Beyond Bowral: The hidden havens of the Southern Highlands

When most people consider a treechange to the Southern Highlands, they usually think of the major tourist townships of Bowral, Berrima and Bundanoon. Each have their charms, not the least being excellent food, festivals and farmers’ markets.

But when you consider Bowral, for example, has a median house price of $895,000 over a six month period and a largish population of about 8000, it may be worth checking out some of the area’s smaller villages away from the weekend city slickers.

Matt Jensen, the founder/CEO of men’s clothing empire MJ Bale has called the Southern Highlands home for the past six years. Jensen moved with his wife and four children from Bronte, to take up residence in the tiny hamlet of Kangaloon, a 15-minute drive, east of Bowral.

“I love the rolling green hills, the birds, the fresh air, and the fact there’s no traffic,” says Jensen. “It’s a beautiful location, and we are only 30 minutes from the beach at Kiama.”

The Jensen home is an old farmer’s cottage on 25 acres, with an established garden, and a few Suffolk sheep. “The trees have turned autumnal colours, so it’s looking quite lovely at the moment,” he says.

With a population of 310, Kangaloon is a tiny dairy farming area with just a small school and a community hall. The Jensens do their main grocery shopping in Bowral.

One day a week, Jensen works from home at his sprawling country dining table. “I spread out all my fabrics and review them for our clothing ranges, without anyone pestering me. Living and working here allows me to focus.”

The rest of the week, Jensen is either overseas visiting wool weavers, or making the 100-kilometre trek to Sydney to visit the MJ Bale head office in Alexandria. “Do I have any regrets about making the seachange? Only when I’m stuck in a traffic jam in the subterranean depths of the M5 tunnel,” he says. 

Just down the road from the Jensen property is Burrawang, one of the Southern Highlands’ prettiest, but lesser known villages. 

With a population of 238, the Village Hotel is undoubtedly the heart of the community and is about to be revamped by the new owners.  Property is tightly held in the area.

“People who buy here never want to leave,” says agent Kate McCullagh from Di Jones Southern Highlands. “It’s a very creative little community, with lots of artists, writers and musicians; and it’s very caring…the kind of place where a neighbour will bring you chicken soup if you’re ill.”

Five minutes away, and a more affordable option is Robertson. Famous for its potatoes, artisan cheese, and as the location of the film Babe, Robbo as the locals know it, has a population of 1355 and a median house price of $680,000 over a six month period.

This represents a substantial 83 per cent increase over five years. The town is well catered for, with a pub (of course) diner, butcher and small supermarket. Notable locals include artist Ben Quilty, and actors John Waters and Noeline Brown.

South-east of Bowral is the very English village of Exeter with its country railway station, historic stone church (St Aidans) and 532 residents.

“It’s a charming little place,” says agent John Renouf. “There’s a local primary school, so we’re seeing young families buying into the area.”

Down the road is Sutton Forest, an area that set the Southern Highlands property record when Reg Grundy bought Comfort Hill for $15 million in 2007. Sutton Forest is also the sometimes-residence of actor Nicole Kidman and her country music star husband, Keith Urban. The duo purchased the 1878 Georgian mansion, Bunya Hill, in 2008, for $6.5 million.

But perhaps the best reason for having the glamour couple as neighbours, is the abundance of wineries nearby. Cherry Tree Hill is a standout for its cold climate whites.

If money actually is an object, generally property is a lot less expensive on the western side of the Hume. For example the village of Hill Top has a median price of just $505,000 and it’s still only 17km drive from Mittagong.

There’s a handy little shopping strip and, if firearms are your thing, there’s the Southern Highlands Rifle Club nearby.