Tuckerberry Hill Berry Farm is a pick your own berry farm in Drysdale. The berries are free from chemicals and fresh to eat as soon as they are picked!

Blueberries were about $18 per kilo and the Strawberries were $10 per kilo. There was an option to purchase pre-picked berries but it so much fun to pick your own using the buckets that they provide. There were rows and rows of berries and they had put out flags to mark which rows were the ones that you could pick from on that particular day.

Tuckerberry Hill Farm has a cafe area but we did not get anything as it was fairly busy.

There is a slide and small play equipment for kids to play on.

The staff were all friendly and helpful, giving us tips on how to pick both the Strawberries and the Blueberries and what was ripe to be picked.

Approximate cost: $20

The Bendigo Fun Factory might be a little bit older than the other two indoor play centres in Bendigo but it is always clean and the play equipment is well maintained. I actually prefer this play centre for my 3 and 4 year old nephew and niece as there are less older kids here than the other play centres that allow children up to age 12. The Fun Factory is for kids up to age 10.

There is a small gated under 2's soft play area, along with a ball pit, jumping castle, multi-level soft play area with slides, a cubby house, and various ride on toys for kids.

The cafe area has improved heaps over the last couple of years with more options added to the menu and some healthier options too.

The toilets are always clean and they have kid's stools so that children can reach the sink area. There are party rooms available but I have not personally used them.

There is reasonable heating and air conditioning making the Fun Factory a good place to visit in all types of weather.

Approximate cost: $8

I love Central Vic Meats. I started using them when they first had the online ordering and delivery system and have continued to use them now that you have to go in to their store in Mayfair Park Estate.

The meats are all prepackaged and displayed in a cool room for customers to purchase. It does get a bit chilly in the cool room but warm jackets are available to use if you really need them.

They have weekly specials and I find that their prices overall are quite good.

The quality of meat is impressive. I have never had a problem with any of their meats. Their kabana is quite cheap and they sell huge 1kg rolls of Strassburg meat for $6.99

CEPA Farm Supplies have a huge range of stock feed and farm supplies. I purchase my Oaten and Lucerne Hay bales here for my sheep, along with a drench that the staff recommended. Additionally they sell a variety of mineral licks that they recommend for my sheep. I have found them to be the cheapest place for Oaten hay bales in Bendigo.

The staff have a great knowledge of the various products and the needs of different farm animals and have been able to greatly assist me.

You are able to purchase in store and then drive around to the back shed area where the staff will load the hay bales into my car.

Planet Organic are a company that make the most amazing range of herbal teas as well as other organic products.

I love that their herbal teas come in tea bags, rather than loose leaf, as it makes it heaps easier and convenient when making cuppas.

Their products are stocked in a lot of health food shops but I prefer to order directly from Planet Organic so that I can access the full range of herbal teas (not all health food shops seem to stock all of the delicious blends). Postage is a flat rate of $9.00 and the products usually arrive within a week of purchasing through their website shop.

My husband and I had a lovely stay at the Grand Hyatt in March for a business conference. The valet parking was quick and efficient, and our luggage was taken up to our room while we checked in.

We were in a King room with views of the city. While the room was small, yet spacious, it was comfortable and had a King bed, lounge chair and small dining table. The bathroom was spacious and had a fantastic deep bath tub. The bedding and pillows were comfortable and made for a good night's sleep. The room was very quiet.

Room service staff did an excellent job cleaning our room each day and at a similar time each day during our stay.

Breakfast was buffet style in the on site Collins Kitchen restaurant. The food selection was extensive and tasted good. The service was great but coffees were served very slowly - we would order as we were seated and wouldn't receive the coffees until we had nearly finished our breakfast.

The location was quite central, with lots of nearby trams if you wanted to venture further.

Every staff member that we encountered was friendly, courteous and helpful, making our stay even more pleasant. The only thing was that when we got home and checked our credit card statement it showed that we had been charged twice for our stay. We contacted the Grand Hyatt and they were very apologetic and refunded the money to our bank account.

Approximate cost: $330

I came across Bellarine Getaways while researching pet friendly holiday rentals in the Ocean Grove area. I made some inquiries and Nicole was very happy to provide information and help me to find a holiday rental property that was within my budget and suited my families requirements.

I was emailed a holiday bond rental form to complete and send back with my payment and the week before we were due to travel I received an email containing check in information.

Check in was easy - the holiday house had a key safe and I was given the code and able to access the property without having to see anyone or have anyone meet us there.

The house itself was perfect for our needs and directly opposite the beach! The house was clean and in the good condition. We enjoyed our stay and will definitely be booking future stays with Bellarine Getaways.

Approximate cost: $200

Coolabah Charms make custom hand stamped jewellery pieces.

I had a sterling silver necklace hand stamped with my nieces and nephews names and am very happy with the necklace.

The ordering process was quite simple through their website, allowing me to choose the product that I wanted and then the name/writing that I desired in my choice of available font.

The necklace was made and I received it in the post within 3 weeks. I was sent emails to notify me when the necklace had been made, when it was sent and then a follow up email to make sure that I was happy with the finished product.

I love wearing the necklace and receive so many compliments!

Great customer service and I look forward to having other personalised jewellery made in the future.

Approximate cost: $130

This is a great play centre with a small gated soft play area for toddlers; a two level soft play area for kids up to aged 7 that includes a mini merry go round, balloon room and giant lego blocks; and a large multi-level play area with slides, trampolines, ball pits and more. There is a climbing wall for kids and some musical equipment (gongs, etc) that kids can bang away at! There is an interactive electronic floor mat that is projected onto the floor and kids can have fun 'kicking' soccer balls, 'stomping' on cockroaches and running across a xylophone.

The only thing I don't like is that adults are not permitted in the multi-level play area. It makes it so much easier to be able to go in with young children to better supervise them through the activity stages.

There is a full cafe which has an extensive menu for both kids and adults. Their coffees are quite good and they have various cakes and slices too. There is plenty of seating in the cafe area and a large tv screen showing the various play centre areas so that parents can keep an eye on their kids from the cafe area.

Mulligrubs has a strict no socks no play policy and they sell socks if your kids require them.

The cost is a bit pricey at nearly $15 a child for kids aged 4-12 years however they frequently have half price entry specials on weekdays and offer a discounted price for entry after 3pm.

Approximate cost: $15

The Axedale Tavern is an old country town style pub and bistro. It might not look like much on the outside but is quite large with lots of indoor and outdoor dining areas, along with a bar, and a pool room with a pool table and juke box.

We had made a booking and asked to be seated outside as there is a kid's sand pit and kid's outdoor toys available. Instead of a table number, each table is assigned a country town (Mildura, Cobram, etc). We were also offered colouring pages and pencils for the kids and there were a selection of children's books available for kid's to read. Inside there was a toy box with some small wooden toys for kid's to play with but our kids didn't use them as we ate outside.

The menu was quite good with lots of typical bistro meals. I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and my partner ordered the Scotch Fillet. The kids' menu was extensive and included a drink. The kid's both ordered the calamari and chips. We also requested a small bowl of vegies be brought out and they happily obliged. The meals were brought out after a bit of a wait, however it was quite busy when we were there. All of the meals were good portions and we probably didn't leave much room for dessert but the dessert menu looked very appealing!

For dessert I had a Chocolate Brownie covered in a chocolate espresso sauce and my partner had the Brandy Snap stack. Both desserts were huge! The kids ordered sundaes that had interesting names - I can't remember exactly what they were called but there was a princess ballerina one with vanilla ice-cream, pink toppings and pink and purple sprinkles.

We really enjoyed our meals and appreciated the friendly service, and didn't mind the wait for our meals - it was worth it.

Approximate cost: $24