Simon and I decided to head down to the Southern Highlands the other day for a quick night away.
We escaped the scorching Sydney temperatures for a day and enjoyed the cooler breezes in Bowral.
After dropping the boys off at the grandparents we enjoyed the leisurely drive and made sure we got out and checked out any shops or stops that caught our eye.
Our first stop was the Robertson Cheese Factory for a browse through their antiques and we bought some old fashioned lollies (cobbers, chalks, bullets etc) We didn't get any cheese ;)
We also found some great old records to play on the record player that Simon got for his birthday last year. Lots of fun going through all of the old records looking for some nostalgic tunes.
We then headed into Bowral for a bit of lunch and a browse around the shops before they closed.
The Press Shop is the newest face in town and it was bustling. The menu is quite limited but there is a display cabinet full of delicious muffins, pastries + quiches to go with your coffee.
We managed to grab a table outside and enjoyed a jaffle for lunch. Very simple but yum.
We couldn't resist having a scone after lunch after seeing another table order them.
It felt like a very Bowral thing to do - scones, jam + cream.
After lunch we wandered down to the other end of the cafe where Bespoke Press is set up.
It's a lovely stationery store with the most beautiful wrapping paper and ribbon, gorgeous pens and notebooks and they also have a printing press set up where you can watch them make invitations etc.
We continued down the street to Dirty Jane's antique store and wandered around it, popping into The Orangery, The Potting Shed and Suzie Anderson Home. I loved this little space and all of the shops together. It is really beautiful and so many treasures in the one spot.
We came home with a couple of new plants and a large jelly mold. Random I know!
It was really starting to get cool and mist over so we headed back to relax fro the rest of the afternoon at our hotel The Gibraltar. The remainder of the afternoon was spent reading the papers and enjoying the breeze and the moody view from the balcony with a couple of gin + tonics. Perfect.
We had dinner at the hotel and enjoyed a sleep in before heading home the next morning.
It was only a quick break but left us feeling rested and refreshed.
Simon and I are really making the time to get away for a day away here and there this year as last year we felt we got too caught up in the day to day routine and not enough spontaneous moments and time for just us. It's only early days of 2017 but we are off to a good start :)
Have you been to Bowral lately?
Have you made any resolutions to get away a bit more this year?
All photos are my own except the exterior + interior shot of The Press Shop.
They were taken from @the_press_shop Instagram.
Photo of cards via @bespokepress Instagram.
