A slow travel guide to New South Wales

Memorable name, memorable place. Spread across the Central West Tablelands, and accessible by rail, the lovely Orange region can be reached easily from both Sydney and the Blue Mountains. It’s characterised by lush, rolling farmland, so it’s little surprise that its high-quality food and drink are a prime part of its appeal.  

Take Printhie Wines as a shining example. Specialising in sparkling wine – a benefit of its high-altitude, cool-climate surrounds – the five-star rated winery and cellar door offers various gourmet experiences, including the chance to pair their premium bubbly with oysters from the coast.   

If you want to take your epicurean adventure to the next level, meanwhile, try coinciding your visit with the ten-day Orange FOOD Week in April – the longest-running regional food festival in Australia – or the similarly rewarding Orange Wine Festival, which runs over three weekends from mid-October. 

And as ever in New South Wales, of course, there’s much more to uncover. A trip to Orange is also a chance to experience the endlessly rich culture of the Wiradjuri people, the traditional owners of the land. Local Elders offer cultural tours that shine a light on 50,000 years of heritage, visiting ceremonial sites, sharing stories and discovering the Indigenous foods that have provided sustenance for millennia.   

(Image credit: Destination NSW)