Escape to Batlow, NSW: 'We’d love to welcome more people here'

This sub-alpine town nestled among rolling hills in NSW’s south-west slopes region has name recognition from the apple trade – as spotted in your local supermarket – but it’s not the only thing that sets Batlow apart.

The closing of the Mountain Maid cannery in the early 2000s had an impact, but a resident-led revival and the annual Batlow CiderFest is making it a popular destination for visitors, downsizers, and artists and writers seeking an affordable life with beautiful views.

Population: 1313, as at the 2016 census.

Who lives here?

Margaret Sedgwick is a long-standing resident, having been in Batlow for 54 years, and admires its natural beauty, something that is beginning to draw new residents.

“I love living here,” she said. “I love the four seasons. Autumn in particular is just magnificent. I love the climate, and the countryside is so beautiful.

“For a long time there were vacant houses, houses for sale. At the moment, they seem to be sold almost immediately.”

Mrs Sedgwick has noticed quite a few people moving from Sydney, including some people in the creative industries.

“We have had some very talented people coming in the past few years – in particular artists, and some writers,” she said.  “That adds enormously to the town’s culture and wellbeing.”

One of these newer arrivals is Jodi Stewart, an artist who moved to the area less than a year ago from the NSW South Coast.

“When I came to Batlow, it was like ‘oh, this is so nice’,” she said. “Batlow was so lovely, and green, and friendly. The first day I was here, I was walking down the street and people were saying hello.

“It’s cheap and very beautiful, it’s the kind of place that attracts artists.”

She has been involved in the local art scene since she had arrived, with a few other creatives also moving to the town in the past couple of years. The Literary Institute of Batlow had also been recently refurbished and things there were “kind of on the cusp”, she said.

“This last CiderFest we had our first big exhibition – we had a really great show. We’re planning a competitive event next year,” she said.

What happens here?

Held in May at the height of the autumn colours, Batlow CiderFest started in 2012 and has grown rapidly with the help of many volunteers and sponsors, providing a big boost for the town.

Instrumental in its organisation are two locals – Ray Billing, chairperson of the Batlow Development League, and Harald Tietze, who emigrated from Germany in the early ’80s and has a background in tourism.

Mr Tietze said the CiderFest was “a bit of a street party,”  and that to promote inaugural event, they built an enormous fibreglass apple – 3.5 metres high on a trailer – and drove it around the surrounding region.

It worked, and this year’s event showcased boutique ciders, local craft beers, cold-climate wines, with a music and entertainment on two stages, the aforementioned art show, orchard and cidery tours, a new Back to Nature Conference and “Craft InCiders” sessions held at the Batlow RSL.

“We had wonderful weather, people came from everywhere,” Mr Tietze said.

Mr Billing said between 4000 and 5000 people attended each year.  He moved to Batlow with his wife in 2011, originally with plans to retire somewhere “with a country lifestyle and four seasons”, and, upon getting involved with the local community, they discovered that they had more than enough to keep them busy.

Local orchard owner and cider maker Ralph Wilson thought the Batlow CiderFest was “the big event of the year in Batlow”.

“It’s a huge thing because it brings a lot of people to Batlow. It’s just getting bigger and bigger. It’s a very good thing,” he said.

Other regular events include the Apple Blossom Festival which is held in spring, and the Agricultural Show in March – and on a smaller scale, regular activities hosted at the Batlow RSL and the Batlow Hotel.

What’s life like here?

Wendy Butler, from the Batlow RSL, commented on the supportive atmosphere in the tight-knit town.

“It’s a very, very caring community,”  she said. “Everybody knows everybody, everybody is ready to help.”

Mrs Sedgwick agreed, saying Batlow had always been a place that looked after itself.

“If something needs to be done; if we need some new facility or amenity, we get together,” she explained. “It’s just got this wonderful co-operative spirit.

“It’s a town that is friendly and caring. If anyone has any sort of problems, there’s always support around.”

Mr Wilson noted the beauty of the town’s surrounds, and the distinctive weather.

“There’s not many places anywhere that are as picturesque in autumn. And there’s only been one year in the past 33 years that were we really affected by drought. It’s a good rainfall.”

Mr Billing agreed: “Climate for sure – there’s a higher rainfall than a lot of country around it. And there’s country feel, without being too isolated.”

Wagga is about a 90-minute drive away, Albury is about two hours, and Canberra two and a half.  Batlow itself has good medical facilities and a new fire station, as well as a golf club, bowls club, cafe, bakery, bank and supermarket.

“We have a fuel station and a mechanic and all that sort of stuff,” Mrs Butler said. “Pretty much whatever you need.”

What jobs are here?

Mr Wilson said several people were employed by the apple industry, or commuted to the larger towns of Tumut and Tumbarumba, both only a 25-minute drive away.

Tourism, too, was picking up, with Batlow now an RV-Friendly town and Mr Tietze noted a proposed rail trail and a potential upgrade to the Brindabella Road in particular would greatly boost the town’s profile in that regard.

But even now there are still plenty of visitors drawn, again, by the climate in particular.

“It’s coming into winter now, we have people who come to see the snow,” Mrs Butler said. “We have tourists and grey nomads coming through.”

Why move here?

With warm people and a cooler climate, Batlow’s appeal is striking. “It’s a different thing to living in a city, you don’t know your neighbour there,” Mr Tietze said. “Batlow is a great place.”

Mr Tietze recounted a recent example of the community spirit was when a neighbour had had a knee operation. Mr Tietze offered to help out and mow his lawn, only to find out that he was the fifth person to do so.

And of course, there’s the weather.

“I feel like I’m in Bavaria!” he said. “We have a lot of deciduous trees.”

“Living in the mountains, there’s something about living in the mountains,” Mr Wilson said. “No pollution, no big industries – it’s got very crisp, clean air. It’s just a nice place to live.”

He said that the town’s affordability also made it very appealing to downsizers.

“People are selling in bigger centres, at a very good price, and buying a nice place here that they can do up. We are getting quite a lot of retirees,” he said.

Ms Stewart noted that cheaper accommodation expenses and stunning scenery had also made it a good place for artistic pursuits.

“For arty people who don’t have a huge income, it’s definitely something to think about,” she said. “It’s so beautiful too, to have the space and the quiet.”

Mrs Sedgewick agreed, and said “you could probably get a pretty good house for $250,000 – that’s quite a far cry from Sydney and Melbourne”.

“We love to have more visitors, and more residents, too,” she added. “We’d love to welcome more people here.”