Where there's wool there's a way in the Highlands

WITH so much to do and see in the Southern Highlands, you'll need to stretch out your trip to squeeze in some time to relax, writes Mercedes Maguire.

Taipan

I KNEW we were well and truly lost when we reached the end of the road somewhere in the Southern Highlands of NSW.

The GPS was not responding, the mobile phone was dead and there was a wire gate pulled across the road with a warning sign.

We turned around and headed back to the main road and once we found mobile reception, called the owner of Birrong Suri Alpacas.

We were two hours late when we arrived but Ian Vanderbeek, who has owned the alpaca farm with wife Fiona for a decade, had that swaggeringly relaxed country attitude, which countered my typical city anxiety perfectly.

I had travelled to the Southern Highlands from Sydney with my husband Shane and daughters Ava, 8, and Evie, 3, looking for family fun - the stuff that takes you off the beaten track and isn't necessarily touted on every tourist brochure in town - and we found it at Birrong.

Birrong Suri Alpaca is a working farm with about 100 animals on site and runs guided tours year-round by appointment only.

Ava, who has wanted to be a zookeeper for as long as she could talk, instantly bonded with the alpacas, ignoring warnings of possible spitting to get up close for a hug.

The Vanderbeeks work the farm for stud breeding and some wool production. Ian knows most of his herd by name and can even distinguish them by personality.

That evening we had dinner in Mittagong at an Italian restaurant called Vin Santo, which we had been told was the most family friendly eatery in the area. The menu was filled with good, Italian home cooking. My vegetable risotto was plate-licking good.

Our accommodation for the weekend was the boutique Gibraltar Hotel in Bowral, a beautiful estate which has managed to effortlessly combine a chic atmosphere with a family friendly welcome.

A kids' room close to the restaurant there allows adults to dine in relative peace and the kids' menu is filled with yummy options but without a chicken nugget in sight.

The Bradman Museum in Bowral is a state-of-the-art attraction filled with interactive elements to amuse visitors of all ages. Who knew the first international game of cricket was played in New York between the USA and Canada in 1844?

About 40 minutes from Bowral is the Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures. The Treetop Walk is a 25m-high path, which takes you into the rainforest canopy and provides views across much of the Illawarra region.

It was a beautifully peaceful walk and a good old-fashioned fresh-air experience. Look out for the wombat warren, right next to the "wombat crossing" at the start of the walk.

You can grab a snack or lunch at Cafe 106 or bring a picnic.

Of course, there was no way we could drive down to the Illawarra region and not visit the number one family attraction in the area - Jamberoo Action Park.

The last time I visited this place was as a teenager and all I remembered was the bobsled ride and a few small water slides. The park is unrecognisable today, operating as a full water theme park.

While Evie splashed around at Billabong Beach enjoying the mini slides, water fountains and heated splash pool, Ava worked up the courage to go on the Taipan, a massive rubber raft ride down a giant slide in the dark.

After two attempts to get her to try the park's newest ride, the Funnel Web (as scary looking as it sounds), we decided to leave that for the next visit.

Secretly, I was just a little relieved.

The writer was a guest of the Gibraltar Hotel

Go2 - The Southern Highlands

Getting there: The Southern Highlands are less than two hours' drive south of Sydney and one hour from Wollongong and the South Coast. Get there via the F5 Freeway from Sydney or via Wollongong and the Illawarra Highway. City Rail and Countrylink services also operate into the Southern Highlands.

Staying there: The Gibraltar Hotel, Centennial Rd & Boronia St, Bowral.

Eating there: Vin Santo Ristorante, 105A Old Hume Highway, Mittagong.

Touring there: Birrong Suri Alpacas, Hawkshill Rd, Canyonleigh, tours cost $22 for adults/$9.50 for children/$55 for a family and you need to book in advance.

Illawarra Fly Treetops Adventure, 182 Knights Hill Rd, Knights Hill, $24 for adults/$10 for children/$59 for a family.

Bradman Museum, St Jude St, Bowral, $20 for adults/$10 for children/$50 for a family pass.

Jamberoo Action Park, 1215 Jamberoo Rd, Jamberoo, $41 for adults/$33 for children/under three free.

More info: Tourism Southern Highlands
 

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