Local style: Linden Tree Restaurant.
Put down your Mornington Peninsula pinots, there's serious shopping to be done in this hinterland hot spot, writes Sally Paterson.
Uffe Frank. I had never heard the name. Didn't know he is the Danish fashion designer du jour: the man behind Crown Princess Mary's wedding dress, with a bio boasting Giorgio Armani and Valentino collaborations.
I certainly would never have expected to stumble across his only Australian stockist nestled in a tiny rural community, an hour outside of Melbourne. But here in a compact Red Hill store, surrounded by exquisite silk shaped into masterful feminine flattery, the name Uffe Frank suddenly seems very important.
Lindenderry in autumn.
Shop owner Rhonda Mentiplay agrees. As his agent, she's coordinating his first Australian visit this week, after which she expects his collection to become more widely available. For now, Hill Station is the only store in Australia you'll find his clothes, where they hang on a rack fashioned from a tree branch, displayed alongside a limited but carefully selected range of "lifestyle" wares. It's a sartorial find I didn't foresee. "People are still discovering what's at Red Hill," says Rhonda. "It's a little community of very creative types."
Visitors have long headed to the Mornington Peninsula for its gourmet goodies, and Red Hill punches well above its geographical weight. The rolling landscape is adorned with vines, cherry orchards, berry farms and olive groves - a visual taste of the micro-region's plentiful bounty.
We revel in the cherry notes of the acclaimed Eldridge Estate pinot noir. We admire the degustation menu at nearby Ten Minutes By Tractor - an eight-course justification of the restaurant's two-hat status ($221 with wines). Even our hotel - the Lindenderry at Red Hill - serves complimentary homemade scones.
The Lindenderry cellar door.
It's not until after dinner at The Long Table that we stumble across the shopfronts of a handful of quaint stores in Red Hill Village and an undercurrent of serious style is revealed. We cancel plans for further gastronomic excess and vow to return at opening time for a spot of shopping.
The morning begins at Red Hill House where we while away the time perusing a vast assortment of handmade toys, soft furnishings, furniture, clothing, jewellery and kitchenware. There are delicate ceramics in a rainbow of pastels and enough vintage-style glassware to fill an enormous recycled timber shelving system, which it does, elegantly. We settle for an oversized bread and cheese board, motivated to bring a touch of rustic Red Hill home.
Lovers of provincial-style furniture will delight in the sophisticated collection at French Room Living that spills out onto the walkway. Accessible, mostly one-off pieces include antiques and European-inspired modern designs alongside the stores own range of majestic oak dining tables, chairs and occasional tables.
Garments by Danish designer Uffe Frank at Hill Station store.
Craving caffeine, we move to Epicurean, a former 1920s' apple packing shed upcycled in early 2013 into a multi-disciplinary gourmand's paradise, with everything from wine purveyor and cooking school to bakery and fromageria. The restaurant is bedecked with exposed bricks, huge historic timber columns from the old Woolloomooloo wharf in Sydney and an open industrial kitchen. It's softened with the warmth of log fires, a flood of natural light from the atrium roof, and an indoor herb garden.
The house-roasted coffee is delicious and the breakfast menu creative, headlined by crispy pork belly with poached eggs.
Around the corner at Altamira we can't resist touching the exquisite Belgian linens and European blankets.
Back at Hill Station, Rhonda gushes about how hand-blown coloured glass pendants by Melbourne designer Mark Douglass can be custom-made.
It's a scene that's bound to meet with Uffe Frank's approval, when he comes to visit this month. "He wants to work in the shop, meet the women; show them how to wear the dresses, how to tie them," explains Rhonda.
Sounds like a good reason to head back to the Hill.
The writer travelled at her own expense.
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Red Hill is a one-hour drive from Melbourne via the Eastlink, Peninsula Link, then follow the signs. Add 30 minutes if heading from Tullamarine Airport.
STAYING THERE
Lindenderry at Red Hill for country manor style on 12 hectares of English-inspired gardens. Rooms from $220; see lancemore.com.au/lindenderry. For self-contained accommodation, Stony Creek Cottages from $220 a night; see stonycreekcottages.com.au.
SHOPPING THERE
For Uffe Frank designs, see hillstation.com.au, phone (03) 5931 0008.
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