Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

184
CHAPTER 4 . NEW SOUTH WALES
IN THE UPPER HUNTER
Barrington Guest House Value Barrington Guest House is nestled in a
valley just outside the Barrington Tops National Park. It retains an old-world
charm and serves bacon and eggs for breakfast, scones and cream, and vegetables
boiled soft enough for your dentures. The place has lace tablecloths in the dining
room, a log fire beneath a higgledy-piggledy brick chimney, mahogany walls,
high ceilings, and personalized service—despite the communal mealtimes and
the lack of a menu. Rooms range from the original guesthouse chambers adjoining
the dining room, to new and almost luxurious two-story self-contained
cottages (sleeping up to five) that cling to a hillside. I highly recommend the
latter—the former are basic, with no TV, and can be noisy if a party’s in full
swing in the dining room. This place is very popular with older travelers during
the week but attracts a range of ages on the weekends. The guesthouse
grounds attract plenty of animals and act as a wildlife reserve for several rescued
kangaroos. Activities include horseback riding, guided walks through the rainforest,
“billy tea” tours, and night spotting for quolls (native cats) and possums,
bush dancing, tennis, film evenings, and skeet shooting. It can be a very social
scene, too.
Salisbury (via Dungog), NSW 2420. & 02/4995 3212. Fax 02/4995 3248. www.barringtonguesthouse.
com.au. 20 rainforest cottages, 21 guesthouse units (13 with bathroom). All rates per person: Midweek A$69
(US$45) in a guesthouse room without bathroom, including meals and activities; A$120 (US$78) in a guesthouse
room with bathroom, including meals and activities; A$145 (US$94) self-catering cottage, including
activities. Weekend 2 nights room without bathroom A$138 (US$90) inclusive; A$210 (US$137) room with
bathroom; A$290 (US$189) cottage. Ask about packages. AE, DC, MC, V. The guesthouse is about 3 1 ⁄2 hr. from
Sydney and 1 1 ⁄2 hr. from the main Hunter wine region. Free pickup from Dungog railway station. Amenities:
Restaurant, bar; 2 lit tennis courts; tour desk; massage; laundry service; nonsmoking rooms. In room:
(Cottages only) TV, kitchen, fridge, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron.
Something Special: A Cattle Station
in the Upper Hunter
Located just off the Golden Highway, 1 hour north of Mudgee, 2 1 ⁄2
hours west of Cessnock, and 4 hours northwest of Sydney, Runnymede,
Golden Highway, Runnymede, Cassilis, NSW 2329 (& 02/6376 1183; fax
02/6376 1187), is an 800-hectare (2,000-acre) sheep-and-cattle station
where you can get a taste of Aussie ranch life. The ranch offers farmstyle
lodgings in a 1930s Californian bungalow. Two rooms have an en
suite shower, while the third shares the hosts’ bathroom down the
hall. The homestead has an open fire in the living room (and a rarely
used TV). There are plenty of native birds in the gardens, and kangaroos
are common. May is the best time to see sheep shearing, and
August is the best time to witness lambing and calving. Guests rave
about hosts Libby and David Morrow. David offers 1-hour tours of the
property for around A$30 (US$20) per “Toyota-load,” and other tours
throughout the district.
Doubles go for A$80 to A$90 (US$52–US$59). Rates include breakfast,
but dinner is A$20 (US$13) per person extra (BYO wine or beer).
No credit cards.