Overview
The end of a long weekend always gets us looking toward our next getaway. This time around, it's Braidwood that has caught our attention. Located a three-hour drive south of Sydney, the town is now home to the renovated Mona Farm — a 124-acre country estate and your new excuse for an out-of-town holiday. The property is part luxury farm stay, part nature retreat and part art gallery, all wrapped into one.
Mona Farm spans six farmhouses for accommodation of up to 44 guests. Two have just been renovated and the remaining four are a work in progress. The completed buildings are The Homestead and The Coach House, which were built in 1853 and 1903, respectively. Each maintains its existing historic exterior, while the interior has been modernised with bespoke furnishings and an art collection — including work by Brisbane artist Sally Anderson and German kinetic sculptor Frank Bauer.
The other four cottages, which include a repurposed shearer's quarters and a lakeside cottage, will be designed by Surry Hills' architect Louise Nettleton and will be completed in the next 12 months. Expect interiors by MCM House, Anibou and Cosh Living, among others.
Kimberley Low
Beyond the accommodation, the expansive property includes eight-acres of award-winning gardens — featuring a hidden rose garden and veggie patch — a croquet lawn, a large central lake with an old stone bridge and an elm forest that was planted by the original Mona Farm owner back in the 1800s.
Artworks from over 20 Australian and international sculptors have been installed throughout the grounds, giving the natural surrounds a modern appeal. Some of the artists and sculptures include Janet Laurence, Adam Cullen, Fiona Hall, James Angus, Guy Maestri and Marion Borgelt. The farm also houses a significant collection of works by American sculpture Peter Lundberg, including a few specifically commissioned for the space.
Kimberley Low
It really is a working farm, too, with Scottish Highland cattle, English Wiltshire Horn sheep, Wessex saddleback pigs and Clydesdale horses all sharing the land — plus platypus, long-necked turtles and rainbow trout sharing the lake. The vegetable garden is also home to bee hives and chickens out for a stroll.
If you'd like to spend a night here, you'll need to round up the crew. The Homestead sleeps ten guests and starts at $2500 a night ($250 each), while The Cottage sleeps nine and starts at $1050 a night ($105 each). If you have heaps of friends — or are, say, holding a wedding — you can book out the whole estate, which sleeps 44.
For those not staying overnight, regular artist exhibitions, concerts and tours of the grounds will be on the docket as well.
Mona Farm is located at 140 Little River Road, Braidwood. For more information and for future bookings, head here.
Images: Kimberley Low.