We are two and a half hours north-west of Sydney and the country road ends with a gasp! We are at the Wolgan Gap, and laid out before us is the spectacular Wolgan Valley, part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area. It’s more like a canyon than a valley, with its dramatic towering cliffs and sandstone escarpments. Our private driver/guide Les points to the end of the valley and tells us our home for the next two nights is tucked in behind what seems to be a far distant mountain. Surprisingly though in only 20 minutes we are at the gatehouse of the brand new Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, and a few minutes later at the door of the main homestead.

	Suite Living Room

The lobby is all gorgeous timber and sandstone but our eyes are immediately drawn to the sweeping views straight across the valley.  We can’t wait to get out and explore until Judy, our wonderful guest services agent, escorts us to our suite – wow, we could hunker down here for the entire two days! It’s more like a mini Australian homestead than a hotel suite – set in it’s own native garden, with living room, bedroom, huge dressing room, double sided fireplace, private decks, and best of all our own swimming pool. We couldn’t believe how cleverly the pool had been built into the side deck, so that big glass doors can wrap around it to create an indoor solar heated pool for the colder winter months.  Image: BM Wolgan Valley Suite Bedroom

And then there’s the Timeless Spa, which Judy had shown us through en-route to our suite. Luckily, I had pre-booked a Signature Mountain Aroma Massage for us both for our first afternoon – we toy with walking the short distance, or riding the mountain bikes supplied with our room, but in the end opt for a golf cart pick up so as not to be too strenuous on our first day.  The treatment is sublime, starting with a soak in our own private Japanese style tub, followed by an incredible massage in a room with views across to the escarpments of the Wollemi National Park. Afterwards, in the relaxation room sipping herbal teas, our thoughts turn to the evening ahead. Wonder what’s for dinner?

Well, dinner’s a revelation – five courses of absolutely delicious food which Executive Chef, Dwane Goodman, explains is primarily sourced from within a 100 mile radius of the resort. Regional, seasonal and organic where possible is Dwane’s food philosophy, and the excellent wine we choose from the wine cellar is local too. On the way back to our Heritage Suite, we gaze at the carpet of stars above and vow to sign up for the stargazing activity tomorrow.

Scenic Picnic

Today is exploration day – after all, the resort takes up a mere two percent of the 4,000 acre conservation reserve, so plenty to see. We start off with an early morning walk and marvel at the light play on the majestic sandstone escarpments which are everywhere you look, explore the creek alongside the resort, and catch glimpses of kangaroos before they retreat into the trees for a daytime nap.

	Horse Riding

After breakfast, I opt for a horse ride whilst Steve heads off on an Aboriginal History Trek, and afterwards we share our stories over morning tea. The Field Guides at Wolgan Valley Resort are fantastic, so knowledgeable and passionate about this ancient land. It’s an amazing story really; Emirates (yes, the airline) bought this land from cattle farmers over four years ago, and have now turned it into a conservation and wildlife reserve.

The on-going program includes extensive re-vegetation using native plants, and creating a safe haven for endangered wildlife which has been under threat from introduced flora and feral predators. They are even trialing feral-proof fencing, working along-side the University of Western Sydney. We’re impressed, it’s a serious commitment, and Emirates have a similar resort in the Dubai desert called Al Maha, might be worth a look on our next vacation.

Wolgan Valley Homestead

In the afternoon we fit in a lovely lazy lunch in the Country Kitchen next to the main pool, then cycle over to the Heritage Precinct to look through the beautifully restored 1832 homestead which gave us a good insight into the life of the early Australian settlers. We decide we prefer our modern day Wolgan Valley experience, as we head back for a dip in our own private pool! Image: BM Wolgan Valley Suite Private Pool

	Blue Mountains Landscape

Dwane and his team surpass themselves again with a whole new menu for our second night, and before we set off for our evening wildlife spotlighting and stargazing tour we get chatting with the General Manager Joost Heymeijer. His passion shines through as he shares his stories of the vision to create this natural sanctuary, the local craftsmen and furniture makers who contributed to making the ambience of the resort so special, the commitment to conservation and sustainability, and his goal to provide every guest with a multi-layered and extraordinary experience.

We head off into the evening for our wildlife spotlighting tour - sighting kangaroos, possums and wombats – and later, as we sit back gazing at the brilliance of the southern sky, glass of port wine in hand, we agree that Joost has more than achieved his goal.

Click to return to the SWAIN Experience Newsletter