Explore
Bimlow’s pristine natural surroundings offer an abundance of wild fruits, flowers and herbs… if you know where to look! Autumn brings huge harvests of mushrooms in the nearby pine forests. Plums, blackberries, fennel, hawthorn and rose hips are included in the smorgasbord available at different times of the year.
Georgie, a keen forager, is happy to take you out to pick and peruse the seasonal goodness. She can advise on the best spots to visit and highlight the things to avoid. With your basket full, you can cook up a feast in Bimlow’s fully equipped kitchen. Maybe you will be inspired to make a tasty mushroom tart or a bottle of rose hip syrup.
Go deep underground to experience Jenolan Caves and its labyrinth of stalactite-lined chasms carved by subterranean rivers, located only a twenty-minute drive from Bimlow.
Book a guided tour to experience this mystical underworld, or freely wander along the Jenolan River scenic walking track that winds through picture-perfect settings. We suggest packing a picnic and making an afternoon of it - it’s an easy walk that gifts you with beautiful views of Blue Lake and the chance to spot native fauna such as wallabies, lyrebirds and water dragons. You may even meet the resident platypus. www.jenolancaves.org.au
Bimlow’s pristine natural surroundings offer an abundance of wild fruits, flowers and herbs… if you know where to look! Autumn brings huge harvests of mushrooms in the nearby pine forests. Plums, blackberries, fennel, hawthorn and rose hips are included in the smorgasbord available at different times of the year.
Georgie, a keen forager, is happy to take you out to pick and peruse the seasonal goodness. She can advise on the best spots to visit and highlight the things to avoid. With your basket full, you can cook up a feast in Bimlow’s fully equipped kitchen. Maybe you will be inspired to make a tasty mushroom tart or a bottle of rose hip syrup.
Twenty minutes from Bimlow, you’ll find a sprawling European-inspired garden idyll, lush with flora, stately trees and a multitude of ponds and lakes crisscrossed with quaint bridges and meandering pathways. Mayfield Garden is the world's largest cool climate garden, and across its 65 hectares, you can discover grottos behind waterfalls and get lost in grand topiary mazes. Refresh at the Mayfield Cafe and stock up on botanicals and gardening essentials at the nursery.
Mayfield Garden offers beautiful sensory experiences all year round, from the blossomed fragrances and displays of spring and summer to autumn's rich russet colours and the awe-inspiring drama of a winter landscape covered in snow. www.mayfieldgarden.com.au
The closest big little town to Bimlow Cottage is Oberon, an easy ten-minute drive from the cottage. The history of the alpine village is beautifully laid out at the Oberon Museum. You can also take in public art displays and marvel at the prized historic architecture that dots the tree-lined streets. Oberon offers a supermarket, cafes, a chemist, and bottle shops. The Oberon Community and Farmers Market is held at Oberon Showgrounds on the first Saturday of each month.
If the car-sized trout jumping out of the front lawn of the Big Trout Motor Inn in Oberon didn’t give it away, this area is famous for its trout fishing! For keen anglers staying at Bimlow, Oberon Lake is a fishing hot spot that offers an abundance of brown and rainbow trout.
The calm Alpine waters of the lake are perfect for kayaking in warmer weather. You can spread a blanket at the picnic spot by Oberon Dam or walk along the foreshore. Lake Oberon is open to anglers all year round, but nearby streams are subject to Freshwater Fishing Regulations. Double-check the rules before throwing in a line.
The historic township of Sofala is an hour and a bit north of Bimlow and worth the drive. Australia’s oldest surviving gold mining town offers a charming step back in time - you may recognise the village’s streetscapes from the 1947 painting Sofala by the renowned Australian artist Russell Drysdale. You can take a historic walk through the streets and along the beautiful Turon River, where you can try your luck panning for gold.
For a classic high-country pub experience, you can’t go past the Royal Hotel. The Royal opened in 1851 and was one of many pubs that kept the thirsty gold miners quenched. These days, it’s the only pub standing on the main strip of the quaint village. There’s nothing fancy about this watering hole, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Expect frosty schooners, golden meat pies and an expansive gallery of nostalgic photos and old-world mementoes lining the walls.
An ancient landscape of mighty granite boulders and rugged ridges, the Evans Crown Nature Reserve offers 425 hectares of awe-inspiring geomorphology. It has been said that the area holds a special significance for the Wiradjuri people past and present, as a compass point for travel, a part of sacred songlines, and a ceremonial place for initiations and corroboree.
It’s a 2.5 km return hike to the summit at Crown Rock, where the air is spectacularly clear, and the regional views are eye-wateringly beautiful. The hike starts near the village of Tarana, a forty-minute drive from Bimlow through the picturesque Tarana Valley.
For summertime river swims in local waterholes, we highly recommend a dip at Flat Rock, located near O’Connell on the Fish River. Sun yourself on a granite rock post-swim like a happy water dragon, or enjoy the grassy picnic area with basic BBQ and toilet facilities. Fish River rushes quickly after heavy rainfall but is otherwise tranquil and calm.