This Father’s Day weekend coincides with the first few days of Spring; a glorious time to get out and about in the crisp Grampians air and experience some of the incredible natural and cultural attractions in our region – so don’t do brekky in bed for Dad this year, treat the whole family to brunch done the Grampians Way! Here are 6 of the best:
Livefast Lifestyle Café - HALLS GAP
With a focus on excellent coffee and delicious food made with local ingredients wherever possible, it’s no wonder Livefast Lifestyle Café is so popular with tourists and locals alike!
This weekend active adventure Dads will love coming straight in from a hike in the Grampians to the wholesome WINTER BENEDICT at Livefast, with sourdough toast, slow-cooked corned beef, asparagus, spinach, hollandaise & poached eggs washed down with a well-deserved Trailblazer craft beer – why not?!
Parker St Project @ The Royal Mail Hotel - DUNKELD
If you’ve double-booked celebrating with Dads, father-in-laws and grandfathers this weekend and can’t fit it all into one day, take a mid-week raincheck! The Parker Street Project does breakfast 7 days and it’s not just for hotel guests only; also open to the public, you can catch up with family & friends from 7.30 – 11.30am and be served inside by the wood fire on a chilly morning, or outside in the courtyard for some of the most picturesque mountain views in the southern Grampians.
Located in the former Royal Mail dining room, the current a la carte menu - cooked by chefs – includes favourites such as eggs benedict with smoked ham hock & sautéed garden greens, poached eggs with hollandaise and French toast with slab bacon, maple syrup & caramelised fruit, topped off with fresh roasted coffee by Melbourne roaster Coffee Supreme and Garden-inspired fresh pressed juices. Bookings are not required unless for large groups, so it’s perfect for last-minute casual catch-ups.
Hipster Dads will appreciate the nod to nostalgia at Harvest Café in Halls Gap this weekend with their BUBBLE & SQUEAK with two poached eggs & Salt Kitchen® ham off the bone, on ‘bubble & squeak’ (potato & vegetable hash), topped with chivey sour cream – YUM!
Treat Dad to some gourmet local wine and goodies to-go from the in-house provedore or grab a take-away Grounded Pleasures Chilli Hot Chocolate on your way out and head over to the Pomonal Art Show Fathers’ Day festival with local stalls, food, wine, and beer, and live grooves from local bands The Recalcitrants and The Plastic Bags. The whole family will be entertained with free art workshops and kids activities including jumping castles, hair spraying, face painting, and Halls Gap Zoo animals to amuse even the BIGGEST kids…
Easily found between Pomonal and Halls Gap in the Grampians, Red Rock Olives olive grove and farm gate café is welcoming guests this Father’s Day from 10am until 5pm.
The breakfast menu includes gourmet brunch staples such as bacon, eggs and house-style baked beans as well as a delicious chai porridge, coffee from Hamilton’s Roxburgh House and traditional Dad’s will appreciate the English Breakfast served in a teapot.
The 2018 extra virgin olive oil will be available for tasting and purchasing with 6 different table olives to taste as well as vinegars, olive salt, chili olive salt and tapenade. The new Olieve & Olie organic skincare range which includes a shaving gel, will get you out of trouble for a (very!) last-minute gift.
The Dunkeld Old Bakery - Dunkeld
The Dunkeld Old Bakery began operating in 1887 in a tiny cottage in a quiet backstreet and it’s wood-fired oven is one of only a handful left operational in Victoria.
History-buff Dads will be as big a fans of the original setting as they are of the mouth-watering fare with the Old Bakery’s Big Breakfast featuring eggs your way, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and Black Angus chipolatas on house-baked sourdough with homemade relish.
After brunch, stroll down the road to the Dunkeld Historical Museum which is open between 1 and 5pm on Sundays, and is home to many historic artefacts from the Grampians region that date back as far as the 1830’s. With a large collection of memorabilia, photographs, tools, and items from both world wars, it’s a great dose of local historical culture for the whole family.
Café Jas in Horsham has a hero meal for the superman in the family; order the JAS GIANT with two fried eggs, four rashes of bacon, cheese and hash browns served on Turkish bread which is the ultimate breakfast of champions when paired with one of their KICKIN PROTEIN SHAKES in Juicy Lucy, Malteaser or Chai Latte.
On the subject of ‘giant’, Horsham is only a short drive from Rupanyup which is the southern entry point of the Silo Art Trail, over 200km of Australia’s largest outdoor gallery – so as far as Sunday drives go, this one is EPIC!
So don’t miss out on any of the fabulous food or family fun in the Grampians this weekend – call and book your spots now!
