FAQ

We are just 2.75 hours’ drive from Sydney, near the picturesque small country town of Oberon. Nearby towns include Orange, Milthorpe, Jenolan Caves, Bathurst, Lithgow and Katoomba with comfortable day trips to Dubbo and Mudgee. See map >

Our check-in time is 2pm unless a previous arrangement has been made.

We love the idea of you enjoying the whole day on Sunday lazing around at Essington Park, so we have a late check out of 4pm.

Yes. We cultivate an extensive organic vegetable garden and a growing orchard where all our guests are welcome to reap and pick – you name it, depending on the season. Of course you can meet the girls clucking around the chicken coop and collect their eggs for your breakfast. This is prime agricultural land and you’ll find plenty of sheep and cattle just over the fence. Say hi!

The idea to create a cooking school and workshop space at our shearer’s quarters here at Essington Park came quite naturally to Simmone Logue, who wants to share with others the skills, knowledge, and joy that the kitchen has brought her over her 30-year career in food. Simmone is inviting other bakers, cooks, gardeners, artists, makers, and crafters to join her in sharing their skills.

Anyone can attend. Participants will be limited to 12 people so we can all moosh in, spread out, and take part, with lots of one-on-one special care and attention.

There will always be beautiful nutritious food served at our workshops in the way of morning tea, lovely lunches, homemade teas and freshly ground local coffee. Not to mention plenty of freshly baked Essington Park sourdough and delicious cakes.

You can book a stay with us while workshopping and relax in our Shearers’ Quarters or the Schoolhouse and take in the beauty of Essington Park. Spots are limited for accommodation although we will share a list of other lovely spots to stay in the area if you miss out. Schoolhouse

Essington Park guests who book through Airbnb stay in the Shearers’ Quarters, which provides boutique accommodation to a maximum of 10 guests in five beautiful guest rooms. When we have workshops in session, participants can stay in the Shearers’ Quarters or in an additional guest room at the Schoolhouse. The Schoolhouse cannot be booked on Airbnb as it is exclusively for workshop participants. (Please note: There is no accommodation in the historic homestead, which is the private residence of your host Simmone Logue and family.)

The Shearers’ Quarters at Essington Park is a lovingly restored circa 1900 shearing quarters and mess with a productive vegetable garden and a growing orchard. Once a place for shearers to lay their weary heads, it’s now a destination for restoration, connection and creativity. In restoring it, we have endeavoured to keep things as they always have been, with a renovation of light hand and sensitivity, respecting the history of the buildings while adding luxury and comfort for you to enjoy.

The Schoolhouse is the original building where the children of Essington took their classes. It is now a charming guest quarters and accommodation for workshop participants. When workshops are in session, we open the Schoolhouse, where we can accommodate a maximum of two guests. We will contact you once you’ve booked your workshop to arrange your stay. For more information, contact us.

No. The Schoolhouse accommodation is available only when workshops are in session and is reserved for workshop participants who cannot be accommodated in the Shearers’ Quarters.

In the Shearers’ Quarters, we have five guest rooms. At the Schoolhouse, we have one guest room reserved for workshop participants.

The rooms are carefully restored in keeping with the historic buildings. Unlike in the past, they have luxurious beds and linens. Shearers traveled light, so the rooms are compact with no wardrobe space – we’ve added hooks, baskets and shelves for your convenience. Our guests tell us it’s wonderfully comfortable.

It can be chilly in winter, especially on those snowy days and nights. Don’t worry, your room is a cosy retreat with creature comforts like a heater, electric blanket, and hot water bottle to keep you snug as a bug. In the winter months, we do recommend you bring your woolies, slippers, and your Ugg boots.

In the Shearers’ Quarters, one room has a double bed and the other four rooms have queen beds. At the Schoolhouse, we have one queen bed and one double bed. Every bed is made with love using the finest luxury linen, crisp white ‘just off the line’ heavy cotton sheets, and comforting wool blankets. In winter, flannelette sheets offer extra cosiness.

It depends on which room you’re staying in. The Shearers’ Quarters has four large bathrooms for the exclusive use of guests staying in the five guest rooms in this building. Two of them are ensuite bathrooms with pretty farmland views, the other two are shared bathrooms. Each has a sublime clawfoot tub, two of which also have a shower, and we supply beautiful quality towels and luxury soap for the purest indulgence. In a delightful continuation of tradition, the two shared bathrooms are just a hop, skip and jump away, just off the end of the verandah in what was once the old shearers’ shower block, now beautifully renovated. The Schoolhouse has one glorious bathroom with a nice deep clawfoot bath. There is also a potbelly stove and a charming verandah overlooking the garden.

Go ahead and join your fellow guests in the Shearers’ Quarters. In the convivial Shearers’ Mess you can cook and share a delicious meal and relax in front of a roaring fire in the sitting room or Woolshed. We do ask that you use your own Schoolhouse bathroom to bathe so the Shearers’ Quarters shared bathrooms are available to guests staying in the building.

The homestead is the private residence of your host Simmone Logue and her family and is not open to guests. Media requests will be considered on merit – please complete our contact form to make your pitch.

Yes – there is free and efficient WiFi throughout the guest areas. Please don’t hesitate to ask for a password or you will find it in the guest manual.

The guest rooms do not have TVs as our vision for Essington Park is to give you space to relax, refresh, and unplug as much as possible. But of course you can stream your favourite entertainment on your own device if you wish with an excellent WiFi network. Please use earbuds or headphones to protect the peaceful ambience.

When you do a workshop and stay with us, the only meal you need to plan is dinner. The rest are included in your accommodation and workshop package. To start your day, we provide the makings of a country breakfast. Please collect the eggs from the chicken coop each morning to cook up your brekkie. Our house-made sourdough will be baked fresh for you to enjoy with a delicious Essington Park jam to accompany. We will also provide a scrumptious home-cooked lunch and there’s the opulent treat of country-style morning and afternoon tea with delectable scones and artisanal cakes baked by Simmone Logue herself. Quality teas and coffee are available any time. When the day is done, dinner is up to you – take pleasure in making a meal or venture out. See our suggestions >

When our workshops are not in session, we operate like a bed and breakfast. Every day we provide the makings of a hearty country breakfast. Please collect the eggs from the chicken coop each morning to cook up your brekkie. Our house-made sourdough will be baked fresh for you to enjoy with a delicious Essington Park jam to accompany. Quality teas and coffee are available any time. All this is included in your accommodation package. For dinner and lunch, it’s over to you. Cook a meal in our well-equipped kitchen or head out for some superb local cuisine. Try our recommendations >

Absolutely. We believe every meal is a chance to share conversation and nourishment in company with each other and we’ve furnished the Shearer’s Mess with everything you need to create and enjoy amazing repasts together. It’s a fully equipped kitchen with an old pine table for ten to gather around. If you like the idea of dining in the woolshed, there is a table and chairs for 10 guests, a wood fire for ambience, and a kitchen available for you there also. If you’d like to cook outside under the stars, there’s an old bush barbie with a sink and workbench for cleaning and prepping, plus a firepit where you can yarn in firelight. Don’t forget to save your scraps for the hens!

Yes, a thousand times yes. The herbs and vegetables in the garden will inspire our seasonal cooking classes and you are welcome to harvest fresh-picked herbs any time to create your own delicious meals.

You can pick up supplies just 10 minutes away at Mawhoods or Foodworks. If you don’t feel like leaving the seclusion of the estate to pick up something you forgot, luxury bath and living products handpicked by Simmone are also available for purchase.

If you’re keen to explore the area, we heartily recommend you try some of the wonderful places to eat in Oberon and surrounds. Don’t miss our country pubs – they’re a great place to enjoy delicious country cooking. Check out our favourites >

The Milbery in Oberon has the best coffee, home made muffins and house baked pastries in the area and is a must visit during your stay.

Located on 163 Oberon Street, Oberon.

Visit: www.themilbrey.com.au

If you need a break from relaxing, there are so many things to do in the Oberon area. It really has something for everyone, overflowing with natural beauty and history, charming towns and foodie destinations. We’ve listed some of our favourite things to do. For more ideas, visit the Oberon Visitor Information website or read my foodie guide in the Australian.