Experience Nature, Southern Highlands, New South Wales © Tourism Australia
The Southern Highlands food and farm experiences
Let your appetite lead the way through this cool-climate food bowl, just 90 minutes from Sydney.
Step onto the farm
Step onto the farm
Among the Southern Highlands' rolling hills are farms growing fresh produce galore – and you can get in on the action. Get suited and booted, beekeeper style, to discover the art of beekeeping at Bowral Honey Farm’s apiary. From November to April, visit Darkes, where orchards are bursting with juicy apples, nectarines and peaches ripe for the picking. Ready to get your hands dirty? At Burradoo Park Farm, get a hands-on lesson on regenerative farming.
Stay at a restored manor home
Stay at a restored manor home
The charming country town of Bowral beckons travellers with its cool-climate vineyards known for pinot noir and award-winning restaurants championing local ingredients. Base yourself at Berida Hotel, a grand 1925 home turned boutique stay, just a short stroll from town. Today, its ivy-laced walls and old pine trees wrap around 46 beautifully restored rooms, while the French-inspired Bistro Sociale plates up seasonal produce with European flair.
Forage through the Highlands
Forage through the Highlands
Amanda Fry, owner of Experience Nature, reveals the Southern Highlands like no one else. On her immersive outdoor adventures, you might taste bush foods, meet cool-climate winemakers, forage for mushrooms in autumn, hunt for truffles or enjoy paddock-to-plate dishes with local producers. In this region, so much starts in the soil; here’s your chance to see where it leads.
Join the local feasts
Join the local feasts
You’ll find the Highlands’ fresh produce across Sydney’s top restaurants, but nothing beats going straight to the makers. Fill your bag with juicy berries, aromatic olive oils, vibrant organic vegetables and more at the Exeter Village Market, held every first Saturday of the month. At Osborn House, let the chefs take over. They'll cook over the open fire, infusing Latin American flavours with the best of the Southern Highlands’ produce.
