ONE FINE DAY WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE…

Mittagong in NSW’s Southern Highlands to be a professional food forager

BARBARA AND WARWICK WAINBERG are Southern Highlands farmers who adore this corner of New South Wales. In 2009, they fell in love with a grand, abandoned bank in the town of Mittagong. The historic two-storey building, constructed in 1892, was due for demolition until they saved the Victorian-Romanesque-styled property, embarking on a painstaking, seven-year restoration project. Now you can stay in their labour of love, the charming Old Bank Boutique Hotel, opened last September. Here they show you how to make the most of your time in town.

THE NITTY GRITTY:

WHERE EXACTLY: 90 minutes south-west of Sydney POPULATION: Around 8000 WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: A quaint, 19th-century town set among the bucolic countryside of the Southern Highlands, surrounded by vineyards. WHY GO? Mittagong is the gateway to the Southern Highlands, with access to vineyards and towns such as Bowral, all just a short drive away.