Latest news with #Ulladulla
Daily Telegraph
23-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Telegraph
Hotel Review: Cupitt's Estate, Ulladulla, NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. The priority for most people in retirement is rest or travel. Not so Griff and Libby Cupitt. Over 18 years, the former farmers and one-time owners of the Bowral Hotel in the NSW Southern Highlands have turned a former South Coast dairy farm into a destination vineyard, winery, brewery and restaurant, adding accommodation three years ago and creating a legacy for the next generation of their family who have now taken the reins. The location Cupitt's Estate is set on 75ha on the outskirts of Ulladulla, five minutes from town, and three hours' drive south of Sydney on the NSW South Coast. It's ideally situated to give guests the best of country and coast in a weekend getaway – Mollymook's beaches, golf club and restaurants are minutes away, and we also spend a few hours wandering the historic village of Milton with its antique shops, galleries, boutiques and cafés. The property has views across sauvignon blanc vines and paddocks to the Budawang Ranges and the upper reaches of the Burrill Lake wetlands. The free-standing one-bedroom villas are surrounded by gardens, settle the structures into the landscape and give guests greater privacy. The arrival After our customary lunch stop at Hayden's Pies in Ulladulla – pass at your peril – we find Washburton Road, and the entry to Cupitt's Estate. At reception, a cute cottage which was part of the original Washburton dairy farm, we are pointed further down the drive to parking in front of a sloping row of 10 free-standing one-bedroom villas (including one that's wheelchair-accessible), designed by Sherson Architecture and constructed off site by Wagga Wagga modular builders Prefabulous. They were installed in 2021-22 and in the seasons since, the surrounding gardens designed by Rosie – a trained horticulturalist and winemaker – have flourished to better settle the structures into the landscape and give guests greater privacy. The villa is tastefully decorated in cream and graphite tones with Scandi touches, and is comfortably furnished. What's inside Entering our villa, one of four with a bath-tub on their private deck, I'm distracted by two stunning monochrome marine prints on the living area wall. I recognise the artist, South Coast printmaker Peta West, from my Instagram feed and I'm happy to be able to gaze at the real thing for a while. There is more coastal-inspired art in the separate bedroom and central bathroom, all sourced and purchasable from Gallery Alchemy in Milton. The deck, with its views across lush paddocks, becomes another source of contentment for our stay, as we sit and debate whether a hole in the hillside yonder is a wombat burrow, watch a fox steal through the dusk, and weigh up the therapeutic value in watching grazing cows – Griff's black angus herd numbers 70. My villa is one of four with a bath-tub on their private deck. The villa, with its high ceilings and timber flooring, is tastefully decorated in cream and graphite tones with Scandi touches, and is comfortably furnished. It has a kitchen – a breakfast hamper with way more provisions than needed is included in the room rate – and if you fancy buying from the mini-bar, it includes a kit for assembling cocktails premixed 'with love' by the bar team as well as wine and beer made on-site. Tea drinkers will note the English breakfast from Tea Journeys in Nowra, and the drip coffee is local too, from Guerilla Roasters in Moruya. The bathroom has a rain shower and marble-topped vanity with quality Leif products by the basin. Our package includes a two-course dinner at the dining room, which is a two-minute walk from the villas. Food & drink Our package includes a two-course dinner at the dining room, which is a two-minute walk from the villas, past the outdoor 'wine garden' casual dining space that hums at weekends but is still on a cool Thursday evening (dinner is served Thursday Saturday and lunch seven days). Menus change with the seasons, executive chef Jonathan Pryor looking to the estate's own kitchen garden, wider local produce and Mediterranean influences for inspiration to match head winemaker Wally Cupitt's drops made only metres away with cool-climate grapes grown mainly around Tumbarumba and the NSW Hilltops region. And there's more below the surface, literally – a wine cave under the restaurant is a stop on a behind-the-scenes tour that runs three days a week. Tastings are also conducted in an 1851 building that was once the original dairy's creamery, with Ruby's rosé – named for a Cupitt granddaughter – among more popular bottles. Menus change with the seasons. Extras Live music sessions are on Fridays and Sundays and the restaurant runs a calendar of special events. What's hot Sustainability matters at Cupitt's Estate. They operate a closed-loop waste system throughout and EV drivers will find a charging station outside reception. Cupitt's Estate is a complete, all-in-one country getaway. What's not I can't afford the artwork. Verdict - 8.5/10 Cupitt's is a complete, all-in-one country getaway. The writer was a guest of Cupitt's Estate. An overnight Winter Gourmet Getaway package including dinner, breakfast hamper and wine tasting, is from $499 a couple from Sunday to Thursday. Originally published as We stayed at Cupitt's Estate in Ulladulla, the complete country getaway
ABC News
02-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
East coast low drenches south coast of NSW, felling trees, damaging homes
An intense weather system has wreaked havoc on the NSW south coast, downing trees and powerlines with some homes significantly damaged. Emergency flood warnings were issued for Burrill Lake, Sanctuary Point, Lake Conjola and Tabourie on Wednesday after the east coast low brought powerful gusts and heavy rain to the south coast. Ulladulla recorded 223 millimetres of rain on Tuesday night, its heaviest July downpour on record. Meanwhile, wind gusts in excess of 100kph buffeted the coast, felling trees and powerlines. A Sussex Inlet resident said the storm had interrupted his Bali holiday. John Godley was two days into his trip overseas when he received an urgent text from his neighbour telling him his home had been damaged. "She said a massive tree next door on your border has fallen during the rain bomb," he said. It had crushed the roof of his house and the verandah. "I was devastated," he said. Mr Godley said he had been relying on the help of neighbours and family to survey the damage. "I'm tossing up whether to go back to Australia to go look at it," he said. "Before it happened everyone was texting me saying, 'Oh, you're so lucky.'" The NSW SES has responded to more than 2,000 incidents across the state in the past 24 hours, with most jobs in flooded areas along the south coast. Units along the coast have responded to reports of multiple fallen trees damaging homes and property. A large gum tree was uprooted and fell onto a two-storey brick home in Malua Bay, causing significant damage. There were 38 incidents of trees impacting houses in 24 hours in the Eurobodalla, which stretches between Batemans Bay, Akolele and Narooma. NSW SES Eurobodalla commander Peter Collins said some trees were leaning against the buildings, while others had fallen through. "We had a couple last night where they've fallen onto the house and rain is coming into the bedrooms," he said. SES Chief Inspector Dallas Burnes said the full extent of the storm's damage would be assessed once the weather cleared. "We're still seeing some significant rainfall, and the winds, whilst they've eased are still there," he said. The low pressure system is slowly moving off shore, and the NSW SES expects communities to need assistance with cleaning up. "People are identifying problems now and giving us a call," Mr Burns said. "It's mainly storm jobs today, no more flood rescues." However, the NSW SES said further warnings could be issued on Wednesday at Lake Conjola and Sussex Inlet as floodwater was expected to rise ahead of a high tide. Hospitality businesses on the NSW south coast have been preparing to throw out hundreds of dollars worth of food as a result of flood-induced power outages. Rian Gough, owner of Rosie Oats cafe at Burrill Lake, said she expected to lose a lot of produce. "I'm going to have to throw out a lot of my fresh produce so meats, cheeses, fruit and veg and a lot of my bread orders will probably go mouldy," she said. "It's tough, it's really tough, especially being a small business owner and just seeing it all go to waste." Brinley Kettle, who is a co-owner of Lagom Bakery at Burrill Lake, said he had to close his business for the day after losing power for 16 hours. "It's a bit crap we couldn't open," he said. "It does maybe flood once a year or so, but this is quite bad. "This is maybe once in every few years." Mr Kettle said he could lose $1,000 worth of perishable items, including cheese, meats, juices and cakes. "It's quite cold today, so we've got hopes that stuff will keep cool, but definitely not counting on it," he said. "The cakes should be fine, but there's a few things that might not be. "We've still got another day of this rain."
ABC News
01-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Emergency warnings and evacuation orders in place across NSW coast, after damaging rain and winds
Several regions across the state are being warned to take shelter and almost 30,000 people are without power after a severe weather system battered parts of NSW overnight. The SES has issued warnings for those around Burril Lake, near Ulladulla, to seek shelter after downpours have caused significant rises in waterways there. About 200 properties are impacted with floods reaching above floor level in homes, NSW SES said. Others in Sanctuary Point, near Jervis Bay, have been warned to move to higher ground after hazardous flooding has made it unsafe to evacuate. Evacuate now alerts have also been issued on the Central Coast by the SES after severe coastal erosion in Wamberal and The Entrance. So far, seven emergency warnings remain in place along the NSW coast. Almost 30,000 people are waking up on Wednesday morning to widespread outages. Multiple providers are reporting disruptions across their networks from Newcastle to as far south as Batemans Bay on the South Coast. According to their own figures, Endeavour customers appear to be the most impacted, with 17,000 homes without power. NSW SES crews have responded to more than 2,320 incidents since the start of this event, including floodwater rescues around the South Coast. The falls topped at more than 200mm in Ulladulla overnight, with flood rescue crews responding to a series of requests for help in Shoalhaven. "These incidents are a timely reminder that roads are slippery, and conditions can become dangerous quickly," SES Acting Assistant Commissioner Allison Flaxman said. "Please never drive, walk or play in floodwaters. If you do come across a flooded road, turn around and find an alternative route." Overnight, a motorist was taken to hospital after a large tree fell, bringing down high-voltage power lines in Cranebrook. On arrival at the scene, crews found the the tree lying on the roadway with a damaged vehicle nearby, the driver sustaining minor injuries. The severe conditions also brought trees down onto power lines and railway tracks at the foot of the Blue Mountains in Lapstone. Major train delays and power outages occurred following the damage.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Three easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plants that look after themselves
At 96, Patricia Bate still enjoys the garden she grew with her late husband Noel, but at her age she needs plants that look after themselves. Her lush oasis at Ulladulla on the New South Wales south coast is the result of decades of labour. In 1991 the garden consisted of a grass patch but is now anything but bare. A Spanish moss, which has been growing for the past two decades, hangs gracefully in abundance, with soft, trailing stems. The blanket of Spanish moss, a plant native to South and Central America, grows on a trellis Noel planted for beans. "My granddaughter Nicole noticed the birds were moving it, and they made a nest in the camellia," Patricia said. "Then some appeared on the elk horn, and the tree fern, and she just watched, and gradually she worked out she would use Noel's trellis, the back of it, thread it through, which she has done. "And we now call it Nicole's wall." For 30 years horticulturist John Gabriele has been advising listeners on local radio program the Compost Heap. He often makes recommendations for people who enjoy gardening but are aging, short on time or lack space. "I had the pleasure of meeting Patricia a few years back at an event for Garden Clubs Australia, she's in her 90s and an inspiration to us all," John said. Over the years Patricia has sought advice about her garden features, including a ponytail palm, strelitzias and the Spanish moss, which grows with vigour, draped and dappled among the tree ferns. Spanish moss, a bromeliad in the Tillandsia genus, is an epiphyte, a plant that grows on other plants. From subtropical regions, the plant grows well in the Illawarra climate. "Some people refer to it as old man's beard, which has got this beautiful glaucous or grey-blue colour to the stems or the foliage, which are the stems," John said. Hanging from boughs and branches it propagates easily and doesn't damage the plant it's growing on. "Spanish moss draws nutrients from the atmosphere, so you'll get nitrogen fixation with thunderstorms and when it rains, it draws nitrogen from the moisture in the air," John said. "If you've got one growing in a dry environment, sprinkle it with water every two weeks in summer, maybe a little bit more if it's dry and in winter you'd water it once a month. Like most grey leaved plants, Spanish moss tolerates salty conditions growing in areas with salt-laden winds. But like many introduced species, under the right conditions it can become an environmental weed, although John said it was not something that had been declared. John said for older gardeners, softwood perennials provided colour and ease of maintenance as well as being drought-tolerant. "Most softwood perennials don't require a great deal of maintenance, and you can get the cut-and-come-again types, which are relatively easy to grow." Strelitzia is a plant native to South Africa that is very hardy and drought-tolerant, with an excellent picked flower. "Strelitzia can get up to 10 metres tall, but the one that most people know of, the bird of paradise, is a fantastic plant to have in a garden," John said. "It produces beautiful flowers that can be cut and brought indoors for arrangements or just left in the garden to enjoy. "As the name implies, they don't produce woody tissues so pruning or cutting flowers from strelitzia, for example, is relatively easy on the wrist opposed to a woody tree or a shrub." John said using softwood perennials and annual plants would provide colour and ease of maintenance. Another feature of Patricia's garden is a slow-growing architectural plant known as a ponytail palm, a worldwide ornamental plant originating from Mexico. "It was in a tiny pot, then went to a larger pot and that pot cracked, so it was put in the garden and hasn't stopped growing," she said. John said it was a lovely, low-maintenance plant to have in any garden. "It's basically a succulent for want of a better description," he said. "Those types of plants, succulents and cacti, you'll find that older people tend to use a lot of them because of the low-maintenance requirements."
