Colonial heritage and cool-climate wines combine with spectacular waterfalls and picturesque National Parks to make a great food and wine escape just outside of Sydney in New South Wales.
Take a 90-minute drive south from Sydney and find the foodie wonderland that is the New South Wales, Southern Highlands. With rich volcanic soils supporting a range of produce, including beef, dairy and truffles, the high altitude is perfect for cool-climate wines, and the fast-developing wine region is home to over 17 cellar doors.
DRINK
Popular vineyards in the Southern Highlands include pinot-pioneers Artemis Wines and award-winning Tertini Wines near Mittagong, and the beautiful Centennial Vineyards and Joadja Estate near Berrima. Near Sutton Forrest, Eling Forest Estate and Southern Highland Winery produces a variety of premium cool climate wines, while small batch producers Cuttaway Hill Wines and St Maur Wines near Exeter are truly worth the visit. Take a custom-tailored tour with The Grape Escape and visit cellar doors across the region, or try a unique wine experience like Tractorless Vineyards’s tour to meet their ‘wooly workers’, including some friendly sheep and a back-of-the-ute tasting experience. Beer fans should head to Eden Brewery in Mittagong and Southern Highlands Taphouse in Moss Vale, while spirit-enthusiasts should try Joadja Distillery, one of the few single malt distilleries in the world to grow their own barley onsite and boasting their own natural water spring.
EAT
Foodies can live out their epicurean fantasies amongst the rolling green hills and quiet hamlets of the Southern Highlands. Start the day with breakfast at Ludo or The Press Shop in Bowral, Highlands Merchant in Moss Vale, or The Shaggy Crow in Mittagong. Visit Bendooley Estate’s restaurant for lunch inside their Berkelouw Book Barn, then enjoy a tasting at their cellar door on-site. Indulge in fine dining at Eschalot in Berrima, Birch in Moss Vale or Paste Restaurant in Mittagong. And for a taste of the whole region, join a food tour with The Highlands Tour Co. or Wild Food Adventures to meet local farmers and producers from the area.
PLAY
There is always something to do in the picture-perfect villages of the Southern Highlands. In Bowral, renowned for its colourful tulips, bespoke boutiques and delicious restaurants, visitors can learn about the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Donald Bradman, at the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame, as well as hunt for treasures in the unique antique store, Dirty Janes. The region is also blessed with awesome natural attractions, including the dramatic Fitzroy and Belmore Falls located in the Morton National Park near the town of Robertson, where visitors can enjoy a range of bushwalks and exhilarating cycling tracks.
STAY
With plenty of accommodation on offer, there is something for everyone in the Southern Highlands. From two or three-bedroom cottages at Bendooley Estate, elegantly designed rooms at Berida Hotel, impressive golf resort, Peppers Craigieburn; the charm of a converted highlands estate at The Loch, a stylish self-contained cottage at The Hidden Door Bowral or five-star luxe at Milton Park Country House Hotel and Spa.
For more information, check out sydney.com.
