Royal Mail Hotel

Royal Mail Hotel Review

Expansive views of the southern Grampians peaks are almost an unwelcome distraction from the extraordinary food plated up at the only hotel in the tiny town of Dunkeld, 64 km (40 mi) south of Halls Gap. The fare is all about seasonality, locality, and creativity, with chef Dan Hunter drawing on organic and heirloom produce from the hotel garden, local farms, and the wild. His 10-course degustation dinner menu (A$160), featuring such culinary wonders as southern rock lobster with prosciutto, sea lettuce, and quina, and eel and bone marrow with pickled vegetables, earned the hotel Restaurant of the Year in the Age Good Food Guide 2011. There is also an à la carte bistro ($$$), and an excellent bar menu ($). With fine accommodation on-site. too ($$-$$$), after dinner you can stroll to a spacious Mountain View or Garden View room, or apartment, all fitted with every modern convenience, or drive the 3 km (1.86 mi) to the hotel's historic Mt. Sturgeon farm, and sleep in a luxurious, period-furnished homestead bedroom or cozy stone cottage.