Pubs & Bars

It should come as no surprise that Victoria’s Hearltland is ripe with charming country pubs, serving up warmth, hospitality and excellent food and drink. More recently, however, it has become home to wine bars pouring the finest local drops and cocktail lounges offering a spirited taste of the region. Whether, during you’re visit, you are after a cosy pub meal, a handcrafted cocktail or a local beer or wine, the region offers memorable spots to sip and savour the local flavour, one drop at a time.

Woodend’s Victoria Hotel in Woodend, built in the 1860s, is steeped in history and a great spot to enjoy hearty pub food. Just down the road is Holgate Brewhouse, one of the region’s pioneers in craft brewing, offering fantastic beers like the Temptress Chocolate Porter and ESB (Extra Special Bitter).

In Trentham, the historical Cosmopolitan Hotel – locals call it the Cosmo – serves up regional craft beers and exceptional dishes made using local produce in a glorious weatherboard building with wide verandahs and a pretty, flower-filled courtyard. Hotel Trentham is another welcoming country pub. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, it offers a menu of hearty pub classics. Just out of town, the Pig and Whistle is a hidden gem. This ivy-wrapped pub has a sprawling beer garden and regular live music.

In the heart of Daylesford, the Daylesford Hotel is a classic pub with wraparound verandahs, a cosy fireplace and seasonal pub fare. A short drive away in Blampied, the charming Swiss Mountain Hotel, built in 1865, is one of the oldest continuously licensed weatherboard pubs in Victoria.

Just outside Castlemaine, in the hamlet of Chewton, the Red Hill Hotel has a long history, running continuously since 1854. Known for its welcoming vibe, this gold-rush-era gem is a go-to spot for live music and seasonally inspired fare.

The Kyneton Hotel offers a robust wine list and rotating craft beers, best enjoyed in the beer garden on sunny days. History buffs will appreciate the chance to stay in the same room where a young Ned Kelly once slept.

If you haven’t got time to visit some of the region’s excellent cellar doors, head to one of the wine bars where local drops and those from further afield fill the list.

In Woodend, 600 Above boasts excellent range of wines available by the glass or to take-away, alongside beers on tap from Lost Watering Hole in Lancefield, cocktails featuring local spirits and a menu of sharing dishes, including charcuterie boards. There’s also Woodend Cellar & Bar – like 600 Above, it’s housed in a pretty, old-school, weatherboard shopfront – where a tight team of hospitality professionals has created an intimate, welcoming space where a rotating list of mostly local wines is matched with a tapas-style menu. You can also choose a wine flight, focused on single estates or varietals.

The Mill Castlemaine is home to Boomtown Winery, featuring the tipples of both the Boomtown and Minim labels. Drop by for a glass or make a booking at the bistro, where the food is inspired by the regional cuisine of southern France and northern Italy and shaped by the availability of produce from organic growers.

Other great spots to try the wines of the region include Kyneton’s warm and welcoming Piper Street Wine Company and the wine and cheese lover’s paradise that is Winespeake Cellar +Deli in Daylesford.

Kyneton’s historical Piper Street and the former Royal George Hotel is home to Botanik. Owners Melissa Macfarlane and Frank Moylan like to bring hospitality, art and design together and they’ve successfully done it here. The bar shares space with design store Kabinett and features rare and exotic liquor, including an impressive selection of vermouth and amaro. Find a spot among the lush plants on the verandah and order one of the experimental or classic cocktails. You can also pick up vintage glassware for your home bar.

Sip on a gin cocktail or one of the gin flights at the picturesque Big Tree Distillery in Newham. Take a seat in the gardens with views of the Cobaw Ranges and surrounding farmland, and order a picnic box to go with your chilli lime gimlet. Back in Woodend, enjoy fun and inventive gin cocktails from the team at Gindu, paired with a platter of bush‑tucker tapas.

In Gisborne, there’s an excellent selection of Asian-inspired cocktails, including the lychee Aperol spritz and a mojito made using makrut lime-infused white rum, on offer at the Flying Pigeon. Have them with some of the excellent dumplings or bar snacks.

Like it says in the name, Woodend’s Las Margaritas serves a tempting range of margaritas and other cocktails and mocktails alongside a menu of popular Tex-Mex dishes.