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.