06 June 2024
7 mins Read
Retreat to the country to unwind among Mudgee’s rural beauty and incredible wineries. Here, in the NSW town and her bucolic surrounds, cooler weather beckons with an array of cosy stays. From generous riverside barns to sweet, woodland cabins and downtown terraces, you’ll find the perfect Airbnb to settle in and warm up.
Best for: A couple of couples happy to share a hot tub
You had us at a hot tub on the deck. Add wine and we’re all in. This hilltop cottage lays out 360-degree views across Mudgee, complete with vine-threaded undulations, which you can absorb from that aforementioned hot tub.
But the two-bedroom Highgrove Cottage is also a stylish stay complete with a full kitchen, chic design, cosy touches of timber floors and indoor fireplace, and a separate studio for additional guests. It’s gorgeous inside, but you’ll struggle to draw your eyes from the muted tones of the rural landscape beyond.
Location: Eurunderee, Mudgee
Best for: Architecture boffins looking for a romantic off-grid interlude
All the way up there for design-led cosiness, this triangular-shaped Gawthorne’s Hut has been voted ‘Best Unique Stay’ by Airbnb’s host awards and has been featured in architecture publications.
It’s no surprise this one-bedroom wedge of a stay has snagged so much adoration with its luxe, off-grid design being the stuff of eco-dreams.
While it’s not suitable for kids or infants, it is very suited to cosy lock-ins with a king bed, air-con, kitchenette and floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing sweeping Mudgee valley views.
Location: Mudgee
Best for: History buffs who like a quiet space.
You’ll love going to church in this heritage-listed deconsecrated abode. Keeping true to its original form, but with stylish, modern design updates, this gorgeous 1920s country church has been tenderly restored to welcome couples.
Just six kilometres from Mudgee, you’ll be close to town and wineries, while feeling transported to a bygone era.
There’s a cosy fireplace to huddle around as you admire the cathedral-style ceilings and textural brickwork, as well as an outdoor firepit, air-con and full kitchen at your disposal.
Location: Mudgee
Best for: Town-dwelling travellers
In the centre of Mudgee, McKenna Terrace is beautifully welcoming with its luxe country style. Self-contained with a modern kitchen and lovely courtyard terrace complete with barbecue, settle in for an escape to that is both sleek and warm.
With a black and cream colour palette that soothes, from dark wooden floors to cabinetry, this two-bedroom stay is the perfect place to retreat to after a day in the vineyards.
Location: Mudgee CBD
Best for: Laidback country charm
An almost rustic rural retreat for those looking to deep-dive into their surrounds, Resteasy at Sunset Cabin is a one-bedroom stay that offers all the charm of a bush shack, while ensuring guests are abundantly comfortable.
There’s a claw-foot bathtub outside for soaks under the stars, a firepit, barbecue, coffee machine and electric fireplace. It’s cosiness all wrapped up in corrugated iron walls with mountain views waiting to be revealed in the misty morning.
Location: Frog Rock
Best for: Groups and families looking to lock in and unwind
Agrarian beauty abounds at this stunning homestead set among pinot noir vines and olive trees. Sleeping six, you can settle into the luxury Thistle Hill Mudgee lodge with your crew and lean into rural living, from catching yabbies in the dam and wandering the 100 acres to sipping morning cups of tea while listening to local birdlife.
In winter, an inviting indoor fireplace crackles into life and you can huddle around the fire pit come evening, while in summer a private pool beckons for refreshing dips. All this, and you’re just 10 minutes’ drive from Mudgee.
Location: Mudgee
Best for: Lumberjack lovers
Consider your cabin goals reached at this idyllic, bush-surrounded retreat. Set on 33 acres, Black Springs is located only 10 minutes from Mudgee, but huddled amid tall trees in this charming cottage, you’ll feel wonderfully secluded from the outside world.
Inside the studio, country vibes are well maintained with elegant but sympathetic styling in heritage tones of cool green and warm wood. Snuggle fireside, sink into a warm bath, and watch resident wildlife, such as kangaroos, mooch about from the porch.
Location: Budgee Budgee
Best for: Snug family time
Leaning into a rustic-luxe aesthetic, the architecturally designed Black Shed presides over a working vineyard and out to the attention-stealing vistas of Lawsons Creek and Mount Buckaroo. The cosy checklist is all here, from indoor wood-burning fireplace, timber finishes and artful styling, to full-kitchen, bathtub and barbecue.
Sleeping up to five across two bedrooms, you can bring your four-legged friend or children, or both, but do be aware farm animals do free-range on the property. Only five kilometres away from Mudgee, exploring town is a cinch.
Location: Milroy
Best for: Small but perfectly formed celebrations
A barn-style escape set by an almost hyperbolically beautiful river, River Ranch is charming in every sense of the word.
Enjoy a deep dive into the fantasy of rural living here, where eight guests can unwind across four bedrooms and find plenty of nooks and crannies to enjoy a little solitude, from the patio to the riverside and in the company of a resident alpaca.
With barn doors swinging open from the dining room to reveal a breath-snatching farm view, this place is perfect for special celebrations. There’s also a fireplace, full kitchen, valley and river vistas, basic camp kitchen, firepit and festoon lighting, to really illuminate the dream that this is your everyday life.
Location: Riverlea
Best for: Cabin romance
This hidden away hut is straight from the set of a rom-com, where the protagonists cosy up under the moon in a clawfoot bath, of course. Hemmed by towering pines and gums, and rustically timber-clad, The Gully also has strong Hansel and Gretel overtones.
Inside, however, there’s no wicked witch, just cottage-luxe styling and beautifully restored original features. Stoke the wood-burning fire, enjoy a drink on the porch and make use of the full kitchen.
If you don’t feel like cooking, grazing boxes and breakfast hampers can be arranged. With no wi-fi, all entertainment will be analogue, but that’s all the better for romance, we think.
Location: Budgee Budgee
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