If you want to eat as the locals do, rock up to the Farmers arms (1 East St) on the edge of town. “It’s a classic,” says Lynda. “It’s always friendly, there’s no fanciness – no interior decoration to speak of – but it’s a good old-fashioned pub with a welcoming ambience.” Sit at the bar to graze on croquettes and saganaki (pan-fried Greek cheese), or settle at a table in the warren of dining rooms for pub stalwarts such as braised lamb shanks or roast pork belly with mash.

For breakfast, Lynda slips into Larder (57A Vincent St). “I always have the homemade Boston beans with poached eggs – it’s simple, but well prepared,” she says. Regional ingredients pepper the menu, such as Istra bacon and chorizo, Meredith goat’s cheese and Des O’Toole honey, and there’s a proudly parochial wine list from the surrounding Macedon Ranges.

In the nearby town of Trentham, High Street is home to a clutch of foodie gems, including Annie Smithers’ respected Du Fermier (42 High St). Annie builds on the paddock-to-plate ethos of her last restaurant, her eponymous bistro in Kyneton, drawing from an extensive kitchen garden to create a daily set menu of French-accented fare.

If you’d like to start building your own collection of quirky antiques, make like a bowerbird and pay a visit to the Daylesford sunday market (18 Raglan St). “I always leave with something, whether it’s a little old picture, a hessian bag – all sorts of bits and pieces,” says Lynda. “There’s a lot of wrongness,” she laughs, “but the stallholders on the lower level rock up with fabulous, random pieces and I always find something there.” On the first Saturday of the month, Daylesford Farmers’ Market sets up shop at Daylesford Primary School (Vincent St), offering organic fruit and vegetables, rare-breed meats, free-range eggs and artisanal cheeses.

The region’s Swiss-Italian heritage is on show at Lavandula (350 Hepburn-Newstead Rd, Shepherds Flat). This beautiful property is home to lavender fields, a cute gift store and rustic Italian eatery La Trattoria, which serves grazing platters, toasted sandwiches and scones under a vine-shrouded canopy. “The lavender scones are a little bit special, and strolling through the gardens is a lovely thing to do,” says Lynda.

You’ll need to book ahead to secure a stay at Lynda’s supremely stylish cottage, The White house ( 58 Albert St, Daylesford), which features three bedrooms (including one in a light-drenched studio), a claw-foot bathtub and a reading room like you’ve never seen, boasting a beaten-up 1930s club chair and colour-blocked book shelves. Lynda also has just opened another boutique abode, The estate trentham (Falls Rd, Trentham). “It’s another gorgeous three-bedroom home, surrounded by fruit trees, a vegetable patch and herb gardens. I want our guests to help themselves to all of that produce and have an authentic country experience while they are here.”

Daylesford’s Vincent street is lined with pint-sized boutiques and galleries. At Manteau Noir (1/27 Vincent St), “Victoria has a beautiful selection of treasures that she sources from Europe, the US and locally,” says Lynda. “She’s very clever at putting all of her bits and pieces together, so there are vintage and antique items, as well as original artworks and furniture.” Artist David Bromley also calls Daylesford home and has recently opened the Bromley & Co retail space (45A Vincent St). Browse his signature canvases and sculptures, plus quirky curios that will fit nicely into your suitcase.

For your daily bread while you’re in Trentham, pop into Redbeard bakery (38A High St), where a 124-year-old woodfired Scotch oven turns out top-notch organic sourdough made with wild-culture yeasts.