Sweeping fields, lush greenery and charming heritage villages — it’s a scene one might well associate with the English countryside’s famously verdant beauty. But, for weary globetrotters, fed up of being beleaguered by jetlag and cramp-inducing flights of over a dozen hours, it is heartening to know there’s a closer-to-home alternative. Just a short drive south from Sydney, few jetsetters are aware that the Southern Highlands is, in fact, New South Wales’ national park haven.
Imagine golfing at dusk with kangaroos and wombats scuttering about or being awaken, not by the shrill ringtones of your smartphone, but, instead, by a bunch of cheeky, cackling kookaburras and you’d get a good idea of what to expect in this beautiful patch of New South Wales.
But, aside from the sheer beauty and richness of its nature, the Southern Highlands is also one of the country’s most underrated regions for fantastic dining. Its lands yield some of Australia’s most spectacular produce that find their way to the tables of the finest dining rooms in the world.
Just an hour and a half’s drive from cosmopolitan Sydney and the bright, blue brilliance of its beaches and harbour-side life, the Southern Highlands offers an entirely different spectrum of delights. The main towns and villages to explore and experience are Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale, Sutton Forest and Berrima, where visitors may spend languorous hours touring beautiful gardens or shopping for books and antiques in-between delicious meals, each starring the best of highland bounty.
With a slightly-cooler climate than Sydney, due to its location atop an escarpment overlooking the South Coast, the Southern Highlands is a year-round destination with a well-deserved reputation for celebrating the genteel side of life. Everywhere, pastoral fields and forested hills are broken up by picturesque settings, featuring historical mansions, sprawling winery estates and old world public buildings.
Certainly, there are a host of natural attractions that draw the outdoorsy visitor, including the spectacular limestone formations of Wombeyan Caves, going walkabout around Mount Gibraltar and seeing the Fitzroy Falls plunge spectacularly down into the valley floor, thick with eucalyptus trees. But, for those looking for a more elegant, laidback way to experience this beautiful part of ‘Straya’, here are the highlights:
EARTH ANGEL
So far, Biota has been registering primarily on the radar of the Australian eaterati, who quietly slip into the Southern Highlands for creative degustations that connect them instantly with talented young chef James Viles’ vision of the earth. But that’s all set to change soon as he begins to increasingly attract the interest of global gourmets who have now earmarked Bowral, the Southern Highlands’ largest town, as the place to head to for fine produce-driven dining.
Having earned his first chef’s hat – Australia’s equivalent to a Michelin star – at the age of 23, making Viles one of Australia’s youngest to earn the accolade, as well as lavish praise from iconic figures like ARIA’s Matt Moran, all it takes is one dining experience at the two-hatted Biota to quickly know why. Naming his restaurant after the modern Latin word for ‘the animals and plant life of a particular region or habitat’, which, in turn, stems from the Greek biotē or ‘life’, Viles’ return to the Southern Highlands, after many years spent working abroad, is a homecoming of sorts.
“I’m a country boy,†he says, as he walks us through his extensive on-site gardens. “I’ve always lived off the land and I love the idea of being able to go outside, dirty my hands with soil, plucking my own berries to make jam and being able to ferment my own lavender buds. To be able to do that is amazing and something you sometimes take for granted if living in Australia.â€
Viles’ lengthy overseas stints, working with acclaimed hotels and restaurants in the Middle East and Asia, including at Alain Ducasse’s Spoon at the InterContinental Hong Kong, led him to realise he wanted to break out of the executive chef’s proverbial bubble, where food is ordered online through a central purchasing system, allowing the chef little or no contact with the food, produce or dishes.
“I missed connecting with the land, sourcing for and touching the produce with my own hands, and, ultimately, missed Australia – our food, climate and way of life,†shares Viles. It was this longing that would translate into the creation of Biota.
Almost hidden behind a hedgerow, Biota stands on four acres of land, with the restaurant itself spanning 700 sq m. If you visit during the day, you will find the setting positively enchanting, dotted by organic vegetable patches, a hothouse, towering poplars and a pond, the former domain of geese which, as Viles grimly reports, have since been eaten by foxes.
The gardens thrive with lavender, corn, Jerusalem artichoke, spicy nasturtiums, yarrow, fennel, spring onions, amaranth (“Did you know it was a precious commodity among the Aztecs?†asked Viles) and a host of other good things. Vibrant marigold, used in a sea urchin dish, is a bright note among all the greens, as are roses, which feature in one of Biota’s signature desserts – Mum’s Roses, a tribute to Viles’ horticulturalist mother. Quail, which dart about quickly from bush to bush, are also regular visitors to the garden.
Biota’s team of 11 chefs visits the garden regularly to harvest ingredients for the day. “It’s a whole new dimension when you grow and cook your own things,†Viles points out. “I think it’s very special to be able to work like this daily – to respect Mother Nature and to cook with what your habitat gives you. This makes cooking easy, not to mention making complete sense as well.†Biota’s menu changes with the seasons, and Viles describes his philosophy simply: “It’s just produce put forwardâ€. Guests sit down to stunning five- or eight-course tasting menus at rich teakwood tables, while specially-selected artworks and mother-of-pearl touches, from the beautiful bar to the wine chillers, add a subtle elegance.
Not content with just cooking, Viles is also experimenting with what he calls ‘country wines’ – lightly-fermented juices made from local fruit, beetroot skins and other healthy ingredients – as an alternative to traditional wine-pairing. “We started juice-pairing about eight months ago and it’s taken right off, with more juice-matching sold than wine flights. You have to try it – it’s really tasty!â€
Given Australia’s strict laws against drink-driving, diners would be delighted with Biota’s attention to detail, with 12 guestrooms available to those who wish to bed down for the night after imbibing as well as special stay-and-dine packages. Another eight units, albeit more luxurious and villa-like, are expected to be ready this May.
Biota Dining, 18 Kangaloon Road, Bowral NSW 2576
MOD OZ MAGIC
Purchased in 1878 by Henry Edward Kater, who had acquired Mount Broughton as a retreat, the former home of this pioneering grazing family has since been transformed into Peppers Manor House, an old world hotel set on the grounds of a grand country estate. Managed by Peppers, a collection of resorts with close to 30 properties in Australia and New Zealand, the Manor House makes a good base from which to explore the rest of the Southern Highlands.
But if you don’t feel like wandering too far, it makes equally good sense to simply stay put to enjoy this unique retreat. The gardens are magnificent to stroll around in, while those interested in more active pursuits can play a round of golf (the resort has an 18-hole course), tennis, boules, volleyball, badminton or croquet. Wildlife such as wombats and corellas are particularly rich in the area, and kangaroos regularly make off with their pick of the garden’s harvest. “I lost all my beans in one night,†laments Executive Chef Daniel James.
With their own vegetable gardens, guests dining at Peppers Manor House are ensured of fresh-as-can-be ingredients for much of their meals. A quick stroll through the back of the hotel will bring you to the gardens, where stalks hang heavy with tomatoes, habanero chillis, bronze fennel, edible flowers, micro-celery and patches bright with strawberries.
Whatever isn’t grown on-site is sourced from only the best suppliers in the area. Its one-hatted Katers Restaurant, helmed by the talented James, is a showcase of Modern Australian cuisine brought to life using the best of New South Wales produce. Ravioli, for example, is made rich and earthy with local Mittagong mushrooms, while the trout is caught from rivers fed by the Snowy Mountains.
We sampled delicious prosciutto made using, interestingly, duck by Thirlmere (a worthy competitor to the delights of San Daniele), while a dish of scallop ceviche came seasoned with pineapple sage and viola flowers straight from the garden as well as a local seaweed known as ‘beach bananas’. After dinner, it’s tempting to simply wind the night down with something fine and malty amidst the grandeur of the baronial Great Hall.
Here, one’s attention can’t fail to be drawn to the stained glass window, which bears the Latin saying Nil Mortalibus Arduum (anything is possible in life). You somehow feel that truth is made real just by staying here.
Peppers Manor House, Kater Road, Sutton Forest, NSW 2577
ALL BERRY NICE
Dating back to 1861, the Montrose Berry Farm is a charming heritage-listed homestead as well as a working berry farm. In summer, Montrose is positively heaving with day-tripping city slickers and holidaymakers who come to pick kilos of boysenberries, loganberries, blueberries and blackberries. “We are the only farm in the highlands that allow pick-your-own,†says Fiona Robertson, who runs the property with her husband, Bruce.
“We also don’t spray anything on our fruit, so, if you’re planning a picnic straight after, it’s perfect.†Growing their own cherries, apples, pears and quinces as well, Montrose is well-known for its artisanal, award-winning berry products, which range from vinegars to sauces and jams, and also freshly-baked treats.
“Everything is cooked and prepared on site,†adds Robertson, with some creations whipped up according to ‘grandma’s recipe’ specifically. Sample an assortment of berry vinegars, which taste wonderful with soda water, over ice cream, in stir-fries or a particularly interesting vanilla and pear jam to enjoy with sharp cheddar. One of Montrose’s pickled pear creations would also undoubtedly pick up the best supporting award if starring in any cheese platter.
Keep cravings at bay with Robertson’s home-baked specials, particularly her berry pies (“All made with good farm eggs and fresh-churned butter,†she points out) and Scottish shortbread. But get there early as hordes of hungry visitors all too often snap up whatever’s on the counter before tea-time. Montrose’s historic gardens may also be toured by prior arrangement, with luncheon or a Devonshire cream tea included.
Montrose Berry Farm, Ormond Street, Sutton Forest, NSW 2577
LITERARY LIBATIONS
Surrounded by vineyards, Berkelouw is a bookshop with a magical, time-transporting quality. Quite the icon of Berrima, Berkelouw has long drawn literary lovers who come to browse its numerous aisles, each heavily-laden with thousands of titles – new, pre-loved and rare – covering a wide range of genres from Australiana to history, fine art and esoterica. Just down the lane is also its precious Antiquarian Book Department, a veritable treasure trove for those seeking rare and out-of-print books, maps and prints.
The story of Berkelouw began originally in Kipstraat, Rotterdam, in 1812, where Solomon Berkelouw started the business of trading in vellum-bound theology books. It was after World War II that his descendant, Isidoor, decided to seek his fortune almost a world away in Australia, opening up first along Sydney’s King Street and, briefly, in Rushcutters Bay before finally settling in the picturesque, historical village of Berrima in 1977. Lunch is served daily, where visitors can enjoy coffee, wine and delicious tucker in-between browsing.
Try the Lyonnaise onion tart made with slow-roasted cherry truss tomatoes and olive dust, topped with a dollop of chevre, preferably paired with a glass of Bendooley’s own Riesling or Pinot Noir, or an ethereal dessert of fruit salad capped with dreamy Persian-style fairy floss. The sweets are always a treat, so don’t leave without trying the espresso chocolate pot or the deconstructed apple tart, both uplifting and decadent.
If you still haven’t perused to your heart’s content, cottage accommodation is also available, enabling die-hard book lovers to browse (and buy) another day.
Berkelouw Books, 3020 Old Hume Highway, Berrima, NSW 2577
SUTTON FOREST OLIVES
It’s not headline news yet but Australian olive oil has been quietly creeping up on the coattails of its Mediterranean siblings. Local foodies have long praised the premium quality Australian olio and Sutton Forest, a 16-year-old olive farm, has the awards to prove it.
Set 700m above sea level, the property is studded with 2,000 trees of five, mostly Tuscan, varietals, including the sought-after Correggiola and Frantoio, which grows well in the cool climate here. Run by the husband-and-wife team of Bruce and Kym Burrows, Sutton Forest was established in 1998 and takes its name from the historic Southern Highlands township.
Visits to tour the groves or have a tasting session are by appointment only but it’s well worth it to arrange for one. Don’t miss the opportunity to stock up on succulent oils either, many of which have won awards at prestigious competitions like the Sydney Royal and the National Olive Oil Competition. If you’re looking for interesting gifts to take home, buy the Burrows’ unscented olive oil soap, which are made with lemon myrtle, spirulina, orange poppyseed or rose geranium. Tubs of dukkah are also available as are balsamic vinegars and caramelised vinaigrette salad dressings. If you happen to be visiting from late June to September, make it a point to ask for Kym’s unfiltered olive oil – a rare and delicious treat.
Sutton Forest Olives, Elizagrove, Golden Vale Road, Sutton Forest NSW 2577.
