We've been on a few fun family trips since I had my little guy so I thought I'd share them with you. Recently we decided to book a long weekend away in Orange, NSW, for my parents' 60th birthdays along with my sister and her fiancé. I've passed through Orange before but never stayed and explored so this was a first for me. I'd heard about the great food and wine so I was pretty excited!
Orange is roughly a 3 hour drive west of Sydney. We found a gorgeous little cottage to stay in via Stayz. It was right near the main shops and cafes, so perfect for a stroll with the pram each day. Here were our highlights from our long weekend....
Eat
We'd heard great things about the food here and it did not disappoint. I was nervous about eating somewhere so nice with the bub, who was just shy of 18 months and pretty much never sits still. Thankfully we avoided a meltdown when hubby came to the rescue and took him for a walk in the pram while the rest of us ordered and returned with a sleeping babe - phew! We got to actually enjoy our meal haha! I ordered the signature twice baked Heidi Gruyere cheese soufflé to start. It was gluten free so I immediately jumped on it. I don't normally get to enjoy a soufflé and it was divine. For main I had the slow cooked Hereford red beef brisket which was cooked to perfection. For dessert I couldn't go past the cherry, turkish delight, pistachio & honeycomb parfait. I think the photos speak for themselves, wow! The service was wonderful and the food and wine were spectacular.
Great cafe serving up scrumptious breakfast and good coffee (Bills Beans).
Now this place is a must! It was quite busy so we didn't get to actually eat a meal here but we sure shopped up a storm in their specialty grocery store. Oh we were in foodie heaven. We stocked up on Pepe Saya's cultured butter, The Agrestic Grocer's Housemade Blueberry & Vanilla Jam (to die for), blocks of Spencer Cocoa single origin chocolate, quince paste, Ancient Grains Kamut bread, and more. We then enjoyed some blues outside in the sunshine before heading back to our cottage to enjoy our goodies.
Shop
I wanted to move in to this store. Every piece of furniture was gorgeous, every candle, every wall hanging, every space styled to perfection and just dreamy.
A gorgeous clothing store filled with all the favourites like Sass & Bide, Life With Bird, Talulah, J Brand, Viktoria + Woods, Tigerlily, and much much more. Just next door to The White Place. Both are on Byng Street.
Drink / Wineries
One of our absolute favourite wineries that we visited was Bloodwood. I went home with a few bottles from here. As you can see above, my Dad happily kept my little guy busy so we could sample the lovely wines. Bloodwood is owned by Stephen & Rhonda Doyle and it's actually their home so you need to book an appointment if you're going to head there. That way they can actually be there to greet you.
De Salis was another of our absolute favourite wineries and had the most gorgeous view. We had a lovely long wine tasting here in the sunshine overlooking their gorgeous vineyard. The apples above were actually at a nearby orchard to De Salis and I just had to stop and take a quick snap. Next time we'll have to go apple picking!
(Photo via Washington & Co facebook)
We couldn't help but stop in for a quick evening drink at Washington & Co Whiskey Saloon. We'd passed it a few times on the main drag and it looked so warm and inviting. Mum & Dad were happy to watch our wild thing for a bit while hubby and I went with my sister and her fiancé for a quick drink... or two. The guys were really welcoming there and turns out they'd seen us earlier that day at The Agrestic Grocer. They gave us a few tips on places to eat at although the next day was a public holiday and unfortunately for us none of them were open. Next time!
See
We loved strolling through the very large Cook Park with its huge trees dating back to the 1800s, duck ponds, rotundas, and even a pretty glasshouse. We were there in Autumn so the colours were spectacular.
Have you been you to Orange? Any tips for our next visit?
Next up, our 2 trips to Queensland's Sunny Coast.
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Thanks for sharing on Soulful Mama ~ Clare x