Glenayr Farm

Living off the grid is the philosophy at Glenayr Farm. I took it to have two meanings; living off the solar power that is the farm stay’s sole source of energy and living disconnected from technology and busyness of life, away from the constant pings, rings and vibrations of notifications. Glenayr Farm is perfect for romantic getaways or group holidays. Staring out at the rolling hills of the quintessential Australian country side will make you think you and the on looking kangaroos who inhabit the property, on the only living things on earth.

If you are looking to spend a few days living sustainably off what mother nature gave us and truely unplugged from technology, there is no better place than Glenyar Farm.

Glenyar Farm is a family owned 320 working farm with four glamping bell tents and two luxury villas located 25 minute drive outside of Mudgee and a 3.5 hour drive from Sydney. There is no service here (unless you are Telstra) and no wifi which is exactly how the owners intended it to be. Although it seems you are so far from civilisation, Mudgee’s world class wineries, restaurant’s and shops are within minutes drive of Glenyar.

It seems these days we are always “on”, always contactable and easily distracted by notifications and alerts. It was the first time in probably years I had no service for two blissful days and I forgot where I left my phone for the two days. Instead of setting alarms we went to sleep shortly after the sun did and rose with the sound of roosters and the sunlight.

The sunrises here are shared with the kangaroos and the incredible unrivalled sunsets over the rolling countryside are best from the hot tub with a glass of local wine. The most incredible views of the sky were at night where the sky resembles black silk with shining bright lights sitting on top. The moon and stars are so bright here we didn’t even need a torch to go to the bathroom at night. One of Australia’s premier star gazing sites, Mudgee Observatory, is only 10 minutes away from Glenayr.

The champagne tent has an outdoor bed that you can sleep under the stars, this is exclusive to the champagne tent so I would try and bag this one when booking your bell tent.

Glenayr Farm is a sustainable, eco friendly and the environmentally conscious choice for accommodation. It has been built 100% off the grid and built for romantic getaways and group stays in mind. This is one of the features that drew me to Glenayr as I aim for my travel to be kinder and minimise our impact on the planet

If you are thinking you might have to sacrifice luxury or comfort when glamping, this is most certainly not the case here. The linen is supplied by Eco Down Under, incredible natural cotton sheets. The communal area has a full equipped kitchen, lovely showers and toilets, fluffy towels, a pool table and ample board games, movies and books so you are short of was to keep entertained.

A two night, three day stay here is perfect about of time to enjoy Glenyar Farm and check out a few of the best wineries in Mudgee.

What to bring with you to Glenayr:

• Food and wine, they have a huge fridge freezer, bbq and kitchen to do all the cooking you want.
• Warm clothes for night
• Swimming costume
• Active wear for exploring the property
• Toiletries. The showers do have shampoo, soap and conditioner in them
• A good book. They have plenty if you forget
• Camera

Here is an example of how we spend three days exploring this fabulous area and reconnecting with each other.

Day 1:

We left Sydney early in the morning and arrived to Mudgee for 11 am. We headed to Alby & Esthers for a delicious breakfast and planned out of our day. We hit up Yeates Winery first, a beautiful boutique family run winery 10 minute drive from the town with outdoor seating looking onto wine yards and a lake. We happened to be the only people here (benefits of going midweek). We did a tasting here, a tasting of all of their 6 wines is $15. After Yeates we headed to the well known winery, Lowes.

Lowes is just simply stunning, it is set in an old barn which leads to an outdoor courtyard area to sit. You can also take a picnic basket down to the lake and enjoy some peace away from the main seating as it can be busy at the weekends. Lucky again it was very quiet when we went. We enjoyed a cheese and meat platter for lunch with a glass of our favourite wine here, the Jodie. Lowes is definitely the most picturesque winery in Mudgee with the lake, the swings and views onto the rows of vineyards.

After Lowes we headed to check in to Glenyar Farm shortly after 3pm. We spend the first hour in awe of the place and having a wander around the property, both so taken aback at how beautiful and peaceful it was. It was quite a warm day so we fired up the hot tub as a plunge pool and dipped in to cool off.

At 6 pm we decided to check out the local pub, the Golden Fleece Hotel, just a few minutes down the road to see what was on the menu for the evening. We were told the pub shuts when the last patron leaves so not an exact time. They do lunch and dinner from Thursday-Sunday so we were not in luck as we were there on a Monday but the bar manager said they had some pizzas they could do for us. We were shocked at just how friendly everyone is here, we sat down and had a drink with the locals in the beer garden and chatted away. As soon as we sat down we had been introduced to everyone there and told if we need a hand with anything, call this guy. The pizzas were delicious and we went back to the Glenayr ready to enjoy the sunset from the hot tub. The evenings are cold here but the days lovely and warm so the warm water was appreciated once the sun went down.

I had possibly the best sleep I’ve ever had that night. It is so quiet apart from some crickets. It is a kind of silence I am not used to sleeping in a busy suburb in Sydney. The only light was coming from the moon and stars. The bedlinen is so beautiful and the cooler nights meant we could get cosy under the blanket and sleep through the night. A welcomed change from Sydney’s humid nights.

Day 2:

The following morning we woke with the sun and the roosters but dosed back off to sleep for a bit and got up to explore the perimeter of the property. We ran around so it took just over an hour, it takes about 2 hours to walk around. It was such a nice changed and surreal feeling not having to be anywhere at a particular time and under no schedule. We cooked up breakfast, read, cooled off in the hot tub, fell asleep on the outdoor bed and just felt totally relaxed and at ease. At about 1pm we headed for a coffee and a snack at Mudgee Honey Haven. They have free honey tasting of about 8 different flavours, the butterscotch honey was a winner!

We had been recommended getting a cheese platter from Brunbrae Wines, only 15 minute drive from Glenyar. We went there for a late lunch and some wine tasting. The wine tasting to taste all of their wines is only $5. Their sparkling wine is some of the best I’ve had. We loved the name of it too, Twinkle Toes. We got a bottle to take back with us to enjoy later in the hot tub.

That night, our final night, we made use of the fantastic facilities available back at Glenayr and used the BBQ for dinner. We pottered around the farm enjoying a few drinks down at the dam, up by our tent and then in the hot tub for sunset. The dam has a big wooden table and decking which is perfect for hosting dinner or a picnic.

After dinner and the sun had gone, we curled up on the sofa to watch a movie. We finished off the night by getting the doona out and lying out on the outdoor bed, exclusive to the champgane tent, to take in the incredible sight. The sky explodes to life after the last light is gone. The nights were cool and clear with no clouds making it perfect for star gazing. The last time I saw anything that came near to rivaling the stars in Glenyar was in the Atacama desert, known as the world’s best destination for stargazing.

Day 3:

We got up early for sunrise on our last day and watched the pink hues of the clouds change with the kangaroos form the hot tub. We had put logs on the hot tub the previous night to heat it up and it was piping hot still the next morning. Water is like liquid gold in Mudgee as they only used rainwater, it doesn’t rain very often here is it is important to take that into consideration. Have short showers and only fill the hot tub up once.

We cooked up breakfast, chilled out for a while enjoying the calm of the countryside before packing up and getting ready to check out. On our way back to Sydney we stopped to have a browse around the town of Mudgee, it has some lovely boutiques and cute cafes. About 15 km outside of Mudgee on your way to Sydney is Logan’s Wines. This award winning winery is stunning, the tasting room is all glass, light and views everywhere. It is perched above the vines with spectacular views of their Mudgee vineyard and Apple Tree Flat. Tastings start at $10 and they also serve cheese boards for lunch. They do a food and wine experience lasting either 60 or 90 minutes depending on which session you chose. It is the last winery as you leave the area so we decided to finish our getaway on a good note there.

Rachel and Michael have also put together an itinerary, list of what you need to bring and ideas of things to do in the area. They can organise a picnic to come to the farm, give you details of hot air ballooning or horse riding in the area. They have thought of absolutely everything you could need to make your stay unforgettable. I hope you have found this useful and have been persuaded to book a trip to Glenayr Farm. I can’t wait to go back already.