Huon Valley winery is now offering cosy cottage accommodation
A weekend away at Home Hill Cottage, with its peaceful gardens complete with a 100-year-old oak tree to enjoy a glass of wine under, toasty wood fire and deep bath, is the perfect place to relax
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When staff at Ranelagh’s Home Hill Winery overwhelmingly voted to have their Christmas party at the business’s gorgeous 1920s cottage, owner Rosemary Bennett knew she’d achieved her brief for the beautifully renovated accommodation offering.
Rosemary’s main aim for Home Hill Cottage, located on the outskirts of the small Huon Valley village, was to create a peaceful place where people could escape the hustle and bustle of their daily lives, relax and totally unwind in a tranquil, rural setting.
So when her staff voted hands down to have their end-of-year function at the cottage as they said it was one of the best places to “really chill out”, Rosemary couldn’t have been happier.
“This is exactly what I set out to do with the cottage, so I couldn’t have been more pleased to know my staff felt this way … as that’s precisely the desired effect I’d hoped to create,” she says.
“In fact, at the end of a hectic day at the winery, I often find myself winding my way over to the cottage so that I can sit out under the 100-year-old oak tree with a glass of wine ... just be still and enjoy the view and peace and quiet. It’s the perfect place to destress.”
The location of the cottage 30-minutes’ drive south of Hobart in the pretty Huon Valley and a short five-minute walk from Home Hill, makes it the ideal spot to base yourself if you are attending a function at the winery or as a launching pad to explore the Southern Edge region further.
During our stay at the cottage, which has been stunningly renovated in a French provincial country style with a mixture of modern and old furnishings which merge seamlessly, we couldn’t have been more comfortable.
As soon as we step over the threshold, like Rosemary and her staff, we too instantly feel relaxed and welcomed.
We arrive to find the lights on, the wood heater thoughtfully lit, and a bunch of freshly picked roses in the main living area to greet us. Candles are also burning on our arrival, sending gorgeous scents of the Botanica range’s Herb Garden fragrance wafting through the rooms.
As with all guests who stay at the cottage, Rosemary has provided fresh apples and preservative-free apple juice, sourced from nearby Lucaston Park Orchards, Ashgrove milk and a platter featuring soft, hard and blue cheese from Richmond’s Wicked Cheese Company and Pyengana Dairy Company, as well as a plate of locally made delicate, light meringues.
The cottage itself is designed to cater for up to six guests with three bedrooms which include a queen-sized bed, double and two singles.
The sunny, open-plan living room is adorned with stylish neutral-coloured furnishings and soft lighting emanating from ceramic pendants and chandeliers complement the warm-coloured tones of natural timbers, polished floorboards and thick plush rugs. Antique and vintage pieces dotted throughout the home including original wooden apple crates, an old travelling case, a duck with boots, and the aforementioned toasty woodfire add to the cottage’s country charm.
Each bedroom is stylishly decorated with iron beds, luxurious, heavy, linens, soft St Albans mohair throws and little touches such as fig and vanilla diffusers which all add to the cosy, luxurious understated elegance of the cottage. The beds’ super comfy mattresses ensured a relaxing night’s sleep.
There are also two bathrooms, the first next to the main bedroom features an open generous rainfall shower, beautiful tiling, soft lighting and brass fittings and one of my must-have items for the perfect stay _ good quality, generous-sized, plush towels. Bathroom number two includes a free-standing bath, complete with a wooden bath caddy which contains another of the cottage’s signature Botanica range of candles, fresh flowers and a generous helping of bath salts to help you make the most of a soak in the tub while you gaze out over the bucolic views of the garden and rural pastures.
Once outside, guests can make the most of the alfresco dining area or light the firepit and relax under the old oak. It is the perfect spot for a Home Hill wine or two, or toasting some marshmallows, while taking in the outlook of surrounding farmland and Sleeping Beauty mountain range.
You’re also welcome to meander about the place and enjoy the garden with its David Austin roses, lavenders, magnolias, weeping birches and crab apples, as well as the mini-orchard which includes fig, apricot and three to four different varieties of apple trees.
If you can manage to drag yourself away from all that relaxing and pampering the cottage affords you, the nearby Home Hill Winery and townships of Cygnet and Huonville are well worth a visit.
On our trip we popped over the road to the winery and enjoyed sitting out on the veranda of the venue’s beautiful rammed-earth building. Sitting out on a balmy afternoon and looking out to the idyllic view of vines and mountains, we could immediately appreciate why it’s so sought after as a wedding and leavers’ dinner venue. While there, we enjoyed a glass of their fine award-winning bubbles and made a mental note to come back on our next visit down that way and enjoy one of their long lunches. The lunches feature a range of delicious local produce from Bruny Island oysters and Huon trout and salmon, to Tongola goat products, to name a few.
During this trip we also headed down to Cygnet which is arguably one of the cutest towns in Tasmania. With its eclectic range of charming gift and boutique stores, art and craft studios, as well as its great cafes and eateries – such as the Red Velvet Lounge and Port Hole Café, which all serve good coffee and a fine selection of food and the hip Port Cygnet Cannery, which does excellent pizza – Cygnet is a must-visit destination while you’re in the region.
Closer to the cottage, the Summer Kitchen Bakery, at Ranelagh, also does delicious pastries and great coffee and Willie Smith’s Cider House and Kate Hill Wines are also terrific spots to drop in for something a little stronger in the drinks department.
Home Hill Cottage is the perfect spot for a romantic weekend away, and the adults-only accommodation would also be ideal for a wedding party wanting to use it as a base for a function at the nearby winery, or simply for a group of friends wanting a relaxing weekend away of indulging and imbibing in a beautiful secluded restful setting.
The author was a guest of Home Hill Cottage.
MAKE A NOTE
HOME HILL COTTAGE
GETTING THERE: The cottage is a 30-minute drive south of Hobart and just a few minutes from Home Hill Winery, at 38 Nairn Rd, Ranelagh.
PRICING: The three-bedroom cottage, which can accommodate up to six guests, is $300 per couple, per night. There is a minimum two-night stay. Extra guests are $100 per person.
Guests are also welcome to take the short five-minute walk to the winery for a complimentary wine tasting, as a guest of the cottage.
To book or for further information please email rosemary@homehillwines.com.au
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