BOWRAL, NEW SOUTH WALES — While the Northern Hemisphere races toward the height of summer, Australia has entered the early days of winter in early July.
Koreans head to Sydney for a cool escape from the summer heat — but where do Sydneysiders themselves go?
Sydney, the capital of New South Wales in the country's southeast, still carries the feel of late autumn, but the Southern Highlands to its south are already wrapped in the crisp, early-winter air of morning and evening.
Bowral, the main city of the Southern Highlands, sits at 35 degrees south latitude — the same latitude as Jeonju and the Jirisan area in Korea to the north. Even at the same distance from the equator, Korea tends to run slightly colder than Australia because of its proximity to Siberia. That means even at the height of winter in late July and early August, Bowral stays milder than Jeonju.
New South Wales enjoys a comfortably warm summer from December through January and a comfortably cool winter in July and August.
If a filmmaker were to reshoot a realist film about a snow-dusted "August Christmas," the Southern Highlands of New South Wales would be a perfect fit.
For residents of Sydney, Australia's largest city, and Canberra, the national capital, the Southern Highlands towns of Bowral, Mittagong, Berrima and Wollongong make for ideal weekend retreats — a chance to escape the city for farm and coastal experiences with family or friends, not unlike heading to Seoraksan for a hike. Even beyond the highlands, some visitors head to the southern and southwestern parts of New South Wales to ski during the July–August winter.
About an hour and a half south of Sydney by car and roughly an hour and 50 minutes east of Canberra, the Southern Highlands run cooler than Sydney, northern New South Wales and Queensland. The slower ripening concentrates the sugars in the grapes, producing notably sweet wines.
Ski resorts south and west of Sydney are equally busy in July and August — a sight that might well draw envy from people in Northeast Asia and from Northern Hemisphere visitors sweltering through European and American heat waves.
The wines and farm produce of the Southern Highlands rank among the finest in Australia and the world. The locals are warm and generous — picture the friendliness of Gangwon Province residents, but with Western faces.
The region's lush scenery and pastoral charm draw wine tourists, hikers bound for mountain national parks, local-food enthusiasts and farm-stay visitors alike. The hub towns of Bowral and Berrima are home to a good number of Victorian-era heritage buildings and businesses that have been running for more than a century.
The Southern Highlands visitor information center is located in the small town of Mittagong. It provides a wide range of travel information and sells local specialty products including honey, mushrooms and eco-friendly cosmetics.
Staff at the center say the Southern Highlands draws many trekking visitors, and that a fair number of travelers also come for heritage walks — among them the Mittagong mushroom tunnel, Retford Park gardens, Milton Park estate gardens and the English-style village of Berrima.
Popular rural experience destinations include Bendooley Estate, a beehive farm within Retford Park, the Three Blue Ducks farm at Burradoo Park and Centennial Vineyards, a working winery.
Popular natural trekking routes include Belmore, Carrington and Fitzroy Falls, Barren Grounds, the Bundanoon zone of Morton National Park, the caves and rock faces of Bungonia National Park, Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve, Gibberagunya Reserve, Glow Worm Glen, Mount Gibraltar, and the Bong Bong Track and Robertson Nature Reserve.
Heritage walks take in the Berrima village streets and Berrima River walk, Bowral downtown where old and contemporary elements blend naturally, the Mittagong village path and its historic railway tunnel mushroom farm, the Moss Vale historic village walk, Box Vale Track, the Bradman and Cherry Tree walk, and Fitzroy Ironworks.
Among the Southern Highlands towns, Bowral has the most appealing downtown. Visitors naturally fall into the rhythms of local life — residents, for their part, pick up everyday items as if on a neighborhood stroll, then linger over brunch and easy conversation with neighbors. Bowral downtown has a rare gift for blurring the line between traveler and local.
Old and new buildings sit together without friction, and the streets are dotted with well-known but affordable restaurants, boutique shops, wineries, and bakeries and cafes shared by residents and visitors alike — clustered together much like the streets of Yeongwol in Gangwon Province as depicted in the film The King's Warden.
Green Lane is a charming shopping and dining alley next to the popular Dirty Janes market. Lined with home goods stores — including one selling an indoor diffuser spray with magnesium antibacterial properties — and gift shops, the lane opens onto a leafy town square at its far end.
Bong Bong Street is lined with novelty goods and everyday essentials shops, while the High Street zone features locally recommended specialty stores endorsed by New South Wales — shopping here feels like a treasure hunt.
Dirty Janes is a favorite among vintage lovers, and Gunnut Patisserie houses both a traditional craft shop and a corner selling pastries, desserts and pies. At Lucette Brunch Cafe, residents and visitors wear the same smile, making it nearly impossible to tell one from the other. Australia is home to a large community of East Asian residents.
As the chill begins to ease and the first hints of spring emerge in late August, travelers converge on Sydney again for the Sydney Marathon on Aug. 29–30, one of the seven World Marathon Majors.
The New South Wales travel series published since May 17 includes: on May 17, a preview of Vivid Sydney, Australia's largest festival, set to open May 22 with Samsung and Kia as sponsors; on May 23, a wine, horse riding and hot-air balloon food-and-nature journey through the Hunter Valley; on June 13, a wrap-up of Vivid Sydney closing on a high note; on June 14, a look at the winter ocean at Jervis Bay and its whale-watching season, a food feature on what lit up Vivid Sydney and what lies "Beyond Sydney," and a review of how Australia, Samsung and Kia illuminated the light-art festival; on June 16, New South Wales declaring Vivid Sydney the world's largest comprehensive arts festival; on June 22, a search for the best small towns beyond Sydney — including Wollongong and the lesser-known Goulburn — and a report on Vivid Sydney's spectacular closing ceremony; on June 23, coverage of active Korea-Australia cultural and youth exchanges and a youth forum planned for Seoul in July, a visit to the New South Wales Art Gallery featuring Captain Cook and a Korean artist, a portrait of Manly as a destination with both masculine and feminine appeal, a romantic guide to Sydney harbor — one of the world's three great natural harbors — and a recap of 23 nights of Vivid Sydney; on June 26, a dive into the cool, clean charm of Mittagong and Wollongong on the southern plateau; on June 28, the story of Herald Square as a symbol of Sydney's press and civic life alongside the romance of George Street, Sydney's answer to Ikseon-dong; and on July 5, the secret behind Sydney's coffee supremacy and the Korean barista smiles at Toby's Estate. Also in today's edition: the Sydney Marathon, one of the seven World Marathon Majors, and this Southern Highlands Bowral travel piece. (Reporting assistance: Destination NSW)
abc@heraldcorp.com
