites”.

Beer aficionados are in hop heaven at The Mill and Doug Falconer’s Shed Shaker Brewery with, as he puts it, “traditionally brewed, old-world beer with a modern twist”. There’s a staggering array of frothy offerings, but for mine, the rich and dark Espresso Dark Lager is the choice for a chilly winter drop.

To keep the lager trail rolling, head down to Love Shack, Castlemaine’s newest bar and brewery near the Theatre Royal in the historic heart of town. In the funky digs, pale ale, IPA and lager are pouring year-round. Stout lovers will delight in Conna Mallett and Harrison Cox’s “Thick, Rich, Cold” sweet stout. If you’re in town for the evening, grab a brew or cocktail before a movie.

If there’s still room in the goodie basket, add some sumptuous smallgoods to the stash from Oakwood. Yes, at The Mill. Ralf Fink is a genuine German fleishmeister, a rare accreditation that designates expertise in the art of boutique butchery.

Ralf comes from a long line of elite butchers.

“My grandfather was a butcher, my father was a butcher and I’m a butcher,” he decrees, and his

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THESE PAGES: (Clockwise from above) Taking coffee at Das Kaffeehaus; more coffee and pastry abundance; quirky wares abound; Ralf Fink from Oakwood is a German fleishmeister.

creations, most notably from local organic pork, are a distinctly healthy alternative to the highly processed supermarket brands. To pair with your local wines, try his Bourbon pâté and Black Forest ham.

Before leaving The Mill, swing by Cabosse & Feve Chocolates where the young, husband and wife team of master chocolatiers, Freya Schellhorn and Thomas Vandaele handcraft the most exquisitely artful and delicious creations.

The truffles are a standout, made with 62 per cent dark chocolate with spices and brandy-soaked currants. “It’s easy to share a passion when it’s chocolate,” they say almost in unison.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Ulrike Barbara von Radichevich is descended from AustroHungarian royalty. Perhaps she is, but the radical designer certainly is fashion royalty in Castlemaine.

Be assured you will find creations like no other in her funky store, Rike Design, on Mostyn Street. A workaholic costume and set designer from Europe, Uli decided she needed a break. “I thought Australia was the perfect place to slow down, relax and be myself,” the vivacious artisan says. “Then I fell in love with a man and Castlemaine and here I am.”

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It may be true to say that the Leviny family from Hungary were the first prominent European pioneers in Castlemaine when they moved into the villa in Hunter Street now known as Buda House.

The family’s story is a long one, spanning almost 120 years and 10 children, the last of whom, Hilda, passed away as a 98-year-old spinster in 1981.

The preserved historic house and its magnificent garden then became a community resource and is open to the public.

Laden with booty, we stagger back to our digs at The Northern Arts Hotel and meet owners, Maggie Fooke and Frank Veldze, who made a splash in Melbourne with their former hotel, the iconic Brooklyn Arts Hotel in Fitzroy. Just around the corner from The Mill, the old pub was built in 1873 and traded as the Brighton Hotel and Store. It’s now a quirky guesthouse and community hub with tastefully restored rooms by renowned furniture maker, Nicholas Dattner. Frank and his right-hand man, Alan Joyce, curate classic movies for regular screenings and hold regular potluck fun dining events. Of course, there’s a ghost with a knack for leaving locked doors ajar.

It’s easy to see why Johnny Baker is a breakfast favourite for locals. Here John Stekerhofs, whose roots are in Latvia, creates crafty pastries that are the talk of the town. He’s even opened a second shop attached to the Northern Arts Hotel with excellent coffee to boot.

There’s time for a brisk, invigorating stroll around the manicured botanic gardens before the 15-minute drive eastward to Maldon.

Victorians will be familiar with the beautifully preserved streetscape that could easily be a goldrush movie set. Established in the 1850s, Maldon developed into the prosperous and dainty town much as it appears today.

Continuing the European theme, visit Dianne Tunks whose abiding love of Paris is reflected in her boutique homewares store, Enfilade Plus.

“I usually go to Paris twice a year to buy stock for the store,” she says. “But it’s been harder in recent times.” Hidden behind a deceptively modest frontage, Enfilade Plus extends way back (hence the name) into several rooms overflowing with delicate French handicrafts.

Across the ornate street is Le Sel, another European-themed establishment operated by French-born urban refugees, Serge Couturier and Claudine Lebrun, who have created the compact deli full of homemade delights with a most Gallic flavour.

Clearly popular with locals and visitors alike, it is a favourite morning haunt of resident Logiewinning TV stars, Kevin Moloney and Janetta Stones, who happen to be fulfilling their midmorning routine of pain au chocolat and almond croissant. What is it they so love about Maldon?

“We love the fact that I can have a real garden here. The open spaces are such a contrast to

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THESE PAGES: (Clockwise from above) Buda Historic Home and Garden; take time to smell the flowers; Castlemaine’s Botanic Gardens; pastries at Johnny Baker in Castlemaine; the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine; ducks on parade in the gardens.

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THIS PAGE: (Clockwise from left) Elna Schaerf-Trauner from Coffee Basics; rosemary for French flair; charcuterie from Oakwood.

THIS PAGE: (Clockwise from above) Baked delights from Le Sel; ceramics with a European accent; Serge Couturier from Le Sel.

inner city Melbourne living,” Kevin says between mouthfuls of flaky French pastry. “There’s a vibrant community and despite opinions, there is a very active, robust and stimulating social life here.”

“We have everything we need on a daily basis in town,” Janetta adds. “Anything more, we go to Castlemaine, if we can’t get it there, we go to Bendigo, then Melbourne. If we’re still not satisfied, there’s always London or New York.” And there’s that cheeky twinkle in her eye.

Head northeast on Fogarty’s Gap Road to Harcourt where we’ve earned a break at the Harcourt Produce & General Store. Here, chef Danish-born Annette Larsen Rae is yet another brush with the transplanted European culture. Along with her husband, Bruce, she purchased the rundown milk bar and newsagency, turning it into a tasteful outpost for local produce under the tagline “real food, cooked from scratch, by lovely people”. It’s hard to disagree.

Complete your loop by heading back to Melbourne along the Harmony Way or if you’ve decided to stay another night, there’s the classy Castlemaine Boutique Accommodation selection of restored heritage properties to choose from.

And there you have it, a year-round, passport-free grand tour of Europe right in your own backyard.

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W H E R E T O S TA Y Northern Arts Hotel, Castlemaine northernartshotel.com.au Castlemaine Boutique Accommodation, Castlemaine castlemaineaccom.com.au

P L A C E S T O E AT & D R I N K Origini Cafe, Castlemaine instagram.com/originicastlemaine Oakwood Smallgoods, Castlemaine oakwoodsmallgoods.com Love Shack Brewery, Castlemaine loveshackbrewingco.beer Johnny Baker, Castlemaine johnnybaker.com.au Long Paddock Cheese, Castlemaine longpaddockcheese.com.au Das Kaffeehaus, Castlemaine coffeebasics.com Railway Hotel, Castlemaine railwayhotelcastlemaine.com.au Le Sel, Maldon lesel.com.au Harcourt Produce & General Store, Harcourt harcourtproduce.com Theatre Royal, Castlemaine theatreroyalcastlemaine.com.au

THINGS TO DO

Hadfield’s Hot Rods, Chewton ph: (03) 5472 3868 Rike Design, Castlemaine rike-design.com Buda Historic Home & Garden, Castlemaine budacastlemaine.org Theatre Royal, Castlemaine theatreroyalcastlemaine.com.au Cabosse & Feve Chocolates, Castlemaine cabosseandfeve.com.au Enfilade Plus, Maldon instagram.com/enfiladeplus The Mill, Castlemaine millcastlemaine.com.au

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