Retreat to the bush in timeless fashion

A STYLISH NSW country estate in a spectacular setting celebrates its first birthday.

Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa

IT has been 12 months since Emirates opened its Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa amid a 1620ha private conservation reserve west of the NSW Blue Mountains.

I visit just after the official launch, on a December weekend so crackling hot that my planned horse-riding and bushwalking must go on hold. Like nocturnal wombats, my partner and I burrow ourselves away, emerging only to visit our waterhole (private temperature-controlled plunge pool, that is), seek sustenance (no need for scrounging amid roots and leaves; there are two restaurants on site) and wait for the temperature to cool.

Wombats are not natural day-spa clients but, if they were, perhaps the property's sleek and lovely Timeless Spa would appeal, with its treatments based on a bush larder of ingredients such as wattle seeds, lemon myrtle and eucalyptus oil.

Lying on our cottage suite's coffee table, with bookmark in place, is Charles Darwin in Australia by F. W. Nicholas and J. M. Nicholas (Cambridge University Press). The always curious Darwin, who collected "at least seven different samples of rocks on a day's ride" on his 1836 expedition here, described the landscape as a "grand valley surrounded by cliffs of sandstone ... like a bay with arms".

And so it is, a fabulous amphitheatre in an embrasure of hard old hills and, at its heart, a cantonment of 40 cottage suites set in gently curving arcs. Construction has been from local sandstone and wood from sustainable forests, many fence posts have been fashioned from fallen trees and the interior design of the accommodation is in shades of hessian and bottle-brush reds, with ample use of pine, studded leather and old-fashioned mesh.

The covered verandas have an early settler feel, if only those pioneers could have conceived of such astonishments as pillow menus, wi-fi connections, coffee machines and organic vegetables from a possum-proof garden.

The cliffs glow pink at sunset and off we drive with field guide, Hugh, across open grasslands and into vast eucalypt forests on a safari that yields sightings of wedge-tailed eagles, vibrant clouds of eastern rosellas, eastern grey kangaroos, an albino wallaby with startling pink eyes and wombats galore, as bulky and determined as miniature tractors.

Emirates is celebrating this one-year anniversary with a contest in conjunction with Travel & Indulgence. In 25 words or less, tell us why you and your partner deserve to celebrate an anniversary or special occasion at Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa. 

The prize includes two return economy-class airfares from any major Australian airport to Sydney, three-day return car hire from Sydney and two nights in a double Heritage Suite, including breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, all non-alcoholic and selected alcoholic beverages and two nature-based activities each day. Also included are two 60-minute treatments at the resort's Timeless Spa and a gourmet lunch picnic hamper for two to be enjoyed at a choice of various locations within the reserve. The winner and partner must complete the trip by October 31 next year.

See the entry form here

Checklist
Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa is about three hours by road from Sydney. Special first anniversary package deals are now available. More: www.emirateshotelsresorts.com.