A long weekend in the Southern Highlands

I love a good last minute getaway and the Southern Highlands did not disappoint. Somehow the stars aligned and I managed to find accommodation only a matter of days before the Labour Day long weekend. I took a leisurely drive down to Bowral via the Mittagong tourist information office to collect some brochures on the various hikes I could do in the area. I checked in to my Stayz accommodation, a cute room with a separate entrance attached to a lovely home in Bowral owned by some ex-Sydneysiders, then mapped out my plans for the next couple of days while enjoying a nice pot of tea.

I decided to walk into town so that I would be able to have a glass of wine at the Food & Wine Festival being held at the cricket oval alongside the Don Bradman Museum. My cricket fanatic friends will be horrified to learn that I didn’t actually visit the museum. Oops. I really wish I enjoyed cricket, but honestly I think watching paint dry is more interesting than watching a test match. Sorry not sorry!

Food & Wine festivals however are right up my alley. I cheerfully paid the $15 entry fee which included a small branded wine glass that I promptly filled with some sparkling Shiraz to wash down a French crepe. I wandered around the different stalls and listened to some good live music for a while before checking out the town.

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My friends Jo and Brad were coincidentally in Bowral for the long weekend as well and they invited me to have dinner with them at Onesta Cucina in Boolwey Street. We had a lovely evening and baby Ali was in great form charming the staff and other diners who rightfully showered her with attention. I ordered the sage, pumpkin and hazelnut risotto with a side of roast potatoes cooked in rosemary garlic. Absolutely Delicious.

I got up bright and early the next morning and started my day with breakfast at The Press Shop in Bowral. The cafe is very stylish and elegant and is also the home of Bespoke Letterpress which produces couture stationery.

I drove the 20 kilometres to Fitzroy Falls where I did two short hikes. The first was the West Rim track which is a grade 3 hike and 3.5 kms long. The main features of this walk were beautiful forests, a pretty grotto and stunning views of the falls from five different lookouts.

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Next up was the East Rim and Wildflower Walking Track which is also a grade 3 hike and 6.7 kms long. I gather the wildflower season is sometime other than October because there weren’t any to be seen. What I did see however were stunning rainforests with ferns in a hundred different shades of green.

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Strangely enough I ran into more friends from Sydney in the carpark just as I was leaving Fitzroy Falls. I drove back to my accommodation to refresh and then walked into town to visit the Tulip Festival, which was being held at the Corbett Gardens. The floral displays were absolutely spectacular, but it was really hot and there were hundreds of people crammed into what is a very small park which felt so overwhelming that I left as soon as I had seen all of the displays.

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I wandered around the town and to my delight discovered some gorgeous homeware stores. My kryptonite! Several bars of lemon myrtle soap, a book and a couple of ceramic pieces later, I stopped for lunch and a cold drink at the Elephant Boy Cafe. A few steps away was the famous Dirty Jane’s Vintage Emporium in Banyette Street. I spent around an hour or so wandering the aisles being tempted. There were so many great pieces in the store that I literally couldn’t make a decision on what to buy and left empty handed.

The Southern Highlands are a perfect weekend getaway from Sydney and I will definitely be returning as soon as possible.

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