KarryOn Luxury
Lake House Daylesford: leading regional retreat marks 40-year milestone
By: Kirstie Bedford
Lake House Daylesford kickstarted regional destination dining when it opened in the 1980s. Four decades on, it has continued to retain its spot as a revered regional dining venue.
When Allan Wolf-Tasker and Alla Wolf-Tasker arrived at the site of Lake House in Daylesford in the 80s, it was a derelict paddock covered in blackberries with redback-infested car wrecks, but Alla had a vision that would change the face of regional destination dining as we knew it.
Her dream was to turn the site into a 40-seat, weekend-only restaurant to emulate her experiences of top-end French regional hospitality. Hand-built by Allan, it took four years before they opened their doors, and when they did, they not only kickstarted a new evolution of regional dining, they also put Daylesford on the global culinary map.
Alla says it was by no means plain sailing, with quality regional produce almost non-existent, forcing the couple to travel to and from Melbourne twice a week. But they continued to evolve, renovate, refine and remodel – and it paid off. Today the restaurant has achieved 76 chef hats and more than 100 hospitality and tourism awards.
Today, daughter Larissa Wolf-Tasker and her husband Robin Wilson oversee operations.
A founding member of Luxury Lodges of Australia, there are now 33 studios and suites nestled among meticulously manicured gardens overlooking the mystical Lake Daylesford. The property also has an infinity pool, tennis court, library, event spaces and a state-of-the-art spa with a focus on Ayurvedic treatments.
Interiors have been carefully curated by Larissa and include plush upholstered sofas, merino wool throws and carefully selected art, including her late father’s works, which pay homage to the Australian landscape.
The restaurant is still very much the heart of the property and through its many incarnations has stayed true to its original values, which Larissa says remain, “with the top button undone”.
These days the recently renovated dining room overlooks the lush gardens to the lake and outside rows of umbrellas shade guests as they lounge in the sunshine.
“It’s been white, cream, green and mauve. High back, low back, banquet seating. White plates, black plates, boards, and tiles. Never in response to fads and never at the expense of its original identity,” says Larissa.
“It continues a natural and organic evolution. A living breathing entity fuelled and moulded by the family vision and its current caretakers. As one guest remarked recently, it appears fresher each visit, as if with a facelift, flawless and ageless.”
Dairy Flat Lodge and Regeneration
Just down the road is sister property Dairy Flat Lodge, Bake House & Farm, which sits on 16 hectares. It’s home to a regenerative farm that produces vegetables, herbs and flowers for Lake House restaurant. The property has six rooms, and travellers can either take over the entire property or you can book them one of six suites.
There are rare breed cattle, lambs, olive groves, beehives and an orchard. And this year it will produce its first pinot noir rosé, chardonnay and apple cider.
Lake House is dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of the land and the quality of the soil and has significant composting systems that transfer waste back to the land.
Guinea fowl and geese roam the gardens, and the bakehouse has a commitment to slow fermentation, non-GMO grains and local millers.
To celebrate its four decades of success, Lake House will hold a series of celebration events in August and December.
