Your next luxury escape to the Kangaroo Valley
This family getaway just two hours’ drive from Sydney is a calming place of renewal.
Sitting on the deck at Rea Rea Lodge in Kangaroo Valley watching the sunset over the sandstone cliffs of the surrounding mountains, you forget all the ills of the city. It is hard to believe that this stunning property – on 36ha – is just a two-hour drive southwest from the craziness of Sydney. What is not hard to believe is that it took just a few days staying in the region for owner Hannah Mills to fall in love and seek out her own piece of this landscape.
“I was instantly mesmerised by the escarpment and after spending a weekend amid the rolling green hills, and sharing special moments by an open fire, I knew I needed to put my roots down in this magical place,” she says.
Mills, co-founder and managing partner of employment law firm The Workplace, searched for almost a year for her perfect place. She eventually fell for Rea Rea Lodge’s panoramic outlook, complete with two waterfalls flowing in the distance.
“I believe the land of the Gammeya Dharawal people, the traditional custodians of the land on which Rea Rea Lodge sits, is truly spiritual,” says Mills of the place that has become a sanctuary for her and her two daughters. “When we invited the local First Nations community to bless the land through a smoking ceremony and corroboree prior to the official launch, they confirmed the significance of the land with us, explaining that Kangaroo Valley has been a place of healing and renewal for them for thousands of years. For me personally, it has been a place where I have felt safe to rediscover who I am in peace as I adjusted to life as a single mum.”
When the busy lawyer purchased the house, it had recently been built. Not wanting to disturb the environment further, she decided to work with its “good bones” and focus on redesigning the interior and outdoor spaces. The lodge, which accommodates up to 10 guests across five bedrooms, is split between two interconnected pavilions, and talks to Mills’ love of entertaining while also affording guests their own space.
“The best thing about the property for families is the togetherness that you experience when there are no distractions and just the calm of the countryside,” says Mills. “However, functionally, the two pavilions are each fully self-contained, which means that two families, or a multi-generational family, can stay together but also have their own space to Zen out.”
She hired interior designer Benjamin Webb and Ally Pullinger from lifestyle store Wyldestone in Bowral to fulfil her brief: “luxe but liveable”.
“The stone fireplaces are a highlight in both residences,” says Webb. “It’s the anchor to the space and creates such a warm feeling that says, ‘I’m home’.”
In warm weather, adults can relax on the deck and plan al fresco meals in the kitchen while watching the kids swim in the 12m pool (which is not heated). The trampoline and treehouse is another way to occupy children. In the evening, sunset can be admired from the hydrotherapy Jacuzzi, before the outdoor kitchen, complete with a six-burner barbecue and pizza oven, comes into play (be sure to request pre-made pizzas by local caterer Caterina KV). Later, marshmallows can be roasted over an outdoor fire pit, while clear nights call for constellation spotting.
“For me, it was important to be able to enjoy the property all year round, and that time spent there felt like a treat for both the adults and the kids,” she says, adding: “Entertaining is part of who I am, and I wanted a space where the kitchen was the central gathering place so that the cooks didn’t miss out on the views, conversation or the action happening outside in the pool/outdoor lounge area.”
Bad weather simply provides a whole new backdrop, with the view constantly changing as the mountains peek out from mist and rain.
For those who are feeling more adventurous, the property also has walking tracks, some leading to natural swimming holes as well as lots of opportunities to spot the local wildlife. Wombats have been known to plod down the trails as well as echidnas, wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos at dusk.
Thoughtful plantings also bring the outside in. The house is surrounded by landscaped native gardens. “Fortunately for me, my aunt is also a horticulturalist,” says Mills, “so she also played an instrumental part in the garden redesign.”
She enlisted Sydney’s Nelson Thomas to assist, as the landscape design firm does a lot of work nearby in Berry. “I wanted something with a native palette, that would be drought-resistant and full of texture. Where possible, we used local species and incorporated pops of colour, so that there is generally something to pick and pop in a vase on the table when entertaining.”
There are also plans for additional landscaping and new outdoor zones, including a sauna and yoga deck overlooking the waterfalls. All reasons to go back again in the future as Rea Rea Lodge is a hard place to bid farewell, especially when returning to the fast and unforgiving pace of the city.
What to do in Kangaroo Valley
Eat
Kangaroo Valley township, which dates back to 1870 and has colonial shopfronts and a heritage-listed pub, is a short drive away. The General Cafe sells a delicious sourdough.
Drink
Yarrawa Estate is a lakeside vineyard 20 minutes’ drive away, where you can sip award-winning drops paired with cheese plates. Further afield is Two Figs Winery in Berry.
Paddle
Hire kayaks from one of the adventure tour companies just after historic Hampden Bridge and do a self-guided journey down the Kangaroo River.
Walk
The property is less than 10 minutes’ drive from Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park. There are a number of hikes ranging in difficulty and duration.
Essentials
Rea Rea Lodge in Kangaroo Valley is just over two hours from Sydney. The self-contained house sleeps up to 10 guests. From $1750 a night with a two-night minimum outside school holidays and long weekends.
Katrina Israel was a guest of Rea Rea Lodge.
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