Thrifty
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.
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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The Cockatoo Run
The Cockatoo Run is an absolute weekend essential for anyone with little children. The train used on the run is a vintage diesel train (with steam starting up again in April when the weather cools down), which runs from Sydney Central via Wollongong, then via Robertson to Moss Vale. Tickets from Sydney and back are exy, but a family ticket from Robertson to Moss Vale is only $25 return. Here’s the gorgeous bit: in true Highlands style, the train runs on most Sundays, leaving Robertson around 12.30pm and returning from Moss Vale around 3.30pm. And if you call the office to double check on these shady details, there won’t be anyone there on a weekend. But if you’re the gambling type, this is simply the most charming Sunday activity. And if you’re already thinking about how you might struggle to find something to do for an hour in Moss Vale, may we heartily recommend the Post Office Cafe right next to the train station? It’s like little Waterloo in there, and they don’t miss a detail. Cheese and tomato toasties translate beautifully to sourdough with tomato jam and Persian feta. You can get more details about the Cockatoo Run here. You don’t need to pre-book the Sunday trip from Robertson, but you would definitely need to book Sydney-Moss Vale. And here is the address and map for the Post Office cafe. But please don’t tell anyone!
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Saintly eating
This weekend at the Bowral Farmer’s Market at Moss Vale Showground we discovered a very saintly cereal. Tracey Anne Oxley, who has a home at Sutton Forest, was giving samples of her home made muesli. All the ingredients are puffed and she offers two flavours, each named after one of her wheat-intolerant little boys, Jasper and Oliver. Oliver is represented at her market stall by goji berries, currants and vanilla and Oliver toasted is flying the flag for Banana and cinnamon. The muesli is light as a feather, completely organic, home made, and as far as we can tell, a million miles from the rubbish we are sometimes forced by convenience (and false marketing) to serve our little ones. Tracey is at the markets each month but she is also supported by The Organic Whole Food Store in Bowral Street. The label is called Edenderry, after Tracey’s Sutton Forest home. The picture above is of Edenderry’s namesake in the UK. Bit different to our ‘Kurban Country’, no?
We also wanted to share with you the Highlands secret catering resource. It sounds super-sophisticated and expensive, but it’s not. It’s SOL (Spring of Life) Food, made by Simon and Vicky Elderton, the loveliest, most down to earth vegans you’re ever likely to meet. They’re web-invisible, so here’s their number for next time you want to impress the hell out of your friends: 0248 693352. SOL is vegan sushi, dumplings and spring rolls that taste so naughty you would swear they were made of meat. We fed about a dozen adults and around 10 children for around $120. Simon and Vicky can also be found at Bowral Farmer’s Market at the Moss Vale Showground.
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Lily’s Mum’s Fig Jam
What a way to elevate cheese on toast! We bought some of Lily Huseyin’s mum’s home made fig jam today. At $5.99 a tub it sure beats Maggie Beer’s smooth bland jellies. The jam is chunky and sticky with a handful of yummy fig soaked almond pieces. Lily’s tip is to nuke it for 20 seconds before use. You can buy the jam at Jim’s Fruit Barn at 308 Argyle Street in Moss Vale. Lily and her husband Halil have the freshest and cheapest selection of fresh fruit and veg that we have seen yet in the Highlands. We picked up two punnets of incredible blueberries at $1 a pop. They were considered seconds as there was one slightly squishy berry tainting the entire lot apparently. The menfolk in Lily’s family travel to the wholesale markets in Parramatta six days per week to source fresh stock. They leave at 2am every day except their precious ‘lie-in Thursday’, traveling at only 80km per hour in their old truck then spend half an hour on arrival hustling for a car park! Then they fill the truck and bring back their goodies especially for us. When figs are available, Lily and her mum add the jam to the store’s offering. The Huseyins are the unsung fruit and veg heroes of SoHi and we salute them.
Image courtesy of Cuisine.com with recipe linked in case you want to make your own fig jam.
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