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Jamieson Valley covered in low-lying fog. |
Festive spirit: Yulefest, complete with the trimmings, is celebrated annually each winter in a number of Blue Mountains establishments. |
POSTED: 30 JUNE 2011 Destination: The Blue Mountains They celebrate Christmas twice a year in the Blue Mountains, so MIKE SMITH enjoys some wintry festive cheer. It’s early Sunday morning in the Blue Mountains and the scent of eucalyptus is as intoxicating as the evening’s mulled wine served around the open log fires of the hotels and cosy mountain lodges. We’ve arrived on a bitterly cold winter’s day — the mercury just nudging 5ºC — yet the welcome from the locals is much warmer ... and filled with festive cheer. It seems many of the mountainfolk are in party mood. And to celebrate the arrival of the brisk June-July period they’re cooking up a storm — roast turkey and plum pudding included — in the same way they do each winter. A little more than six months since the Christmas trees were dismantled and placed in storage, the decorations have returned, unwrapped to hang over the fireplaces and doorways for what is a special occasion — the annual Yulefest. Yes, the people of the Blue Mountains celebrate Christmas twice a year. And a second visit by Santa Claus is something which has been played out every winter since a small group of homesick Irishmen ordered a roast dinner at the Katoomba’s Hotel California back in 1980. Story has it that the men, while relaxed in front of a roaring log fire, commented on how the conditions and crisp clear atmosphere outdoors — it was snowing — reminded them of their Christmas celebrations back home. A savvy hotel operator offered to recreate a similar festive atmosphere and meal to make them feel at home. And so preparations began, decorations were hung, the Christmas tree was brought out of storage and trimmed, and a scrumptious menu was planned. The tradition of hosting an annual yuletide event was born, and the California, renamed the Mountain Heritage Retreat Hotel, is one of a number of Blue Mountains establishments to welcome winter with a belly full of “Ho, Ho, Ho” as much as Christmas pudding. Also celebrating a mid-year festive season are guests of the Redleaf Resort at Blackheath, Jemby Rinjah Lodge, also at Blackheath, Katoomba’s The Metropole Guesthouse, Waldorf Leura Gardens Resort, neighbouring and much larger Fairmont Resort, and The Chalet Blue Mountains at Medlow Bath. The Blue Mountains’ “grand old lady”, The Carrington — it dates from 1882 when it was originally named The Great Western — hosts Saturday night Yulefest feasts until mid-August, along with festive lunches for groups. And if you venture to the Katoomba Golf Club, its Jamison’s Restaurant, which overlooks the undulating course, will turn on some festive cheer with the trimmings for groups of 15 or more. Farther afield, historic Jenolan Caves House hosts Yulefest dinners on Wednesday and Saturday nights throughout chilly July, a great way to finish a day of exploring the famous network of limestone caves. On our recent arrival into the Blue Mountains we warmed to cup of coffee in a small Leura café before taking the short drive from the village — just past the Leuralla NSW Toy and Railway Museum — to Gordon Falls Lookout. After donning the much-needed heavy coats, gloves and beanies we headed on a brief walk to grab a magpie eye’s view of Jamieson Valley only to have our attempts dashed by a thick carpet of low-lying fog. “Typical at this time of the year,” summed up a passerby. “You’ll have to come back later,” he insisted, as I prepared for a live broadcast cross to Sydney radio 2UE’s George and Paul for the regular Sunday travel chat. “Yes, it’s cold and misty,” I informed the pair and the tens of thousands of listeners, “But it is fresh and invigorating, and there are plenty of bushwalkers out and about.” With mobile phone back in the pocket, we returned to the car to continue a drive to higher elevation, to mix with other city slicker visitors at Mount Victoria’s family day of steam, the heritage steam-train return rides to Katoomba a highlight; so too the complimentary cups of hot chocolate poured at the historic Victoria and Albert Guesthouse. Instead of visiting the traditional tourist locations — Echo Point for the view of the Three Sisters and Scenic World, famous for its world’s steepest railway and Scenic Skyway — we chose to call into a couple of relatively new indoor attractions, to explore their shelves and escape the mist and the cold. Among them was The Carrington Cellars, opened in July 2010 inside the disused old power station adjacent to The Carrington Hotel. Thanks to some hard toil from management, the empty interior of this building has been transformed into a large wine cellar, complete with rows of boutique local and foreign labels, and a deli of imported and local produce, processed meats and cheese included. The Carrington’s Tristan Semenetz proudly showed us around to sample some of the wine and produce while talking about plans to double the space with an upstairs area. In the corner, within a secure spot inside Katoomba’s landmark chimney, are a number of valuable bottles of wine, one magnum priced at an astounding $55,000. Time quickly passes as we look over the labels which are within our price range. Thoughts of returning to the lookout evaporate with the arrival of heavy rain, but nothing dampens our spirits as we dress in preparation for the evening’s gala celebrations at the Fairmont Resort and talk of the 2011 Yulefest program, complete with the festive trimmings. DISCLOSURE: Mike Smith was a guest of Blue Mountains Tourism.
FACT FILE: GETTING THERE: 90-minute to two hours west of Sydney by car. Train travel through CityRail is a popular alternative. WORTH A VISIT: The Carrington Cellars, housed in the disused former power station adjacent to the historic hotel of the same name, where you can sample and buy deli items while looking through the impressive rows of boutique and foreign wine, 02 4782 1111, www.thecarrington.com.au; Station Bar Katoomba, for tasty wood-fired pizzas that carry the names of townships in the Blue Mountains, and wine by the glass or bottle, 02 4782 4782, stationbar.com.au; Leura Garage Café (82 Railway Parade, Leura) for tapas, wood-fired pizzas and wine by glass or bottle. YULEFEST CELEBRATIONS: Mountain Heritage Retreat Hotel, Katoomba, 02 4782 2155; Fairmont Resort, Leura, 02 4784 4144, www.fairmontresort.com.au; Jenolan Caves House, 1300 763 311, www.jenolancaves.org.au; Redleaf Resort, Blackheath, 02 4787 8108, redleafresort.com.au; Jemby Rinjah Lodge, Blackheath, 02 4787 7622, www.jembyrinjahlodge.com.au; The Metropole Guesthouse, Katoomba, 02 4782 5544, www.metropolehotel.com.au; Waldorf Leura Gardens Resort, Leura, 02 4784 4000, www.leuragardensresort.com.au; The Carrington, Katoomba, 02 4782 1111, www.thecarrington.com.au; The Chalet Blue Mountains, Medlow Bath, 02 4788 1122, www.chaletbluemountains.com.au; Katoomba Golf Club, Katoomba, 02 4782 2000, www.katoombagolf.com.au STAY: Fairmont Resort comprises 210 deluxe rooms, many refurbished in recent months, adjacent to Leura Golf Course and with panoramic views of Jamieson Valley. Also features buffet-style restaurant, conference rooms and health centre. Family-of-four fun weekday packages from $289 per night (minimum two nights) including $100 credits towards food and beverages at resort. Details, Sublime Point Rd, Leura, phone 02 4784 4144, www.fairmontresort.com.au DETAILS: Blue Mountains Tourism, phone 1300 653 408, www.visitbluemountains.com.au |
Café in Mount Victoria.
Outside The Carrington Cellars.
Welcome to The Carrington Hotel for Yulefest. |
All aboard — Steam train journey between Mount Victoria and Katoomba. |
The Carrington, a Katoomba landmark which dates back from 1882. |
A bath full of bubbles at The Carrington Cellars. |
Tristan Semenetz serving up a feast at The Carrington Cellars. |
