A zest for country life
Enjoy the fruits of this vibrant regional NSW town.
Enjoy the fruits of this vibrant regional NSW town.
01
Thanks to its location in the fertile Central Tablelands of NSW, Orange has a burgeoning reputation for producing great wine and food. To get the lay of the land, take a drive towards nearby Mount Canobolas, an extinct volcano that is rich in significance to the Wiradjuri people. At 1395m, it is also the highest peak in Australia between the Blue Mountains and the Indian Ocean. As the mountain draws you along Pinnacle Road, passing vineyards such as Philip Shaw, Colmar, Ross Hill, Word of Mouth, be sure to stop at Towac Pinnacle Lookout. Stairs lead walkers upwards for 10 to 15 minutes, and the view to the northeast provides a rural panorama. Paddocks and vineyards are interspersed with forest, with orchards hashtagging across the foothills. Carry on by road to the peak. The mountain is described on poetically worded plaques as “the gatekeeper to western NSW” and visitors are invited “to immerse [themselves] in the ancient Aboriginal culture and isolated open spaces of Mungo, Mutawintji and Gundabooka national parks”; nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.
02
Aside from a few of the larger operations, Orange’s vineyards produce wine not readily available in bottle shops. So there’s adventure and surprise for the palate in trying the rieslings, chardonnays, gewurztraminers and pinots of this cool-climate region, where every 50m in altitude bestows a change in wine characteristics. Begin at Ferment (87 Hill Street), a wine bar that also serves as a cellar door (11am-5pm, Mon-Sat) for several wineries of the central ranges, its list curated by wine expert Peter Bourne and presented by Simon and Natalie Forsyth. Try the liqueur-style Stone Pine Rhubarb Gin, a rose-pink twirl on the tongue; orangewinecentre.com.au.
03
There’s a lot going on in this town of about 40,000 people, what with market days, balloon festivals, camel races and truffle hunts. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow has already been and gone but Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre production of Diplomacy starring John Gaden and John Bell will be at the Orange Civic Theatre (135 Byng Street) next Wednesday. It’s bookable on the Orange Visitor Information Centre website. The centre is a fantastic resource in a lofty wing of the gallery-theatre-library-Groundstone Cafe complex; orange360.com.au.
04
A great way to be immersed in country life is to book into a class such as Jasmin Bond’s fruit-bottling or jam-making sessions. Bond sells Greentrees Gourmet Preserves at markets throughout western NSW, and runs classes at Cobb & Co Coach House in Molong on the city outskirts. Glean all kinds of insights as you pare the pears, which may be small this year because of the drought but are packed with flavour. Bond started preserving excess fruit (plums, peaches, berries) as a child, helping her mum, and took it up again to complement her career as then owner of a B&B. Included in the $25 fee are afternoon tea, scones with jams, and preserves with whipped cream; greentreespreserves.com.au.
05
Those in the know head to Byng Street Local Store (47 Byng Street) for breakfast and caffeine, but beware the morning rush hour. But Byng Street’s fine coffee has recently been challenged by roasters Bills Beans (148 McLachlan Street), a cafe down the hill in funky East Orange. Byng Street bakes excellent muffins; Bills Beans’ Spanish chef Ruben makes his own light-as-air magdalenas. Byng does croque madame (leg ham, melted Comte cheese, fried egg and Dijon on baguette) for $15; Bills does shakshuka with poached eggs and sourdough for $16. Be sure to stick around for a few days because it’s hard to choose; byngstreet.com.au;
billsbeanseast.com.au.
06
Rush to the two gold mines near Orange. The historical site of Lucknow’s Wentworth Main Mine is open on the first Saturday and Sunday of every month. If you time your visit with the Newcrest Cadia Valley Operations annual open day in April, you can contrast the corrugated-iron, steam-driven old digs with the hi-tech, automated methods of modern ore extraction. Gold was discovered at Lucknow in 1851; Newcrest identified gold-copper porphyry deposits at Cadia Hill in 1992. Highlights of a self-guided Wentworth Main Mine tour include the two five-head stampers (used to crush the ore) manufactured in Sydney’s Newtown in about 1935, and a fascinating historical account of Lysaght, the company that brought corrugated iron to Australia. At CVO, the scale of the open pit and operations of the heavy vehicle workshop inspire shock and awe.
07
A few blocks east of Bills Beans is the Corner Store Gallery (382 Summer Street), a place of sunny calm. The changing exhibits might feature a pop-up by local artisans (that’s a beautiful knife by Timothy Moore with its 141 layers of recycled steel, ebony handle and recovered barrel-oak stave); shows by local and regional artists; or the serene abstract oils on canvas of gallery owner Madeline Young. Her work is inspired by rays of light filtered through a native-forest canopy on to blue-green eucalyptus leaves; cornerstoregallery.com.
08
I feel like the big bad wolf, huffing and puffing down the phone, knocking at the windows, howling at the lock, trying to get into Charred Kitchen and Bar (5 New Street). The Orange district has more than its fair share of outstanding restaurants, including Lolli Redini, Tonic in nearby Millthorpe and Sister’s Rock at Borrodell winery, but Charred is the hot tapas topic, and we haven’t booked in advance. No dice for a meal, but from the bar we enjoy watching the smokin’ dishes roll out of an oven called Lucifer. I sip a barrel-aged negroni on ice, the wine list is incredible and I contemplate huitlacoche (delicious fungus that grows on corn, served here in a taco). I’m poured a complimentary glass of Sorrenberg gamay from Victoria; charred.com.au.
09
Sixty kilometres from Orange, Canowindra is the home of hot-air ballooning and the annual Cabonne Country Balloon Glow event, when brilliantly coloured craft light up the night sky. That spectacle takes place in April, but just an hour’s drive from Orange you can see something much more remarkable every day. The Age of Fishes Museum displays the fossils of thousands of fish trapped in mud 360 million years ago. They were discovered by road workers in 1955, a find that rocked the science world. This is a hands-on museum and research centre, with expert, enthusiastic staff to help navigate the mind-boggling histories of life on Earth; ageoffishes.org.au.
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BEST BEDS
10
The Oriana Motel (178 Woodward Street) is vibrant but restful, simple but sophisticated. One wall is palest dove grey, another warm charcoal, and there’s a sea of soft dark carpet. Two yellow wing-backed chairs lean in to a small table with a fresh gerbera in a vase and a bowl of apples. The bedside tables are in Scandi-sleek blond timber and the bathroom is sparkling. Through a picture window, there are flamingo-pink chairs on the lawn, and the pool has crazy paving and a summer bar. Reception serves a good breakfast and the restaurant menu looks delicious. It’s all a little bit Norway, a little bit Miami, and a whole lot Orange; orianaorange.com.