In August, the area around the lake is spectacular. Drifts of daffodils carve shapes in the landscape, backed by the yellow haze of wattles in bloom. The chill of winter is forgotten, with the promise of early spring.

Cruden Farm is open on Sunday 18 August, for you to take a tour or just come for the day and enjoy a leisurely stroll around the gardens and farm. You are welcome to bring a snack or lunch or you can purchase light refreshments from our pop up kitchen window.

If you are a keen gardener, you will really enjoy doing a tour to learn more about this extraordinary place. A member of the gardening team will lead you around the gardens explaining Dame Elisabeth’s vision in developing Cruden Farm over 80 years.
Tours last for more than an hour. The Sunday tour commences at 10am sharp and must be pre-booked.

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Recent world-first research has shown that regions like the Mornington Peninsula experience only a handful of days each year where UV exposure is low enough to pose no risk of skin damage. Even on overcast days, even when the UV index appears modest, spending more than a short time outdoors can still do harm. Skin checks, it turns out, are not optional extras. They’re part of modern preventative care.

This is where MP Skin Check plays an important role in our local community.

Located in Mount Martha, MP Skin Check is a specialist skin cancer practice built around calm, clarity, and care. From the moment you step inside, the atmosphere feels reassuring rather than clinical — considered, modern and unhurried. It’s a space designed to put people at ease while doing serious, life-protecting work.

The practice is led by Dr Hamish McLachlan, who has been part of MP Skin Check for over five years and is now its proprietor. With a deep commitment to ethical medicine and early detection, Hamish and his team focus on thorough, evidence-based skin examinations, biopsies and excisions where required. There is no rush here, no conveyor belt approach — just careful attention, clear communication, and professional judgement.

What sets MP Skin Check apart is not only experienced, but its commitment to staying at the forefront of diagnostic technology. The clinic now offers advanced Mole Mapping and Total Body Photography, powered by FotoFinder, the global leader in skin visualisation systems. This technology allows clinicians to create a detailed visual record of the entire skin surface, mapping moles and lesions over time and detecting subtle changes that are impossible to track with the naked eye alone. High-resolution imaging, dermoscopy and microscopic magnification work together to remove guesswork and support earlier, more accurate detection — particularly valuable for people with many moles, a family history of skin cancer, or long-term sun exposure. In simple terms, it means greater confidence year on year.

MP Skin Check also recognises that skin health isn’t just about treatment — it’s about routine, awareness, and continuity. Regular checks become easier when the process is clear, the environment supportive, and the care genuinely personal. This is preventative health done properly: not alarmist, not transactional, but quietly thorough.

For a coastal community like ours — where outdoor living is part of everyday life — having access to this level of care matters. MP Skin Check isn’t here to frighten people into appointments. It’s here to support long-term wellbeing, protect futures, and make early detection part of a normal health rhythm.

Because looking after your skin isn’t vanity. It’s care and at times can be lifesaving.

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