Whitecottage Flower Farm
East St | Tenterfield | NSW
Weekends on the Northern Rivers are best spent packing up the car, turning off any form of navigation; paying no attention to the time and driving in any direction with reckless abandon. You end up where you end up and no matter where that destination may be, you’ll either be enveloped in rolling green countryside or hit some of the most beautiful coastline in Australia.
This wasn’t exactly one of those weekends though. Only in that there were time restraints. I had a friend visiting from Sydney who had a flight to catch on the Sunday, so we had to have a rough itinerary planned. Plenty of reckless abandon to go around though, don't you worry about that.
The itinerary for the short road trip roughly went as follows: Stanthorpe Grape and Wine Festival, open gardens associated with the festival; overnight in Tenterfield with a stop in at Whitecottage Flower Farm, a home to beautifully restored old-school furniture, plants and as the name would suggest – flowers.
I’d visited Tenterfield a couple of years ago, it was another one of those little towns where I made the mental note to come back and explore when I had more time. Enormous old deciduous trees line the roadway into town almost symmetrically, the surrounding landscape has an English countryside feel to it, and I’m sure most have heard of the Tenterfield Saddler and its significance, so I won’t elaborate on that. This is a little town rich with history and the locals I’ve met, very proud of its heritage.
At the top of my list this trip was a place called Whitecottage Flower Farm, owned and run by a lovely local lady called Mandy. Nestled in the greenery of the English-style garden is her quaint little white cottage. Full to overflowing with an array of restored furniture, potted plants, paint and other wares to be bought for the home. A meander around the cottage from room to room is like having a sticky-beak in someone's private residence, such is the homely feel.
I’ve had my eye on the painting and flower arranging workshops held at the cottage for a very long time, and now that I’m in the general vicinity, I might be able to finally get it together and book in to attend at least one of them.
I was there during the warmer months as you’ve probably gathered by the mention of the Stanthorpe Grape and Wine Festival, things were quite green and there was a rolling storm overnight in Tenterfield. The landscape will probably look a bit different during this time of the year, the cooler months brings new delights in that region though. Instead of the rolling summer-storm, I might encounter a bit of snow and a roaring fireplace.
My fingers are crossed for some snow this season, quite the novelty for a native Queenslander. If not I can always use blooming peonies as an excuse to head back for another visit.
