This November, we set out to explore regional Australia through the people who gather there each week.
On Sunday mornings in Daylesford, the town gathers differently. Makers arrive with soil on their boots, produce in their hands, and stories shaped by the land.
Stalls unfold one by one. Crates are unpacked. Hands move with quiet confidence — the kind that comes from making the same thing, the same way, again and again. There’s a hum in the air, not just from conversation, but from the land itself. This is where regional Australia shows up — not as a concept, but as a practice.
As part of our exploration of Regional Australia, we spent the morning wandering the Daylesford Sunday Market, speaking with local makers whose businesses begin and end with one shared partner: Mother Nature.
Nature, Named as Partner
“Mother Nature is definitely my business partner,” says Tadhgh Knaggs of Knagwood Garlic, standing behind jars of rich, inky black garlic — the result of time, patience, and deeply nourished soil.
For Brett Anderson of Hepburn Distillery, the partnership is just as literal. “We make our spirits from scratch,” he tells us. “We’re really dependent on nature looking after us.”
Water, grain, climate — none of it negotiable. All of it essential.
Jack from Uncle Tsai puts it simply: “We rely on quality produce. If Mother Nature doesn’t give us good produce to begin with, we don’t have the foundation of our product.”
No spin. No embellishment. Just truth.
The Quiet Discipline of Quality
Across every conversation, the same theme surfaced — quality as a non-negotiable.
Not as a marketing line, but as a responsibility.
“There’s nothing much to hide behind,” Jack says. “So all the fresh ingredients need to be… great.”
Without healthy soil, there is no garlic.
Without clean water and good grain, there is no spirit.
Without care, nothing lasts long enough to matter.
In regional Australia, quality isn’t a choice — it’s the baseline. When you work this close to the source, every decision shows up in the final product.
Markets as Meeting Places
Markets like Daylesford’s aren’t just about buying and selling. They’re places of translation — where the work of the land meets the hands of the community. Where stories are exchanged alongside products. Where makers stand behind what they do, quite literally.
“If we didn’t have Mother Nature,” Brett laughs, “some of these would be pretty bland alcohol.”
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Mother Nature,” Tadhgh adds.
It’s said lightly, but it lands deeply.
Why This Matters to Us
At Fig & Bloom, we’re drawn to people who make with intention — who understand that beauty, flavour, and meaning all start somewhere much deeper than the surface. Standing among these stallholders, the connection felt natural, not forced.
Regional Australia reminds us that the best things are rarely rushed. They’re grown. Distilled. Fermented. Crafted. Allowed to become what they’re meant to be.
The Daylesford Sunday Market is proof of that — a gathering of people who know their partner, trust the process, and let nature lead.
And sometimes, that’s all that’s needed.
