Frequently Asked Questions

The Convent Daylesford is currently open 5 days a week, Thursday to Monday.

Opening hours are 10am to 4pm.

If in Daylesford on Tuesday & Wednesday, you are most welcome to wander our gardens & take photos of our beautiful building.

Also see our “Things to do in Daylesford” blog.

There is an admission fee to The Convent Daylesford –  $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for families.

The admission fee is gives you entry into the galleries, museum, chapel and gardens over 3 consecutive days.

The fee goes towards the maintenance of the building and gardens, keeping it alive for generations to come.

An admission fee is not required to dine at Bad Habits café or to wonder the Convent gardens.

Daylesford is 111 km’s –  approx an 80 minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD

The Convent is 650 metres from centre of the Daylesford village.  An easy 10-minute walk!

The Convent has a few car parking options:

1. Off-street parking – entry via Hill St.
2. There are parking bays along both Hill St and Daly St.
3. There is Accessibility Parking – entry via Daly St .(in Altar Bar/Function Centre car park). Follow signs directing you up Daly St and then it’s a left-hand turn into car parking area.

If travelling with family or friends, it is not necessary to book to visit The Convent’s galleries, museum & chapel. It is, however, recommended that you book a table if you would like to be seated in the Cafe. The cafe can get quite busy, especially on weekends & school holidays.  

Some visitors stay for 30 minutes… others stay for over 3 hours! The Convent Daylesford has many experiences all at one location! Over 4 floors you will discover:

• A Gallery with 7 individual exhibition spaces dedicated to different artists plus Artwork by over 100 artists exhibited around the building.
• A museum where you learn about the past occupants – the Presentation Sisters and the Holy Cross Boarders.
• A beautifully restored Chapel with many of its original features.
• A cafe opens for breakfast, lunch, High Tea… or just coffee & cake.
• 6 acres of gardens

Lots of history, art & architecture. A surprise at every turn!!

The Convent Gallery opened in 1991 primarily as an art gallery.  Over the 30+ years of operation, it has evolved.  Now known as The Convent Daylesford, the business is an art gallery, historic precinct and function venue.

Photos of your visit to The Convent can be taken. There are many locations around the building that are photo friendly and Instagram worthy. 

Direct photos of individual pieces of art (with the intention of recreating) is strictly prohibited.

The Convent is closed on Good Friday.
Typically, The Convent is closed over Easter inc Good Friday,  Easter Saturday & Easter Sunday and the Monday after.  

Typically, The Convent is closed on Public Holidays.  However, sometimes, the gallery/museum/chapel are open.  On days we open on a Public Holiday we will announce it on our socials and website.

Yes, they can. 
You will need to follow the wheelchair signs that direct you to park in the Altar Bar carpark. From the carpark, you can enter via the function centre door, which leads you to the lift. The lift allows access to the main gallery space, chapel & function centre.  This door is typically locked; a phone call is required for staff to open it for you.

The Café is on the ground floor.  From the carpark, you will need to head to the accessible entry door, to the left of the chapel. This door is usually unlocked. If it is locked, please ring the doorbell for staff to open the door for you.

Call us if you require further assistance.

There is an admission fee to The Convent Daylesford –  $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for families.

The admission fee is gives you entry into the galleries, museum, chapel and gardens over 3 consecutive days.

The fee goes towards the maintenance of the building and gardens, keeping it alive for generations to come.

The Convent allows Layby for art that is over $1,000.  Please speak with a staff member to discuss.

The Convent can organise freight to your home or business.  The cost of the freight is payable by the customer BEFORE the art is delivered.

The Convent is committed to supporting artists, both established & emerging. We change the art every 8 weeks, thus love to hear from new artists.

Submit an expression of interest here.

​The art at The Convent Daylesford changes every 8 weeks. The seven individual gallery spaces have a different artist exhibiting and the different spaces change at different times. This way, there is always new art to see at every visit.

If the painting was not sold, we can typically get hold of it for you.

The art at The Convent Daylesford changes every 8 weeks.  Many of our artists exhibit new work year after year.  Email The Convent a photo of the piece or provide as much details about the piece and we’ll do our best to connect you with it.

We advertise new exhibitions on the Convent Gallery website, via social media and direct mail outs.

 Join our mailing list

It is advisable to book a table for breakfast or lunch. Groups of more than 4 are strongly advised to reserve a table, particularly on the weekend when Daylesford is at its busiest! 
We do keep a few tables available for walk ins.

Yes, we do have outdoor seating.  If you prefer to sit outside, especially in the warmer months, please request an outside table when booking.

Bad Habits Café serve the finest coffee from Genovese Coffee House.

https://genovese.com.au/coffee/

Gluten-free scones are available most days at Bad Habits café.

Bookings are always recommended, to avoid missing out! 

The Bad Habits Cafe menu can be found on our website

The café has limited Wi-Fi facilities.

Bad Habits café has 3 tables for 6 guests… you can reserve all 3 tables if you have a group of 18 -20.  Large group bookings of this size are preferred at 9.30am or 12pm.  Two hours is allocated to these larger bookings; thus we do ask that your group arrive on time.

The Convent Daylesford hosts a Mother’s Day High Tea each year. The High Teas are held in the café and the St Lawrence room.  Bookings for Mother’s Day can be made from March each year. We recommend to book early, as we sell out before May!!

Bad Habits Cafe (and The Convent) are closed on Christmas Day.  The Daylesford Information Centre typically have a list of restaurants offering Christmas lunch.

Bad Habit’s café does its best to accommodate all customers. Although we do not have strict time limits, we do ask customers to be mindful of others. After finishing all meals & drinks, we appreciate customers moving on so that we can seat others.

The Altar Bar is also available for those who would like to continue chatting/drinking.

Absolutely!  Once seated at Bad Habits café, you can order whatever you like off the menu.  All our cakes & scones are made here… served fresh daily.

If you have made a booking in advance, but plans have changed, as much notice as possible would be appreciated.  This way we can allocate the table to others on the waiting list.

Bad habits café does split bills on quieter days (typically during the week).

However, we do not split bills on the weekend.

The maitre ’de greets & seats customers coming through the front door; the cash register is located also at the front door… thus having a large group splitting the bill causes a lot of congestion. 

We are happy to present the bill at the table for you to work out who owes what.

We thank our customers for their understanding.

Our cafe has a good selection of vegetarian and gluten free items on the menu. The chefs are happy to mix and match to create a dish to cater for your special diet.

Please see our menu for further details.

Bad Habits Café is not open for dinner.  Our opening hours are 10am to 4pm.

If you are looking to have dinner in Daylesford, try one of these restaurants:

• Farmers Arms – great pub
• Beppe – Italian
• Kadota – Japanese
• Bistro Terroir – French
• Jackie’s on Vincent – Asian Fusion
• Winespeake –Wine & cheese!
• Lakehouse – Fine dining
• Surly Goat – If in Hepburn Springs
• La Luna – Pizza if staying in!

Bad Habits Café is licenced.  Unfortunately, we do not allow BYO.

We love hosting parties!  The Convent has a number of options for private hire. 
The parlour seats up to 10 guests, the Bar seats up to 20 guests and the St Lawrence Room seats up to 60 guests.

Enquire here.

The Convent High tea includes a welcome cocktail, a 3-tiered stand of savoury & sweet delights as well as our famous scones with barista coffee or organic loose leaf tea.  All High tea guests are also entitled to visit the Convent Gallery.

See sample menu

Convent High Teas are served at 11.30am.

To secure a High Tea booking at The Convent Daylesford, payment in full is required.

Currently the special dietary requirements we can cater for are vegetarian, gluten free & nut free. Guests with other special diets are welcome to join their High Tea group and order from our regular lunch menu. Please alert staff of any requirements when booking.

You can book a High Tea for 1… or 2… or 15!

Book a High Tea

The chefs start to prepare the sweet & savoury items on the High teas stand from 9am to ensure they are ready to go out from 11.30am. 

If you know that you will not be able to attend, as much notice as possible is appreciated. We are happy to re-schedule your High Tea to another suitable date.

If notice is not given, there will be no refunds or re-scheduling.

If a group booking is made and one person is absent on the day, no refund will be given. The group can take the additional food prepared with them when they leave.

The Convent Daylesford has TWO stunning function rooms.  The St Lawrence Room seats up to 60 guests and the St Michaels room seats up to 120 guests.

The Convent Daylesford has a minimum spend – 90 guests on a Saturday and 30 guests on Monday to Friday.  We are flexible with our minimum spend policy, typically during winter and if the wedding is less than 6 months away.

You can have a ceremony-only at The Convent Daylesford. There are 3 locations on-site to choose from.

Request Wedding package.

You can have a reception-only at The Convent Daylesford. Typically, guests will arrive for pre-dinner drinks from 5pm.

Request Wedding package.

You can have a wedding photo shoot only at The Convent Daylesford. We have many beautiful locations.  There is a $250 location fee… Bookings are essential to ensure there are not 2 brides in our gardens!!

Marija is our experienced Function Manager. If you would like to view our Wedding Venue, please let her know when requesting a wedding package. 
Site visits are typically available most days at 10.30am or 3.30pm. An appointment is essential.

Request Wedding package

You can book The Convent Penthouse on-line or by calling our friendly staff.

Book here

The Penthouse does have coffee/tea & toast facilities available.

If you would like to have breakfast in the café, you will be entitled to a 30% discount. 

To check in for the Penthouse, please park your car in the Altar Bar carpark and walk across to the main reception desk at The Convent. 

Staff will check you in to the Penthouse and show you how to get in and out after hours.  You can then bring in your overnight bags.

Check in time is 2pm.   Check out time is 10am.

Earlier or later times can be arranged upon request and availability.

The Penthouse does have free Wi-Fi.  You will find the Wi-Fi password on the coffee table in the Penthouse.

The Penthouse has a large King-sized bed, typically for a couple.

There is a day-lounge in the living area which can be been used for a child (or two).   We are happy for your children to join your getaway… if you can’t find a babysitter.  Please let staff know if children are joining you when booking is made.

The Convent Daylesford has an amazing history – you will find information in most rooms as you wander through the 4 levels. 

You will find a brief history of The Convent on our website.
Read here. 

History sheets are given to all visitors upon arrival, giving an overview of The Convent’s 160 years of being.

A History book is available to purchase from our Gift Shop.

Currently a visit to The Convent Daylesford includes a self-guided history tour.

Due to popular demand, Guided History Tours will commence in 2023.

Our History Books ( editions 1 to 3 ) have all sold out.
An updated History Book (edition 4) will be available to purchase in 2023.
If you are interested in our History Book, email us to ensure you get a copy when they are available for purchase.

The nuns at the Holy Cross Convent were the Presentation Sisters. A Catholic teaching order, originating from Ireland. They lived here for almost 90 years.

The Holy Cross Convent closed its doors in 1974. 
The last four nuns left in 1981, moving to a much smaller convent beside St Peter’s Church (Daylesford).

The Convent Daylesford is privately owned. The building was purchased by artist Tina Banitska in 1988 when it was in severe disrepair. She had it restored to its former beauty and opened it as an art gallery in 1991. For over 30 years Tina continues to look after this amazing building, welcoming visitors each day. Meeting Tina when at The Convent is an experience in itself… her love of art and people is evident, her passion continues to inspire.

Yes, The Convent Daylesford hosts Ghost Tours. 
They are led by Spookspotters Paranormal Research Team of Australia.

All Convent Ghost Tours are advertised on-line.
When dates are released, we typically advertise on our website and our socials – Facebook & Instagram and also via Convent newsletters.

Join our Mailing List

To attend a Convent Ghost Tour, you must be over the age of 16 years. 

Call us on (03)53483211 or send an on-line enquiry to book a Ghost Tour at The Convent Daylesford.

We can do private Ghost Tours for larger groups – Minimum number is 12.

Please contact us to express interest.

The Ghost Tours go for 2 hours.  We do ask you to arrive ½ before start to collect a welcome drink (you may need it!!).  There is also an opportunity to join in on the conversations in the Altar Bar after the 2-hour tour.

At The Convent Daylesford there are 2 options for private hire for a 21^st.

The Altar Bar is perfect for a group of 30 to 60 guests.  If your group is much larger, you may consider the St Lawrence room. It is perfect for groups larger than 60.

Enquire here.

Yes, you can request to be seated in the Altar Bar when making a lunch booking.

No, but if you are looking at some live music whilst in town, check out the Palais in Hepburn Springs.  It is a beautifully renovated and well-loved entertainment venue and bar.

https://www.palais-hepburn.com/events

The Daylesford Hotel also has regular live entertainment.

https://daylesfordhotel.com.au/whatson

Yes, a Convent Gift Voucher can be used in the café… or the gift shop or the gallery.

Typically, a Convent Gift Voucher expires after 3 years.
We are however happy to make extensions upon request.

Yes, you certainly can purchase a Gift Voucher for mum.

A High Tea for 2 is our most popular Gift Voucher purchased for mums.

Purchase a Gift Voucher here.

Absolutely!  The Convent allows your dog/s to be a guest at your wedding.  Please discuss details with our wedding planner.

Yes, we allow small dogs on leads and assistance dogs.

Assistance dogs are allowed in the cafe.
We do have outside seating for warmer weather where dogs are allowed. Small dogs can SOMETIMES be brought into the Altar Bar in colder months if it is not booked/too busy.

Yes, The Convent accepts volunteers.  Training will be provided.

Enquire here.

Yes, The Convent accepts work experience students every year. The Convent has always been a place of learning… we love to nurture young people and expose them to the wonderful world of art.