Savour the moment with these soul-soothing new openings in NSW.  This month’s crop of stylish new hotels, cosy places to eat and drink, and interesting things to do will keep everyone warm and cosy.

NEW FOOD AND DRINK

Fine dining with flair in Newcastle
Celebrated chef Massimo Speroni is bringing his Michelin-star experience to Newcastle with Jana, the signature restaurant of the new QT Newcastle hotel. The modern Australian menu will incorporate a hint of Speroni’s Italian heritage, so diners can expect classic techniques and flavours mixed with innovative new twists. There will be a strong focus on local produce as well as a wine list that leans heavily on the nearby Hunter Valley.

Whisky a go go
Uninterrupted harbour views and Newcastle’s largest collection of Japanese whisky make The Rooftop at QT the city’s best new spot for a nightcap. Cocktails like the Harajuku Highball and Tomasu Margarita are served alongside a menu of Japanese share plates of salmon sashimi, yakitori chicken and miso eggplant. It’s a little touch of Tokyo glam in this surfside city.

Tumbarumba tasting
Though the region is best known for its wines, visitors to Tumbarumba can now add a gin distillery to their itinerary. Ladbroken Distillery sits beside Tumbarumba Creek and is surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Snowy Mountains High Country. It was started in 2020 by Robbie and Neil Ladbrook from a desire to craft great Australian single malt whisky and botanical gins. The tasting room opened in April and is now open on weekends, with a dedicated Cocktail Club running Friday and Saturday nights. The Distillery Discovery Experience includes a behind-the-scenes tour with the distillers and a tasting of three gins.

Tomakin levels up 
Tomakin Sports Club has undergone a revamp to turn it from a classic community club into The Patch, a stylish, modern foodie destination on the South Coast. The 226-seat venue will showcase the best seafood and fresh produce from the Eurobodalla region, with indoor and outdoor dining areas overlooking lush gardens. It’s an elevated offering for Tomakin that will appeal to locals and visitors alike.

NEW ACCOMMODATION

Hunter icon reborn
One of the Hunter Valley’s most awarded luxury hotels, Tower Lodge, has been given the Spicers treatment and reopens this month as Spicers Tower Lodge. A $6 million renovation has breathed new life into this unique 14-room property. The Spanish Mission-style décor has been retained with its thick adobe rendered walls, handmade terracotta tiles, central courtyard with fountain and dramatic cloistered walkways. New on-site restaurant Sebastian celebrates Basque cuisine created with Hunter Valley produce. Stays at Spicers Tower Lodge are all-inclusive, with room rates including all meals, most beverages and a range of immersive experiences.

All aboard The Ark
Coolamon’s century-old Methodist church has been transformed into luxury self-contained property The Ark. Accommodating just two adult guests (over the age of 25), the space has been lovingly restored and has many original features, including Gothic cedar doors, leadlight windows, cypress pine floors and soaring ceilings. Guests can relax with a soak in the iron clawfoot bathtub or with a drink in the flower-filled courtyard.

One for the collection
The Collectors Studio is a chic new stay for two on the Central Coast, just one block from Blue Lagoon Beach in Bateau Bay. This eclectic studio is perfect for a winter break with a wood burner fireplace and clawfoot tub, as well as a king-sized bed and kitchenette. The space has been beautifully designed and is filled with quirky pieces the owners have collected on their world travels.

NEW EXPERIENCES

Camping with connection
Disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature on an overnight bush camp in the Ourimbah State Forest with Girra Girra, an Aboriginal-owned tour operator on the Central Coast. Sleeping in individual pop-up swag-style tents, guests will take part in an authentic Indigenous experience complete with a smoking ceremony, storytelling around the fire, body painting and dance.

A new way to get wild
Renowned South Coast operator Jervis Bay Wild is now running daily tours from Shellharbour Marina, operating as Shellharbour Wild with a 14-metre Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), Adventure. Seating 48 passengers and two crew, the vessel will undertake two-hour whale watching cruises between May and November, heading out in search of migrating whales as they make their way along NSW’s Humpback Highway. In the off season, two-hour Eco-Scenic cruises will go in search of dolphins in Bushrangers Bay and fur seals around the Five Islands.

What’s the buzz
Join the Southern Highlands’ beekeeping experts for a journey into one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages, mead. Bowral Beekeeping has partnered with Tractorless Vineyard for a three-hour Mead Making Class that includes a tour of the hives, a lesson in fermentation and a five-litre carboy (jug) of mead to take home. The workshop is a collaboration between Hamish Ta-mé from Bowral Beekeeping and head winemaker Jeff Aston from Tractorless Vineyard, based around their shared passion for bees, sustainability and local produce.