Mr & Mrs Smith

Creaking red gums are home to laughing kookaburras, a crystal-clear stream meanders through grassy paddocks, and kangaroos and wallabies hop among bleating sheep. Mt Sturgeon is about getting away from it all and soaking up nature – after all, you're on a working sheep farm in Dunkeld at the southern tip of Victoria's Grampians National Park, with rocky mountains and native bush coaxing even city types to discover their inner trekker.

The three-and-a-half-hour drive from Melbourne may seem a bit of a schlep, but once here you'll soon be soothed by the simple, rustic bluestone cottages, scattered across this rural property. Originally shearers' quarters, they've been sympathetically restored by architect and silversmith Dan Flynn of Kyneton, helped by local trades people. With small mullioned windows and solid red gum or sandstone flagstone floors, they're the real deal, offering colonial-style accommodation with a uniquely Australian spin.

Let's face it though, you're here for the food: sister property the Royal Mail Hotel's acclaimed fine dining restaurant beckons, and the cottages make a tranquil base for exploring the 10-course tasting menu (reserve a table when you book your room, as this gourmet destination is deservedly hyped). Executive chef Dan Hunter's edgy, experimental food might be confronting for some, but many rate it as the best in Australia. There's also a more informal bistro here, run from the same kitchen, if you can't spare four hours to work your way through all those dazzling dishes.

Food aside, the property offers a great mix of walks; you can picnic or barbecue outdoors beside the cottages; and there are various intriguing dwellings to explore on the estate, from historic homesteads to a contemporary woolshed, as well as a pool at the hotel. The farm setting means there are about 60,000 Merino sheep here too, producing over 1,000 bales of supefine wool a year. So if you need to count sheep to fall asleep, you'll be spoiled for choice...