Bowral. Image credit: Destination NSW
Fancy, lush, delicious and stunningly pretty are just a few words to describe the Southern Highlands. Get ready for a weekend of wineries, waterfalls and nature walks.
There’s something quite magical about the Southern Highlands. The quaint English-esque country towns, the manicured and ultra green gardens, and the gamut of gourmet experiences.
And it’s the ideal weekend getaway (or day trip), only 90 minutes’ drive southeast from Sydney. (Or you can take the scenic route from Wollongong through the windy, rainforest lined Macquarie Pass).
Having recently discovered this little gem, here are some of my favourite things to do in the Southern Highlands:
1. Visit wineries and cellar doors
Coming from South Australia – where the local cellar door is your BWS – I’m a bit of a wine snob. I hadn’t heard a lot about the Southern Highlands wine region to date, so naturally assumed it was not worth hearing about. I was wrong. These cool-climate wines are gooood and the cellar door experiences some of the best. Southern Highlands, you sly dog.
This emerging wine region is home to 60 wineries and a handful of cellar doors. My favourites are Bendooley Estate, Centennial Vineyards, Artemis Wines and Tertini Wines. Read more about these goodies here.
Bendooley Estate. Image credit: Destination NSW
2. Dinner at Biota
Consistently gracing Australia’s top restaurant lists, Biota is a must-do for anyone serious about eating. This Bowral fine diner uses seasonal ingredients exclusive to the local area, serving up a clever tasting menu that’s befitting of one of the best regional dining experiences in the country. Expect things like smoked pasture-fed beef topped with a rich prune and walnut sauce, and grilled fish wings gussied up with mandarins from a local orchard.
Other top restaurants in the Southern Highlands include Eschalot, Onesta Cucina and Toshi’s Japanese Restaurant.
3. See Fitzroy Falls
Sitting atop the Illawarra Escarpment, the Southern Highlands has no shortage of waterfalls. Undoubtedly the most impressive is Fitzroy Falls, where a torrent of water drops 80 metres to the valley below. The viewing platform is easy to access from the car park, or you can follow the East Rim Wildflower and West Rim walking tracks to get a different viewpoint of the dramatic waterfall, plus explore more of Morton National Park.
Or make it a waterfall tour and visit the nearby Belmore Falls and Carrington Falls.
4. Follow the Fairy Bower Falls walking track
Then there’s the beautiful Fairy Bower Falls, which you can only reach by foot. I have so much love for this one-hour return walk that takes you through rainforest and past incredible views, all the while being serenaded by the calming sound of running water. The falls itself is a pretty magical place, that could very well be the home of fairies.
To access Fairy Bower Falls, drive through the village of Bundanoon and enter the western end of Morton National Park (you’ll need to buy an $8 parks pass). You’ll find the car park off Bundanoon Loop Road.
5. Explore the Southern Highlands’ towns and villages
Travel through the Southern Highlands and you can’t help but be struck by the charm of this cluster of towns and villages. All close to one another, they ooze history, elegance and an exorbitant number of antique shops. There’s Exeter with its grand English-style estates, Bundanoon with its quaint main street, and historic Berrima with its sandstone buildings and accolade as the best preserved Georgian village in Australia.
Bowral. Image credit: Destination NSW
6. Call into a country bakery
You can’t visit country NSW without sinking your chops into some golden, flaky goodness, and the Southern Highlands has no shortage of gold-star bakeries. Gumnut Patisserie is a local institution, stocking everything from cakes and tarts to sweet and savoury pies. Or visit the famous Robertson Pie Shop for a chicken, leek and camembert pie, followed up by a pecan or custard tart. Other top spots to hunt out some baked goods include Southern Rise Bakery and Highlands Merchant in Moss Vale, and Jumping Jack Cafe in Bundanoon.
7. Swing by the Old Robertson Cheese Factory
This one isn’t just for hard-core cheese lovers, like myself. Once a site for cheesemaking, this old factory is now a hub for locally-sourced treats, including fudges, relishes, jams and gelato. Naturally, there’s also a huge selection of cheeses you can buy – creamy, stinky, funky, hard, you name it. Or pull up a chair in the cafe, keep things easy and order the cheese board.
8. Enjoy some spectacular views
The king of the castle, the Southern Highlands is spoilt for views. Head to Manning Lookout (pictured below) near Fitzroy Falls for a stunning cliff-top scene overlooking Kangaroo Valley. A drive up to Mount Gibraltar Reserve, near Mittagong, is also pretty spectacular, sitting 863 metres above sea level. Bowral Lookout, Mount Jellore and Mittagong Lookout are other high points.
