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high time in the highlands
More than a million people can’t be wrong. That’s how many visit the Southern Highlands every year. Golf Vacations editor Jon Underwood heads south to find out what all the fuss is about.
The last time I was in Scotland, my car broke down, I lost my wallet and it rained non-stop for a week. So hard in fact that while golf wasn’t an option, water polo was a definite starter.
I mention this because Mount Broughton Golf Club, my first stop on a weekend visit to the Southern Highlands, claims to have captured a little of the essence of Scotland. As I drive into the car park and gaze in wonder at a clubhouse that wouldn’t look out of place on the shores of Loch Ness, I start to imagine hairy-kneed men in skirts playing the bagpipes - although that could have been the exhaust fumes...
Thankfully, there isn’t a cloud in sight (and my wallet is tucked safely in my golf bag) as I make my way to the first tee. The club opened in 1994 and at 6,619-metres from the back tees remains one of the longest in the country. In its early days, only members and locals got to play here but now more and more city slickers are discovering this sleeping giant.
Now some courses allow you to ease your way into the round. A short par four here, an easy par three there. Mount Broughton grabs you by the throat and demands you pay attention and produce your A-game from ball one.
Take the par-3 second hole. Please! I don’t know too many courses that expect you to be able to hit a perfect three iron to a narrow, heavily bunkered green 197 metres away so early in the piece. And all this from an elevated tee with every likelihood of a hellish cross wind to cater for. (Apparently the back tee adds a further 20 metres but only the seriously masochistic go there.)
Fortunately I’m in good hands as my playing partner is Rob Kennedy, a former tour player who’s been club pro here for five years. Having also served his apprenticeship here, he’s naturally enthusiastic about Mount Broughton and the challenge it presents.
“It’s very much a links-style course, with the way it’s laid out, the natural waterways and the roll of the land, along with the idea of letting the native grasses grow. And that ties in nicely with the environment down here.”
Certainly little links touches are everywhere. The rye grass that borders most of the fairways can be a killer (literally, as it turns out, with brown and copperhead snakes sighted within it). The fairways are wide but if you don’t hit them you’ll be punished.
And the 520-metre par-five seventh has a railway line hugging the entire right hand side where it’s possible to conjure up images of classic British Open courses like Royal Lytham and Royal Troon. The track looks alarmingly close and bang on cue, a huge freight train appears as we tee off. For a fleeting moment I picture my Titleist disappearing through the driver’s window. I’ve never been so grateful for a snap hook.
While Mount Broughton can be a beast, it also has great beauty. A choice of different tees takes some of the sting out of the journey and the sweeping views from the 18th tee down to that fairytale castle of a clubhouse is worth the green fee alone.
“For a long time it was targeted at better players but with the changes we’ve made, removing some of the rough in front of the tees to make it more playable for all levels, we’re finding a lot more social and higher handicappers and hotel guests coming,” Rob explains.
“If you can appreciate a golf course for what it is rather than how well you play it, we certainly have something to offer.”
If there is an Achilles heel it is the bunkers. The course was built by a non-golfer and the sand traps suffered as a result, being poorly drained and lacking any real depth. When the wind blows, it’s been known for the sand to scatter.
But this is being rectified and in a style that will please the links purists. Riveted faces, pot shaping and new sand are being introduced. The back nine is nearly complete and the whole course will be done in the next two years.
The 16th is one hole that really benefits from the bunker work. It’s a visually stunning, 173-metre par-three with new, deeper pots surrounding a large green with some devilish pin placements.
The bunker re-design will add the final tick to a course that has all the other boxes covered. Indeed, managing director Frank Williams is hoping to bring a pro tournament to Mount Broughton in the near future. He has the course, he has the sponsors. All he needs now to make his dream a reality is the green light from the Australian PGA.
After going toe-to-toe (and losing) with one of the toughest layouts in the country, I was in need of some serious rejuvenation of body and soul. Fortunately, Peppers Manor House is no more than a seven iron from the clubhouse.
Built in 1926, it was originally home to the Katers, a pioneering grazing family, and despite a recent refurbishment has retained its authentic country charm. Indeed, much of the timberwork and joinery throughout the house is said to date back to the original property built here by Henry Kater. It’s a nice touch that the restaurant is named after the first residents.
And what a restaurant it is. Katers was recently awarded a Chef’s Hat for the second consecutive year at the Sydney Morning Herald’s 2010 Good Food Guide Awards. The award is testament to the work of French executive chef Francois Razavet, who specialises in showcasing local produce
His entrée of pan-fried scallops with liquorice cake, chilli and chocolate jelly sounded intriguing and it delivered in spades, a cornucopia of flavours that gelled into a taste sensation. And the Lemon Slice meringue, with chamomile ice cream and pistachio crumbs is the kind of dessert you’ll taste in your sleep for weeks.
Centrepiece of the hotel is the magnificent main hall, with its towering ceiling, deep sofas and roaring fireplace, complete with obligatory stag’s head about the mantle. The walls are covered in hunting prints and coats of arms. A cherry red piano sits in the corner. It’s one of several lounges where you can just sit with a glass of red wine and relax, listening to the crackle of the fire and taking in its intoxicating aroma.
As you’d expect with a house that dates back almost 100 years there’s plenty of history about the place.
We were lucky enough to stay in the incredibly spacious Elizabeth Broughton Suite. Born in 1807, Elizabeth ‘Betsey’ Broughton was kidnapped by Maoris at the age of two while on a journey to England, one of only four people to survive the ambush.
She was eventually rescued and returned to her father. The estate is named after her and her funeral in 1891 was said to have been a lavish affair.
The suite was the original nursery and to describe it as hotel room is like describing a Ferrari as ‘just a car’.
Two sitting rooms, a lounge room, massive bathroom with spa bath and excellent shower, and bedroom with king size bed. It’s the kind of suite you could happily live in, although it was only on leaving that I learned about the ghost of a maid that is supposed to haunt the room. The Manor House also has a piano-playing ghost (who loves Beethoven, apparently) and a little boy who runs through the upstairs corridors. Halloween must be a real hoot.
Just 20 minutes up the Hume Highway at Bowral, Peppers Craigieburn is as far removed from its stable mate as you can get. Where the Manor House is cosy, Craigieburn is contemporary, with chocolate brown walls, beautiful modern artwork and a clean, uncluttered, minimalistic style that oozes chic sophistication.
Originally built in 1887 as a private country homestead and operated as a grazing property until 1909, Peppers Craigieburn has hosted many a famous guest over the years…but they are far too discreet to tell me who.
Most of the guest rooms overlook the 36-hectare garden and private nine-hole golf course, which is a great place for a social game. Even on a Saturday afternoon, I had the place to myself and managed to play it twice in less than two hours.
While it’s short (1,931 metres), with only one bunker and a par of just 32, it’s still a lot of fun to play. Long par threes and short par fours are an interesting mix but the greens are in great condition and if you want to sharpen up your short game, this is well worth a stroll.
And if nothing else, a walk around the course will help work off the food that you’re bound to put away at Montfort’s, Craigieburn’s signature restaurant, where the European, Asian, Middle Eastern and North American influences of executive chef Kartik Kumar are on display.
I opted to start with poached tiger prawns and pickled fennel, a deliciously aromatic vegetable I love with pork, and found it to be delightfully light and yet filling. But the desserts again stole the night: the black cherry cream cheese strudel was a show-stopper while my wife’s contentment over her white chocolate and espresso crème brulee had to be seen to be believed.
Great food apart, there’s plenty to keep your partner happy here, with fly-fishing, two tennis courts, a gymnasium, billiards room and a beauty therapy room by Purity offering well-being as well as relaxation.
Our room was the polar opposite to the Manor House, all contemporary and chic. It took me a while to work out why there wasn’t a wardrobe in sight...until i discovered it was built into the back of the bedhead. Ingenious!
But later this year, Peppers Craigieburn is going to have a run for its designer money with the opening of the Gibraltar Hotel Bowral, due to welcome its first visitors in mid to late September.
The Gibraltar will have 76 luxuriously appointed rooms, a function space to cater for up to 280 guests, six break-out rooms, a restaurant, Day Spa with five treatment rooms plus a Serenity Room, a fully-enclosed heated swimming pool and gymnasium.
And guests will be able to walk out of the front door straight onto the Gibraltar Country Club, a quaint little 18-holer that stretches out in front of the property. Formerly the Bowral Çountry Club, which dates back to 1947, the course winds its way through ancient elms, oaks and natural waterways.
A par-68 course with some of the smallest greens I’ve ever seen, accuracy and skilled iron play is at a premium on this 4,768-metre layout.
But perhaps the best description of what visitors can expect from a stay at the Gibraltar comes from Jorge Villalpando, Director of Business Development and Operations.
“This is Sex In The City meets McLeod’s Daughters.”
He’s talking about the imported wallpaper from Denmark, the travertine tiles from Turkey, designer baths made in Germany, all specially chosen for the hotel. Even the beds and the linen will be unique, with guests able to purchase both as part of a lasting Gibraltar Experience.
“This is something completely new for the Highlands. The country look works well for some people but can equate to having an old feel, which may not be for everyone.
“We are committed to delivering five-star services in the Highlands that wouldn’t look out of place in a major CBD.”
French flair
Francois Razavet’s love of cooking was born around the kitchen table of his grandparents’ farm in the south west of France. “Sunday morning my grandmother would go out and get a duck or a chicken and it would be on the table for lunch. Fresh ingredients.”
The likeable Frenchman has worked in London, Corsica, Canada and Ireland but it was a trip to Sydney for the 2000 Olympics that fostered a love of Australia, and the Southern Highlands in particular.
Asked whether winning the Chef’s Hat award was a personal triumph, Francois is quick to offload praise. “For the restaurant and the kitchen staff I was very pleased for them. I try to be humble.”
He’s not so reticent when discussing his favourite dishes on the menu. He nominates the pan-fried scallops, sweet potato cheesecake and salmon as his favourites. “We cure the salmon for an hour and then poach it in a water bath at 44 degrees so it changes the whole texture of the salmon and you end up with a really nice piece of cooking.”
And his secret to being a top chef? “I try not to murder the product.
at a glance
Getting there: Bowral is a 90-minute drive south from Sydney and less than two hours from Canberra.
Accommodation: Peppers Manor House has 41 uniquely styled and recently refurbished rooms and suites. Other facilities include Affinity Spa and the award-winning Katers restaurant. www.peppers.com.au
Peppers Craigieburn has 72 guest rooms spread across two wings, many with views of the golf course and landscaped gardens. There’s also the signature restaurant Montfort’s, a gymnasium, billiards and beauty therapy room. www.peppers.com.au
Gibraltar Hotel. (Opening September 2010) Will have 76 open plan deluxe rooms and suites, state of the art event spaces, day spa and a range of dining options.
www.gibraltarbowral.com.au
Stay and play package: Peppers Manor House is offering a stay and play package that includes two nights accommodation and breakfast daily for two people, plus a round of golf with cart for both guests. From $329* per person, twin share.
* Conditions apply. Subject to availability. Two-night minimum stay applies. Valid for travel until Dec 20, 2010.
Call (02) 4860 3111 or visit
www.peppers.com.au
Green fees: Mount Broughton GC. $60 for 18 midweek ($75 with shared use of cart). $75 weekend ($90 with shared use of cart). www.mtbroughton.com.au
Craigieburn. For private use of hotel residents only. 9 holes $15, unlimited $25
Gibraltar Country Club. $25 for 18 midweek, $30 weekend.
What else to do: The Southern Highlands is renowned for spectacular waterfalls, breathtaking lookouts and rolling green hills. Bowral is known for its boutiques, antique stores, gourmet restaurants and The Bradman Museum. There’s also the Brigadoon Scottish Festival (April) and Tulip Time (September and October). For more information, call the Southern Highlands Visitors Information Centre on 1300 657 559.
* All prices in Australian dollars.
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