In this intimate hands-on cheese making class with master cheesemaker Kristen Allan you will learn how to make milky soft pillows of mozzarella and the best of the stretched curd cheeses including burrata, stracciatella and the creamiest and dreamiest buttermilk ricotta. We'll also explore creative ways to use the leftover whey, ensuring nothing goes to waste and how to incorporate our freshly made cheese into a shared lunch, celebrating the flavours of the season and the satisfaction of food made by hand.

In association with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

Learn to make seasonal desserts, taste local wine and observe local art techniques

Enjoy an inspired afternoon overlooking Swan Bay at Marthadale – an inviting property brought to life by Jennie and John Sloan. Acclaimed pastry chef Darren Purchese will present a live demonstration of desserts, inspired by the gardens of Marthadale. Each creation will be paired with a tasting of Circulus Wines from Portarlington – cool-climate, maritime-influenced drops that capture the elegance of the Bellarine Peninsula.

Celebrated local artist Ryan Brearley will create on canvas in real time, revealing the rhythm, process, and energy behind his works. Together, they offer a truly one-of-a-kind collaboration: three masters, each exploring beauty through their craft.

Quiet and Contemplative: a day of connection and understanding through observational drawing.

Join Ryan Brearley as he guides you through a series of drawing exercises designed to make you visually aware of the world around you and expresses your response to it.

Using simple drawing materials you will discover a joy in looking and find how quickly you learn to draw things as you see them. There will be a focus on drawing objects, both natural and manmade, but time will be made to discuss and demonstrate responses to landscape too.

Ryan will have the day to instil within you a desire to continue your drawing tuition and to lean into other artistic mediums of creativity.

Bookings for this class will close on the 9th of April

In this workshop you will learn the calming technique of coil basket weaving, working with beautiful Madagascan raffia.

You will create an original piece to take home, shaped by your own instinctive style. The day offers generous time for learning and making, with pauses for lunch and teas.

Coil basketry is a practice that unfolds slowly. As you work, your hands find their own rhythm, guiding the form of your basket and allowing it to become something truly unique — a piece shaped by both skill and intuition.

Bookings for this class will close on the 20th of April

Step inside the Marthadale kitchen for an intimate culinary experience with Celebrated Chef, former restaurateur, and food creative Cath Claringbold.

With a career spanning over 40 years Cath brings deep knowledge and an instinctive understanding of ingredients that only decades in the industry can teach.

In this Marthadale workshop, Cath will share a curated selection of her favourite dishes – recipes shaped by seasons, stories and the seasonal produce grown just metres from the kitchen door. Expect a demonstration-style class with a little hands-on, perfect for home cooks who want to learn chef-level tricks without losing the joy and ease of cooking.

Drawing from the Marthadale kitchen garden and the surrounding Bellarine Peninsula, Cath will show how to transform beautiful ingredients into generous, flavour-driven food you’ll want to cook again and again.

Bookings for this class will close on the 13th of July

Come along and learn the basics, then let your imagination wander.
This informal workshop includes a colour-prepared kit featuring Liberty fabrics, ready to be shaped into a soft, floral artwork.

There are no rules and no prior skills needed. Your piece can be as simple or as detailed as you wish.

By the end of the session, you will have a slow-stitched, original work to take home — something to display, enjoy and admire for years to come.

Bookings for this class will close on the 30th of July