Kate Cox discovers it’s hard to get around when faced with a rich supply of gourmet goods.
The combination of fresh country air and rustic, toasty warm surrounds is having an effect. Within minutes of arriving at Dreamcatcher Lodge in Picton, our party of six (including two under two) has crashed out in the living room of our self-contained hill-top home, Blue Wren Cottage.
It’s that kind of place. Less than 90 minutes by car south-west from Sydney, it feels like a rural hideaway much further removed from the city’s hustle and bustle.
We put our plans to explore the antiques stores and cafes of the town on hold and order in a delicious ploughman’s lunch of smoked chicken, kangaroo prosciutto, olives, chutney, pickles and local cheeses. Lunch is prepared by the exceptionally talented gourmet Kathy McCombie and delivered from the main homestead just a stumble up the hill by her husband and Lodge co-host Greg.
It sets the scene for the weekend: plans for dinner out and a night on the town are shelved in favour of dinner with the other guests (there are three more rooms in the main homestead, all of good size and reasonably private) in front of the rugby and a three-course feast prepared by the hard-working Kathy. A visit to the Thirlmere Rail Heritage Centre is decided against; instead we wandered around the grounds of Dreamcatcher, patting the brand new kids (the goat kind) Scoobie, Pepper and Salt and hanging out with the alpacas, the peacock and Bobby the dog.
We begin the next day with a meal that puts the big back into breakfast - chargrilled corn fritters and bacon, pancakes, rosti with creamy mushroom sauce, cheesy egg, french toast, omelet and many more options. We could have done with a coffee top-up but we forgive the lack of an offer because our one cup is delightful.
If it sounds as if we eat pretty much the entire weekend, that’s because we do. We don’t even lift a finger to make our own cup of tea, despite the kitchen being completely fitted out with all the essentials. Kathy’s cooking is too good to resist - and it’s too hard to move after succumbing to temptation. The food is so fresh and flavoursome: the couple also operates Wollondilly Farmgate Online, which distributes food all over Australia - there are orchards, a dairy and loads of vegetable producers in the region, Sydney’s original food bowl.
It’s also easy to stay in the cottage, built by Greg five years ago. A highlight is the large balcony with glorious panoramic views of the valley - try to get up early (or at least open the bedroom curtains) for the spectacular sunrise. Indoors, both the “homestead” room (with queen bed) and “rustic” room (with king bed, and lots of corrugated iron) have ensuites with deep spas. There are lots of knick-knacks throughout, including a saddle high on a beam in the rustic room, and tin hens, display plates, bronze scales, a spinning wheel, kerosene lanterns and an antique coffee grinder. The quaint mess somehow manages to leave a cosy, homey feeling - some pieces have been contributed by previous guests, a sweet touch - but it is all perhaps a little too much.
It is the most luxurious accommodation in the area but it’s the food and service - and those views - that will keep you coming back. In the main homestead, the rooms are much more sophisticated and less “rustic”.
If Kathy’s food doesn’t have the same coma-inducing effect, there really are plenty of things to do. There are local produce markets pretty much every weekend, lots of local walks and the historic buildings, cosy cafes and the craft shops of Picton are worth a trip.
The writer was a guest of Dreamcatcher Lodge and Tourism NSW.
TRIP NOTES
Address: Dreamcatcher Lodge incorporating Blue Wren Cottage, 2330 Remembrance Drive, Picton, see http://www.dreamcatcherlodge.com.au
Bookings: (02) 4683 3232 or 0418 281 302; enquiries@dreamcatcherlodge.com.au
Rates: For exclusive use of Blue Wren Cottage begin at $300 a night for a couple but rates are cheaper for the rooms in the homestead. Includes full cooked breakfast or provisions, a supper platter or afternoon tea and port and chocolates. A three-course dinner is $35.
VERDICT
Why you’d go: You want a close-to-home gourmet getaway and country experience.
Why you wouldn’t: For you, “luxury” means stainless steel, new beds and all the mod cons.
FIND TIME TO
Have a beer at the King George IV Inn in Picton. Built by George Harper of “Abbotsford” in 1839, this comfortable pub features sweeping verandas, lots of sandstone and a boutique brewery with beer brewed in the traditional German method. Adding character were the dozens of bikers in attendance when we popped in.
Check the Thirlmere Rail Craft Markets - held on the third Sunday of the month. See http://www.stallholders.com.au/shcm/
Visit the Wollondilly Visitor Information Centre and pick up a map for a do-it-yourself walking tour. See http://www.visitwollondilly.com.au/guides.php . Source: The Sun-Herald