Our stay at Rachael's Honeysuckle
Cottage

We opened the antique glass door with the hand painted knob next to secret garden and discovered a warm dusky sunlit cottage kitchen with a brick fireplace beckoning our names. We had arrived to Honeysuckle Cottage in Binalong. 

Before we made it through the door, we made a stop in Canberra for a parliamentary visit. We'd never been to Australia's capital, and luckily, we caught up with a friend who had lived in the capital for twenty years. It was nice to have a one on one tour with someone who knew the area so well. 

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After our history lesson, we took the hour drive north towards Honeysuckle Cottage. Through the valleys and over the hills, we passed by several wineries and cattle pastures before settling into the cottage.

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It's so easy to describe Honeysuckle; sweet, charming, romantic, and nostalgic. Rachael has created a beautiful reminiscent quiet escape for her guests. Nestled in the wild overgrown garden, Honeysuckle Cottage maintains her charm by boasting her heritage features: stain glass windows, corrugated steel roof, antique white paint, sloped wooden planked floors, and of course the brick fireplace.  Her selection of art, furniture, and textiles only enhance the story of this sweet little country cottage. 

Since it's about thirty minutes to the nearest supermarket, Rachael makes sure you have everything you need for an easy slow morning - bread, free range eggs, artisan bacon, milk, butter, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and of course...honey.

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She has also prepared a very well made bed for tucking into at the end of the chilly evening. Adorned with a heavy duvet and pillows you could sink your head into, it was lights out for us. 

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Honeysuckle Cottage is equipped with two queen size bedrooms, two living rooms - one with a flatscreen TV - a bathroom with a large soak tub and shower, a fully stocked kitchen, and dining room. The veranda offers a beautiful place to dine outside, which we did with the gorgeous brunch Rachael had offered us. 

Sometimes we need reminders, and maybe even lessons, on how to slow down and be still. Rachael's Honeysuckle is the perfect teacher. After a few hours spent tending to the fire and making a meal in the kitchen, we felt settled and rested. 

Rachael has mastered the art of stylish simplicity. It's doesn't have to be fussy to be beautiful. If we instead take notice of what's already around us, we will find that beauty is already there.    

For a full tour, check out our live. And for a sneak peek, have a look here.

After a lazy morning, we decided we head back toward the wineries we passed on our way to Binalong. Granted, we were a little late getting started, but we managed to visit three wineries before they closed for the evening. 

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We went to Clonakilla, highly recommend trying their award winning Shiraz, Four Winds for a flight of their highlights after over twenty years of wine making, and Shaw for a cheese board and an exceptional wine tasting experience, a one and a half hour service. 

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Driving through this cool climate wine region is breathtaking. No matter how many photos I took, the scenery just kept get better and better. 

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