Orange is on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people. I grew up on a family farm in Canowindra, a 40-minute drive away, which my family has owned for five generations. After going to university in Sydney, I moved back to the central tablelands. I’m now a winemaker and owner of Swinging Bridge winery.
Food
When I moved to Orange in 1999, the odd cafe existed but there wasn’t a joint food and wine culture like there is today. Local wines barely sold, even in bottle shops here. That’s all changed. Now I think we’re the best combined food and wine region in New South Wales.
The Union Bank restaurant is in a 1850s heritage schoolhouse. It’s the place to go right now and it’s open seven days. The octopus and beef tartare starters and the sirloin main are my go-to dishes. Lucetta Dining is an intimate 35-seater that’s always packed and serves Italian food, such as duck ragu pasta with king brown mushrooms.
We’re starting to have more and more world-class dining options in the vineyards too. Printhie Dining serves south coast oysters fresh from a saltwater tank. The oysters go down well with the sparkling wine Printhie is known for.
Rowlee Dining and Bar has casual courtyard dining with big share plates and lovely views. We do five-course and even-course degustations at Swinging Bridge with either a tour of our vineyard or a four-hour tour of the Orange wine region. Our servers are sommelier trained so it’s a lively environment to learn about wine.
Cafes don’t last here if they do bad coffee – we’re very picky. Byng Street is the go-to for brunch with the family. Its coffee carts do a roaring trade around town too. Good Eddy does the best toasties and bacon and egg rolls.
Green spaces
We have four distinct seasons in Orange and lots of deciduous trees to show them off. Cook Park has really old trees and good swings for children.
The region’s number one feature is Gaanha bula/Mount Canobolas. At 1,395 metres above sea level, it’s the highest point around and is the source of the volcanic soil and unique climate that supports our vineyards. I ride my bike up (about 30 minutes) but you can walk or drive to the summit too. The Mount Canobolas state conservation area has loads of walking tracks including Federal Falls, which goes through a snow gum forest.
On a hot day, a swim or a walk around Lake Canobolas is perfect. There’s a pontoon and the water is cool and spring-fed. The chef at Lakeside Kiosk & Cafe is doing a cracking job and can also whip up picnic hampers with charcuterie, cheese and sweets.
The Trail of Awesomeness is a mountain bike trail through town down into the state forest. It’s a flow track (you don’t have to pedal) that showcases flora and fauna at different elevations with a great view of Mount Canobolas.
Nightlife
Our nightlife is very vibrant. We’ve got a population of 45,000 people and a lot of midweek travellers, so most of our pubs are busier than Sydney’s.
All the locals go to “The Gladdy” (the Gladstone hotel) on the weekend. It dates back to 1865 and has been nicely renovated. It serves popular Thai dishes including pad Thai and Massaman curry. Hotel Canobolas is owned by the Point Group, which owns Sydney’s Shell House, among others. They brought some leading chefs up from the city and support community events such as Orange food week and Orange wine festival.
Hey Rosey is a hole-in-the-wall wine bar. Just a 20-seater but young and hip with a cracking roast dinner on a Monday. Washington & Co whiskey bar is about atmosphere and excellent cocktails. It does live music some nights; it’s a pretty youthful scene.
Spilt Milk Bar is a gelato joint that’s flat-out with five-year-olds getting ice-cream rewards after school, through to couples hitting it up after dinner. It has nearly killed local restaurants’ dessert menus! It uses fresh, seasonal ingredients and produces fun combos such as fresh mint and lime in its virgin mojito sorbet.
Inspiration
The White Place is a popular shop, mainly for homewares, and Jumbled is a well-known art, fashion and homewares store. Dirty Janes is new to Orange and has a mix of vintage and retro stallholders selling 1930s memorabilia, vinyl records, refurbished furniture and French and Italian antiques, such as old cheeseboards and wine racks.
The Corner Store Gallery, just outside the CBD, runs a tight ship. It highlights artists from Orange and beyond and gives them more visibility with pop-up exhibitions. Orange chamber music festival showcases something different to the wine culture people expect, and uses venues such as wineries and churches for its concerts.
Orange Regional Gallery shows high-profile exhibitions such as the Archibald prize. It’s just had its temperature control and security improved so it can show more valuable works.
Orange food week began in 1992 and is Australia’s longest-running food festival. Forage is a 4km walking feast with matched food and wine stations set up through the vineyards. It often sells out in a day. The Sampson Street Lunch is an annual event, a four-course meal for 300 people outdoors under the plane trees.
Neighbourhood
Orange is surrounded by historic villages with developing food and wine scenes. They’re all charming, architecturally, and quite untouched. When a lot of other places had the cash to knock things down, or ruin them by modernising, these small agricultural towns didn’t have the resources.
Day trips or overnight stays are improving all the time. Millthorpe has Tonic restaurant, which has been awarded many times by restaurant guides. Its dishes include Mandagery Creek venison and Cowra lamb. Perennialle Plants in Canowindra is a nursery on the historic main street with a cafe and a bric-a-brac store. Bank Street in Molong has great coffee options and, again, bric-a-brac.
Accommodation
Basalt Orange (from $550 per night) is on the slopes of Mount Canobolas in a cherry orchard. The self-contained villas have views of the countryside. It’s good for couples and is close to several wineries.
Yallungah Boutique hotel (from $320) is in a 1890s homestead designed by Orange’s most prolific architect, William Lamrock. It’s a short walk from restaurants and shops. Hotel Canobolas (from $110) is your classic pub accommodation but the rooms are clean and tidy and all have en suites. The pizza in the bistro is really good.
