Five fireside retreats perfect for Sydneysiders hoping to embrace winter

Sydney, you’re a fickle city. All it takes is one cold snap, a gust of chilly wind and a hint of leaves turning from green to gold and your residents turn their backs on the beach and start dreaming of a winter retreat.

Autumn’s chill arrived this week and with it the promise of weekends away in the mountains with long afternoons curled up in front of an open fire. 

Easter’s long weekend is the prime time to do a little searching of what’s available in the Blue Mountains property market. And it’s worth remembering that while autumn and winter in the mountains are magical, spring and a humidity-free summer have their own attractions.

Here are some Blue Mountains retreats to consider buying with friends or family or for keeping all to yourself.

51 Hay Street, Lawson

An open fire makes the living room cosy at 51 Hay Street, Lawson. 

How about a log cabin? It doesn’t get more rustic than this little two-bedroom cottage.

It sits on a 711-square-metre corner block about 80 minutes’ drive from Sydney and 15 minutes from Katoomba. The living room has an open fire and there is a sunroom overlooking the garden. It will set you back between $380,000 and $400,000.

10 Boronia Road, Bullaburra

10 Boronia Road, Bullaburra. Photo: supplied

Related Articles

• 50 clever hidey-holes around the house for an Easter egg hunt
• The benefits of buying a home in the winter season
• Into the woods: 8 cabins that will make you want to live off the grid

The leafy canopy over this baby-blue mountain cottage will soon give way to bare branches allowing winter sunshine to warm the house.

Partly renovated, the three-bedroom house comes with two slow-combustion fireplaces, gas bayonets, timber floors and a sunny back deck.

It’s on 708 square metres of pretty gardens with a studio. It’s only 400 metres from Bullaburra train station and 90 kilometres from Sydney.

7-9 Brightlands Avenue, Blackheath

One of three living areas at 7-9 Brightlands Avenue, Blackheath. 

Golfers take note; this classic mountains cottage is around the corner from Blackheath Golf Course.

The renovated weatherboard has three bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as three large living areas, a sunny conservatory and a huge new country-style kitchen designed for entertaining crowds.

It is warmed by central hydronic heating and a slow-combustion fireplace. Belle Property Leura agent Robyn Rawle said it’s the kind of property that attracts both Sydneysiders looking for a weekender and young families escaping Sydney’s property prices.

Trevarthen, 140 Falls Road, Wentworth Falls

Trevarthen at 140 Falls Road, Wentworth Falls, boasts established gardens. 

If you’re lucky enough to take the keys of Trevarthen, you’ll have no problem keeping it cosy.

The sunny four-bedroom house has several fireplaces, hydronic heating and reverse-cycle airconditioning.

It has a library and big attic studio and sits on 1900 square metres of established gardens opposite Murray Park and up the road from Jamison Lookout.

Applegrove, 138 Shipley Road, Blackheath

Applegrove, 138 Shipley Road, Blackheath, is a modern classic.

Forget cute and cosy, this sleek modern classic sits on two hectares of magnificent gardens.

A long tree-lined driveway makes for a grand entry. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors allow northern sunlight to flood the vast living area, which is warmed by a slow-combustion fireplace.

There are heated floors, reverse-cycle airconditioning and a wraparound deck.