Last weekend a couple of girlfriends and I got away to the Blue Mountains. I didn't realise how much I needed some down time & most importantly, some time with the girls until I was out of Sydney. (Fellas, you may just want to scroll straight to the restaurant review to avoid a bit of girly chat). Our base for the weekend was a charming house with an English style garden in the heart of Blackheath. As you can imagine, wine, cheese and lots of chatter were high up on the agenda. We named the trip #goldengirlsontour and #buglife Why? The trip actually turned out to be very tame, with strolls to the local antique store, afternoons with cups of tea & childish squeals due to the over friendly bugs that seemed to follow us everywhere, night & day. One of the highlights was our trip to the Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens....#goldengirlsontour making sense now? The botanical garden covers a HUGE 28 hectares of rich fertile ground ideal for plants that originate from the world's cooler regions. There are 13 feature gardens in total, however The Proteaceae Garden full of bright & colourful Waratahs was hands down my fav. Wandering through the gardens was such a peaceful and tranquil experience, I felt incredibly grounded being surrounded by such stunning nature.

We literally stopped to smell the roses, how often do you get to that? My guess is not enough!

All the fresh air and nature really set the tone for the weekend. It compelled us to let go, wind down & open up. Yes we spoke about relationships, but more so about our future aspirations and dreams (I told you there would be a bit of girly chat). Honestly, I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such strong ambitious women in my life. (Fella's, you can start reading now). So, let's get to the part where we ate. The Tomah Gardens Restaurant is perched high on the ridge overlooking the vast Wollemi National Park. The new managers, Sean Moran and Michael Robertson of Sean's Panaroma in Bondi, have created an all Australian experience. Expect locally sourced ingredients, to locally made furniture, plates, pepper mills & salt dishes, even the menu is beautifully illustrated by one of the wait staff. We were so in tune with each other that it took only secs to decide what we wanted to order. A seasonal salad with broad beans, asparagus, leafy greens, walnuts & goats cheese to share, 3 orders of the Linguine with shredded rocket, chilli, lemon & parmesan and for dessert the angel cake with strawberry jam plus the baked custard with rhubarb & pistachio shortbread. Everything was so fresh & flavoursome thanks to the talented team in the kitchen and the use of local, seasonal produce. In fact, a lot of the produce comes from Sean's and Michael's own farm in Bilpin, a mere 10 mins away so quality control doesn't really get better than this. Other options on the perfectly sized menu are Dill cured rainbow trout, Corn-fed chicken roast, pot pies, roasted lamb rack, blueberry scones with honey butter to name a few. Service was efficient & friendly helping to make an overall warm & fulfilling experience. Even if you don't have time to walk through the gardens, I strongly recommend you swing by for a coffee to take in the incredible scenery from the naturally shaded verandah. Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens Bells Line of Road via Bilpin NSW, Australia, 2758 Free Entry Tomah Gardens Restaurant Address - as above 0421 552 746 or tomahgardensrestaurant@gmail.com Open for Morning Tea, Lunch & Afternoon Tea daily Interesting Fact: Deemed a "food lovers dream", Sean & Michael have a B&B in Bilpin that you can stay at called Farm Panorama For other Blue Mountain get away ideas, check out my post from earlier in the year here