The Best Things To Eat, Drink And Do In The Southern Highlands This Winter
Eloise Luke
Contributor | Urban List
About 90 minutes south-west of the city and almost 700m above sea level (with buckets of that sought-after fresh country air), the Southern Highlands, and the region’s charming township of Bowral, offer up a perfect city day trip or weekend escape.
There's a good chance you've briefly visited before, maybe for a wedding, a Canberra pit stop, the yearly Tulip Time Festival in Corbett Gardens, or even just to see Robertson's kinda wacky Big Spud. Regardless, anyone who has spent time in the area knows it's a place for relaxing, exploring, eating, and drinking—and when it comes to the weekend, what more could you ask for?
While some spots in the town centre are well known to travelling Sydney folk, others a little further out and more off the beaten track are also well worth your time. So, next time you need to get out of the city for a couple of days, roll on down to the Southern Highlands—and follow this guide for a great time.
Here’s how to do the Southern Highlands right.
Jump to:
- Best Cafes And Restaurants In The Southern Highlands
- Best Bars And Pubs In The Southern Highlands
- Best Things To Do In The Southern Highlands
Best Cafes And Restaurants In The Southern Highlands
Three Blue Ducks
Burradoo Park Farm, Moss Vale Road, Burradoo
Image credit: Burradoo Park Farm | Instagram
If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting their venue at The Farm Byron Bay, you'll have had a sneak peek of what to expect from Three Blue Ducks at Burradoo Park Farm. The main restaurant, housed within an old farmhouse on the property, offers a more intimate dining experience than some of the group’s larger venues. The menu moves with the farm’s growing cycles and surrounding producers—produce-led dishes shaped by what’s in season, with a wine list that leans toward small Australian makers and low-intervention styles.
Alongside it sits The Bakehouse by Three Blue Ducks, a more casual arm of the project. This is where locals can grab sourdough loaves, pastries, takeaway bites and coffee—perfect for stocking up before exploring the surrounding region. Rounding out the trio is The Farmhouse by Three Blue Ducks, part-eatery, part-larder, and part farm-gate store. Expect shelves stocked with regional produce, pantry goods, and Ducks-made preserves and sauces, plus a simple breakfast-and-lunch menu built around what’s being grown on site.
Insider Intel
- Each sits within the broader farm environment, where regenerative farming and paddock-to-plate sourcing form the backbone of the operation.
Harry's On Green Lane
15-17 Banyette Street, Bowral
Image credit: Harry's On Green Lane | Instagram
If you're looking for a warm and cosy place to enjoy an incredible meal, then head to Harry's on Green Lane at the southern end of Bowral's main strip. Floor to ceiling brimming bookshelves, old furniture, framed painting covered walls, and a healthy dose of plants and flowers make for the perfect lunch or dinner spot.
Sit down for your choice of a two or three-course set lunch menu, or a three-course dinner menu—all of which change regularly to match seasons and local ingredients.
Insider Intel
- After lunch, pop around the corner to Green Lane's The Potting Shed and The Orangery for all things plants and garden related, or just to walk around for a super sensory overload.
Gumnut Patisserie
Various Locations
Image credit: Gumnut Patisserie
This award-winning local patisserie has a bit of a reputation for being a must-stop in the area, and let us tell you, it's well deserved. Driving down Bong Bong Street on a cold Bowral morning, there's a strong chance you'll see a long line of people who look like they really want a warm sausage roll and a coffee.
Whether it’s meat pies, fresh pastries, mini tartlets, or a particularly stand-out banoffee pie—let’s just say you’d be a fool to skip it. Make sure you get in early in the day, so you don't miss out on the full range.
Insider Intel
- You can find Gumnut Patisserie shops in Bowral, Mittagong, and Berrima.
The Press Shop
5/391-397 Bong Bong Street, Bowral
Image credit: The Press Shop | Instagram
The support for and showcasing of local growers and producers is one of our favourite things about restaurants and cafes in the Southern Highlands. And perhaps none do it best than Bowral's The Press Shop.
With a menu of aesthetically-tuned dishes and an interior dressed in shades of serene sapphire blue, pristine white, and natural timber, this cafe is one of our favourite spots for a highly 'Grammable pitstop and coffee.
Insider Intel
- The Press Shop finds its local produce from all over the Southern Highlands—Exeter free-range eggs, Colo Vale olive oil, Thirlmere organic vegetables, Robertson truffles, and Burrawang meats, to name a few.
Best Bars And Pubs In The Southern Highlands
Briars Inn
653 Moss Vale Road, Burradoo
Image credit: Briars Inn | Instagram
Set across sprawling gardens between Bowral and Moss Vale, this historic inn has been welcoming travellers for more than 180 years—though these days, it’s more of a polished country hospitality precinct than a dusty roadside stop.
Inside, the restored pub is full of crackling fireplaces, heritage details and cosy dining rooms that are perfect for red wine and slow winter lunches. Outside, the grounds open up into rolling lawns, a sprawling beer garden and a lakeside setting that feels quintessentially Highlands.
Settling in for a premium steak in the bistro, split a wood-fired pizza with friends in the sun, or pull up a stool inside historic Throsby’s Bar for a local ale.
Insider Intel
- If one lunch turns into a weekend away, you’re in luck—Briars also has an on-site country lodge overlooking a private lake, making it an ideal base for exploring the Southern Highlands wineries, antique stores and nearby villages.
Burrawang Village Hotel
14 Hoddle Street, Burrawang
Note: The Burrawang Village Hotel is currently closed for renovations, slated to open Winter 2026
If you've got a car, this lunch spot is well worth the little drive. Imagine the Burrawang Village Hotel as a country town mansion, with a picturesque green garden, turned into a pub. Inside, you'll find a gorgeous 360-degree old wooden bar, an old brick fireplace, and some friendly local faces serving up cold schooners.
Then step outside to a large courtyard and a beautiful long garden overlooking Burrawang paddocks where you can soak up some sun with your feet in the grass. We guarantee you'll never smell fresher country air whilst sitting back with a freshly poured beer.
Insider Intel
- The bistro menu is top-notch as well, with all the country pub classics you'd expect made from local ingredients.
Eden Brewery
1/19 Cavendish Street, Mittagong
Image credit: Eden Brewery | Instagram
If you feel like you've tried every Sydney craft brewery, you don't have to travel far for a brand new, and legitimately delicious, country town alternative. Nestled at the very edge of Mittagong, just before you reach Bowral, is Eden Brewery.
Choose from the brewery's extensive range of craft brews including a few rotating special releases, then pull up at one of the long tables, sitting right next to the giant fermenter tanks.
Insider Intel
- As for what to drink, the local favourite (which we 100% agree with) has to be the core-range Ponderosa IPA.
Bendooley Estate & Berkelouw Book Barn
Bendooley 3020, 3020 Old Hume Highway, Berrima
Image credit: Bendooley Estate | Instagram
You've probably visited a Berkelouw Books in Sydney, but did you know the cafe-meets-book store originates from the Southern Highlands and its HQ is located inside a winery in Berrima? Yep, at Bendooley Estate, we're talking rare books coupled with wine tours—dreams do come true.
You can dine inside the restaurant or have a casual drink with a book outside in the courtyard overlooking the country sunset, before taking a stroll through the vineyards.
Insider Intel
- If you don't see yourself ever wanting to leave, you can even stay overnight in one of their luxurious cottages. Or, like most places in the area, have your wedding there.
Artemis Wines
46 Sir Charles Moses Lane, Mittagong
Image credit: Artemis Wines | Instagram
Located in Mittagong, Artemis Wines is the perfect small cellar door experience for everyone on the wine appreciation spectrum. Known as the Pinot Noir pioneers of the area, owners and brothers Anton and Mark Balog have been making wine in the area since 1996. T
hey offer a wide range of wines to suit any drinker, at any price. And don't worry if vino isn't your cup of tea, because they also offer their very own cider, and as of 2020, their own in-house distilled spirits.
Insider Intel
- The winery is hidden away off the main roads, with a beautiful and natural background to pair with a slice of woodfired pizza or spit-roasted local meats.
Best Things To Do In The Southern Highlands
Horizontal Festival
252 Centennial Road, Bowral
Image credit: Horizontal Festival | Instagram
Coming up to the middle of the year, we're all itching with the travel bug—and the Horizontal Festival may just make for the perfect Spring getaway over the October long weekend. A short 90-minute drive from Sydney, the festival will take place in Bowral's Centennial Vineyards from Friday 2–Sunday 4 October—spotlighting the region's cool climate wines, small batch spirits, cheese and seasonal dishes from local producers.
Insider Intel
- There'll be shared table dining experiences, art installations, live music, pop-up farm cafes and family friendly zones—we'd recommend booking in your holiday now and taking advantage of the early bird prices.
Southern Highlands Flower Farm
51 Newbury Drive, Penrose
Image credit: Southern Highlands Flower Farm | Instagram
Hidden away in the rolling countryside just south of Bundanoon, Southern Highlands Flower Farm feels like stepping into a real-life cottage garden fantasy. Founded by flower farmer Jen after swapping city life for the Southern Highlands in 2019, the boutique farm has grown into a sprawling patchwork of seasonal blooms, winding garden beds and thousands upon thousands of flowers.
Across 1.5 acres, you’ll find rows of dahlias in every imaginable colour, delicate Italian ranunculus and anemones, towering poppies and peonies that burst into bloom each season. The farm is designed less like a commercial growing operation and more like an abundant country garden, with rose-lined pathways and smaller tucked-away flower beds woven throughout the property.
While the private farm itself isn’t open for casual drop-ins, Jen hosts exclusive seasonal experiences throughout the year, offering a chance to wander through the blooms, connect with the landscape and soak up the slower rhythm of Highlands life.
Insider Intel
- The farm’s dahlia collection is seriously impressive, with more than 4,000 plants spanning over 600 varieties—making peak flowering season one of the most spectacular times to visit.
Retford Park
1325 Old South Road, Bowral
Image credit: National Trust | Instagram
A Southern Highlands day trip isn’t complete without a wander through Retford Park—a sprawling heritage estate in Bowral where manicured gardens, grand architecture and rolling countryside all collide in seriously cinematic fashion. Once the private home of media proprietor and arts patron James Fairfax AC, the historic estate is now open to the public, offering visitors the chance to explore one of the region’s most beautiful properties.
The centrepiece is the striking Victorian Italianate mansion, painted its signature “Portuguese Pink” and surrounded by pristine seasonal gardens dotted with sculptures, oak trees and hidden walking paths. Depending on when you visit, you’ll find everything from blooming peonies and rhododendrons in spring to rich autumn colour and fragrant winter gardens.
You can roam the grounds at your own pace, settle in for a picnic beneath the trees, or book a guided house tour to step inside the lavish residence and explore Fairfax’s collection of fine art, antiques and textiles. There’s also an on-site café for long lunches, plus the Southern Highlands Regional Gallery right next door if you’re making a full afternoon of it.
Insider Intel
- Retford Park is dog-friendly, so your four-legged travel companion can tag along for a stroll through the gardens—as long as they’re on leash.
Dirty Janes Antique Market
13 Banyette Street, Bowral
Image credit: Dirty Janes Antique Market | Instagram
Right next to the already mentioned Harry's on Green Lane and The Press Shop cafe is one of the area's more famous must-dos for exploring Sydneysiders—Dirty Janes. Don't be fooled, this is no ordinary antique market.
The 1600 square metre warehouse space is an absolute maze of beautiful vintage items, from clothes, homewares, art, furniture, rare and unique decorative pieces, books, plants, local cosmetics, and more. Every item on display for purchase comes from local vendors and producers. There's a good chance you'll get lost wandering about for 20–30 minutes before you realise you lost the rest of your group.
Insider Intel
- If all that walking around makes you peckish and parched, head into the Dirty Janes Tea Salon for a cuppa and a scone.
Fitzroy Falls
Morton National Park
Image credit: Visit Southern Highlands | Instagram
Just a 20-minute drive from the Bowral town centre inside Morton National Park, Fitzroy Falls are a sight to behold. Make your way to the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre, which offers an insight into the First Nations history of the area, before taking the short walk to a lookout and gazing on the magnificent 81-metre high natural plunge of water. There are plenty of hiking trails to take you to more lookouts and to explore the surrounding forest bush.
Insider Intel
- The West Rim walking track is a 3.5km return hike and the East Rim and Wildflower walking tracks are a 6.7km return.
Main image credit: Southern Highlands Flower Farm | Instagram
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