The art of glamping lies in capturing the essence of roughing it without actually doing so. My tepee-style bell tent at Bendigo’s Balgownie Estate Winery deftly melds the cosy minimalism of camping with First World must-haves such as a heater, coffee provisions and a power socket beside the bed. I’ve stayed in big city hotels that can’t manage all three.
Sunrise is like waking up inside an oil lantern: the canvas walls, glowing yellow, billowing gently, drawing breath with the breeze; the tent practically floating on a sea of grapevines, leaves rusting orange as autumn takes hold, fruit picked and fermenting. Birds sing and the kettle goes on.
A gold rush, sparked in 1851, brought great riches to Bendigo – and fortune seekers from all over the world. These days the lure of the place is rather different. In 2019 it became a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy, awarded largely for its foresight in locking in a self-sustaining future, forged by a network of local producers feeding off each other in symbiotic harmony to not just survive but thrive. The happy off-shoot is a rich culinary smorgasbord for visitors keen on a little country touring…
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