Good Reviews
The Word on SOHI
Sometimes when publishing we forget that we have two audiences. We have our local audience, and we have our non-SOHI audience: the SOHI-curious. We were asked today about our recommendations for places to do and things to see in the area and we thought since Winter is approaching it might be timely to post on ‘Friends of SOHI’ who are doing their ambassadorial bit to impress out-of-towners and generally give all of us a good name!
Regarding places to stay : For those of us who have our batteries recharged by a little bit of isolation, The Rectory Park Cottage at Kangaroo Valley is the place to go.
We also love ‘friend of SOHI’ Bluemetal Vineyard with their cute cottage. It gives the feeling of being away from it all but it’s very close to the villages of Berrima, Mittagong and Bowral.
For things to do, we would recommend a treasure hunt at Grandpa’s Shed at Fitzroy Falls. You have to go right inside to appreciate it as the street view is pretty awful. Don’t forget your heart medication. We had heart palpitations when we saw the floor to ceiling wonder.
The Burrawang Pub is where we take Sydney friends to try and trick them into thinking that the whole of the Highlands looks this awe-inspiring. The views are unbeatable and if you don’t mind your kids running rampant and free over green grass, then it’s what you might consider kid-friendly. The Burrawang General Store Cafe is where we go when we want fine food on a Wintry day and it’s right across the street, so you can arrive then decide on the spot what your tummy is asking for.
The Robertson Cheese Factory serves an incredible breakfast – we highly recommend the brekky roll.
If you have an entire day free, you can’t go past FoodPath Tours for both a brilliant learning experience and a way to pretty much cover the whole Highlands area and all it offers. The tours are an essential foodie experience. Jill and Nick are so incredibly knowledgeable and the suppliers you will meet are so candid and fascinating. There will be more on Jill and Nick and their passions in our upcoming print edition.
Sturt is great. There is a gallery filled with works which all tell a story, a shop stocking clothing, homewares and furniture all hand made in Australia, and a wonderful sunny cafe and garden. You could spend some serious time here.
If you’re thinking of rambling, pack a picnic and plenty to drink and keep your eye out for signs to Belmore Falls, Carrington Falls, Fitzroy Falls and the walking track before Joadja. We don’t want to give away too much detail here as the best rambles we have had have come from randomly following signs with no firm plans. Stick to the roads and tracks and open your heart to an adventure. It’s the only way.
(image: Sascha Walters, the Burra Pub view).
Please comment if you would like to share your tips on SOHI visits.
Holistic Retail – Made by Others
Usually we can find a way to summarise a destination we’re reviewing but in this case, we would advise that you read no futher, get in your car, and GO to Moss Vale to visit Anna and Ursula and see Made by Others for yourself. It’s one of those difficult places to describe. There’s an urge to say that there’s something there for everyone but that does the girls a massive injustice as the store is anything but general. There are no pretentious superstars stocking there so it’s a haven for the design-weary. Everything you see there will be fresh and new, with every facet of your lifestyle catered for beautifully. Made by Others stocks clothing for kids and mini-me designs for grownups by the incredible Zoe Georgiou of Fabboo, there’s homewares, living art, jewelry, the new wave of lighting and hanging design. Of course there’s an espresso bar and you can knit, linger or read magazines at the communal table. It’s very rare that we see anything truly new and we’re very excited to see someone out there supporting emerging and established, local and international designers.
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Soggy Tiny Feet
There’s not a massive amount of Highlands-proof footwear out there for children. We stumbled across some incredibly cute, very plain, and very sturdy desert boots and quickly placed our order. Trips to the park for the next six months are going to end in soggy socks and heavy, cold and wet jeans if you’re not prepared. These desert boots are from Walnut. We don’t know about you, but the ‘mini me’ look is so much more appealing than pink-paisley-everything. While you’re giving your Paypal account a hiding, check out these plain wellies. It’s harder than it sounds finding plain colours. They’re handy for the park and the garden. And finally, the last item of business for our online game of dress ups, is Fabboo. Zoe is the only kids clothing maker who makes kiddie scarves and cowls as far as we are aware. Check out her stall at the Bowral Farmer’s Market at Moss Vale and the Berry Market on the first Sunday of the month.
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Nana’s Dining Room
A quick trip to Wool Addiction’s new premises today was a revelation. As well as having the most bogglingly vast range of wools, both local and international, they’re opening a knitter-friendly tea room. Did you know that many cafes locally do not welcome knitters? Apparently knitting is right up there with breastfeeding and shooting up heroin. They sell books on how to knit doggie coats, incredibly gorgeous glass and wood needles, and lots of bits and bobs that I couldn’t actually identify, being more of a stitcher myself. The tea rooms are simply divine. They look like Nana’s house before she got aluminium windows and paved the front garden. You can knit and sip tea to your heart’s content. And just between us it looks like a good quiet little spot to catch up on some laptop tinkering. The workers are still hammering, but Jill Dawson is hopeful that the tea room will be ready and open Easter Saturday. If you’re in Bowral, check it out. It’s right near Onesta on Wingecarribee street.
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SoHi Hipstamatic Competition
We have a new toy. It’s the Hipstamatic app for iPhone. This app makes digital photography look analog. In fact, ultra analog. Like a Holga or a Diana without the duds. Almost everyone you photograph looks stunning in a fuzzy kind of way. We’ve decided to run a competition to see who can shoot the best snaps of SoHi using the Hipstamatic. It’s a timeless, old school kind of place, the old SoHi. So we expect lots of nostalgic shots of the croquet crew, the pony club, ladies knitting in Samoyed wool, and the dwarf lady at Bundanoon market who sells dolls clothes without a hint of irony. The app is only $2.50US so it’s a bit cheaper than medium format film in a $50 plastic camera with a 1:12 success ratio. Send us your best shots by April 15th and the best shot will win a 24×30cm print of the ever-popular Florence.
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