Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel Is Dunkeld's New Fine Dining Restaurant Surrounded by Bush

It's time to put Dunkeld's Royal Mail Hotel back on your weekend getaway radar, as it opens the doors to a new fine dining offering, Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel. Taking over a new standalone space on the property, the remote restaurant is accessible by a bush trail the winds down from the hotel. It's been designed by Melbourne-based Byrne Architects to highlight its connection to its natural surroundings, with floor-to-ceiling windows capturing striking views of Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt. Inside it's a luxe fusion of sheepskin leather, sandstone and Australian hardwood.

This respect for the land is mirrored in Executive Chef Robin Wickens' hyper-local menu, which'll change up regularly, dictated by the daily haul from the on-site olive groves, orchard and 1.2-hectare organic kitchen garden.

The garden-fresh goodies will inspire textural plate additions like soils, foams, purées, petals and vegetable infusions. Diners can enjoy the spoils via an eight-course ($185) or five-course ($165) chef's tasting menu, with a special chef's table in the kitchen available to groups of up to four.

Unsurprising, given the Royal Mail's award-winning 28,000-bottle cellar, the booze side of things sure isn't lacking, with three expertly curated wine matches on offer as well. Get a taste of the largest privately-owned collection of Bordeaux and Burgundy in the southern hemisphere with the five-course French match, celebrate locality with the all-Australian wine match, or mix things up with the cellar wine match.

The restaurant is a replacement of sorts for the two-hatted Royal Mail Hotel dining room, which closed earlier this year. The hotel's casual diner Parker Street Project — which is a good spot for breakfast if you're staying the night — has now taken over the space, which is connected to the hotel.

Find Wickens at The Royal Mail Hotel at 98 Parker Street, Dunkeld.