Adagio1's VirtualTourist Home Page

Bundanoon is on a plateau shaped somewhat like an upturned soup bowl and is some 650 metres above sea level. About 2,000 people live in the village and its surrounds. Bundanoon is roughly half way between Sydney and Canberra. My home is just a short walk to the escarpment which plays such a large part in our local weather. It is not unusual to have mists roll in during the afternoons in winter and summer. The mist, it really is low cloud, gives us a nice secluded cosy feeling as we watch the nearby trees slowly dissolve to a faint outline.
My wife and I have been living here for over 12 years and never miss the city lifestyle we had in Sydney. The calm and friendly atmosphere of the Southern Highlands has brought us many benefits from good friends to an abundance of wildlife. We live on an acre surrounded by trees and a multitude of birds who accept us as part of their life.

As you can see from the Google Earth photo we are near to the Eastern Seaboard of New South Wales. It is only an hour's drive to the golden beaches of the South Coast. Sydney is 150kms away to the north east and Canberra, our capital, is some 175 kms to the south west. So we have the opportunity of visiting either within 2 hours along some good expressways. The climate here is variable but always pleasant without the extreme humidity experienced along the coast.

Most streets in and around Bundanoon are bordered by a variety of trees from the native gums to many European varieties as the cool climate, relatively speaking, welcomes their presence. The district has many competitions for its flowers from tulips to daffodils.

In April each year we have Brigadoon one of the world's largest annual Highland Gatherings. All types of Highland sports are played. A crowd favourite is lifting huge sandstone balls. We have an abundance of sandstone in the area. The local quarry made the town signs.

We have an abundance of accommodation from camping, Youth Hostel, hotel to the more upmarket B&B. Bundanoon was always known in the past for its guest houses, there must have been over twenty at one stage. Sydney-siders, in the 1920s and 1930s used to flock here by train to get away from the coastal humidity. The main railway line between Sydney and Melbourne runs right through Bundanoon and special trains used to run from Central Railway to Bundanoon. Opposite the railway station is the charming old Hotel Bundanoon offering modest accommodation. On the other side of the railway line is a delightful B&B called Idle-A-Wile run by two very experienced Qantas cabin crew who know how to put style into accommodation and cuisine. Nowadays most visitors arrive by car.

Although on the main line between Sydney and Melbourne very few trains bother to stop.

The Ye Olde Bicycle Shoppe is our coffee shrine. They make great coffee and delicious light lunches and snacks. If you want to hire a bike, just ask. Morton National park is just down the hill.

The Bloomery Cafe and Nursery is a real gem. Pop in for a snack or coffee and tea or wander through to the nursery where Alan & Ian will help you choose some seedlings or garden nic nacs.

So you can see I am a pretty lucky to live in such a wonderful environment as we have in the SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS.