If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber . Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE.

Block your ears, summer. I'm an autumn girl now.

As the heatwaves fade, my favourite (and tbh, Australia's most underrated) season arrives with long sunny days, crisp mornings and pink skies at night.

While I love you, Sydney, as a country girl at heart, the best place to relish autumn is in regional Australia.

Just 3.5 hours away is a town that's been on my 'weekenders I need to book' list for a while.

Orange, in Central West NSW, is a popular destination between March and May. Not only because of its beauty — the streetscapes turn brilliant shades of scarlet, brown and gold — but because of its world-class produce and calendar of farm-to-table events.

The Quicky discusses the safest places to travel in 2026. Post continues after video.

0 0

The safest places to travel in 2026 | The Quicky

After two gloriously gluttonous days there, I can't recommend Orange enough.

The city is just wrapping up its annual Food Week (running until March 29), Australia's longest-running regional food festival, where farmers, chefs, and winemakers show off their spoils with workshops, night markets and long lunches.

My 48-hour trip was a feast for the senses — from eating on a mountainside and under a tree tunnel to picking sun-drenched fruit and sipping sparkling by a 150-year-old schoolhouse.

(Disclaimer: I know travelling, particularly now, is a privilege. My weekend reminded me there is no better food for the soul [and nervous system] than connecting with good people over Aussie fare. And you can find that all over our country!)

If you've been thinking about Orange, consider this your first-timer's guide.

Where to stay in Orange NSW.

Loft House, at Heifer Station Wines in Orange, NSW. Image: Supplied.

When I travel, I love to find accommodation with a view. The Loft House, perched on a hill overlooking the vines of Heifer Station Vineyard, might have one of the best.

While the design of the two-storey stay is New York-inspired, the deck and fire pit face a landscape that is all 'straya. Next to the vines below is a dam with ducks and grazing highland cows. In the distance, the rolling hills of Borenore and Mt Canobolas. The next day, I see kangaroos sprinting past, and a rabbit bobbing down the driveway.

It is silent save for paddock crickets… then my exhales.

Inside, the interiors are sleek but cosy, a record player is on when we arrive, and fresh sourdough and "bum nuts" from the resident chooks wait in the kitchen as a welcome gift.

Heifer Station Wines, and the view from Loft House. Image: Supplied.

Two luxe beds sit at each end of the high-pitched ceiling, originally designed as a shed for owners, Michelle and Phillip Stivens, before they saw the potential to host guests. One look at the sweeping vista, and it's no wonder why.

It's a home you don't need to leave. There is a kitchen and barbecue, a pizza stone and marshmallow forks for all your cooking needs. Down the dirt track is Heifer Station cellar door, known for its cool-climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz. For kids, there is a sandpit with toys and a 'Funny Farm', home to Truffle the pig, Tilly the horse, alpacas and goats.

Orange has no shortage of unique stays, thanks to savvy farmers and a boom in agritourism. Elsewhere, you can stay in a villa on a cherry orchard at Basalt, glamp under the stars at Nashdale Lane, book a retreat at Rosedale Farm, or in town at the '60s-inspired motel Oriana.

Accommodation at Mortimers Wines. Image: Supplied.

Another winery giving visitors a close-up experience is the charming Mortimers Wines, where you awake to vines. There are two stays here, a one-bedroom suite and a two-bedroom loft with a wide verandah overlooking the Chardonnay vines. For convenience, a 100m walk takes you to the cellar door housed in an 1866 school, with a playground kids will love, and a space for wine enthusiast workshops.

Where to eat and drink in Orange.

The Sampson Street Lunch, and dessert by Groundstone Café. Image: Supplied.

With only 48 hours, I barely grazed the surface of Orange tastes,

Lucky for me, I was in town for Food Week's Sampson Street Lunch, a four-course meal with paired wines. The setting was unmatched. Two tables with 350 locals and tourists dining under low-hanging foliage in one of Orange's prettiest streets. Orange's top chefs cooked and plated up the region's best ingredients beside us, and winemakers overshared their best drops and secrets.

The first course was by Hugh Piper (ex-chef of Sydney's Dear Sainte Eloise), from the small but mighty wine bar, Hey Rosey. His crispy gnocchi fritto with mushroom ragù — using truffles preserved a year ago — was my favourite of the day. It came with a ciabatta roll from family-run bakery, The Sugar Mill, (a great stop for a pie or pastry).

A champion of Orange's culinary scene, Dom Aboud, of The Union Bank, (a popular restaurant housed in a 165-year-old bank) gave us a lamb rillette, topped with condiments I still think about — a fig vinaigrette, sprinkled with hazelnuts, cumin and Corbaci peppers.

Dom Aboud of The Union Bank plating up at the Sampson Street Lunch in Orange, NSW. Image: Supplied.

Matching his meal was a riesling from See Saw Wines, an Orange mainstay for 30 years, and a full-bodied Syrah by Byrne Farm, described by owner Jeff as "massively smashable."

The third course (a smoked pork and ginger sausage, with anise-glazed eggplant and autumn veggies) combined the expertise of Richard Learmonth — a chef of 20 years in multi-hatted restaurants — with potatoes from spud grower of 50 years, Doug Dagg.

Meals at Fiorini's Osteria at Orange, NSW, and the view from Macquarielands Organic Wines. Image: Supplied.

Dessert by Danielle Romeo, of Groundstone Café (where I was recommended to visit for breaky) rounded off the meal with an apple terrine, with rhubarb and crème aglaise. Other wines painstakingly selected for the lunch were by Brangayne of Orange, Stockman's Ridge, Canobola's Wines, Swinging Bridge and Heifer Station.

Keen to squeeze as much out of my trip as possible, I visited Macquarielands Organic Wines at sunset. With some of the highest vineyards in the country, the cellar door's Towac Valley view and organic Pinot Grigio did not disappoint. To finish the day, we stopped in at Hotel Canobolas, a reinvented pub in the main drag.

After a very deep sleep, my food highlight on Sunday, was lunch at Fiorini's Osteria Italiana (sister to Il Baretto in Paddington). The little green cottage off a quiet, rural road at the foothill of Mt Canobolas is an attraction in itself.

A homely feeling hits you walking in, as your senses take in the smells from the open kitchen, Italian music and decorated walls. I ate the softest (ever) house-baked focaccia, with burrata and crispy prosciutto, followed by a Sicilian casarecce caponato (like a warm hug), and a clam spaghetti.

Yes, I was bursting at the seams. No, I didn't stop. So I finished with an omg-I-could-eat-10 cannoli siciliani, a pastry filled with a sweet ricotta filling, pistachio and chocolate.

After loosening our belts, we did a tasting back at Heifer Station, before retreating to our deck to watch dusk turn to night — with Fiorini's leftovers, because I wasn't wasting a drop of sauce.

Top things to do in Orange.

Pick apples at Hillside Harvest, or visit boutiques like Jumbled. Image: Supplied.

Besides eating and drinking? I recommend a visit to Hillside Harvest. You can grab a coffee and morning tea, and wander through rows of apple, nectarine and plum trees, sampling fruit from the branches. I took home a bag of sun-kissed fruit for a few coins.

Next, hit Orange's main streets for an eclectic boutique scene. Here you'll find one of NSW's most Insta-famous stores, Jumbled. Browsing the bright selection of florals, fashion and art by Orange's impressive creatives will spark joy instantly.

Other stops include Dirty Janes, The White Place and Mary & Tex Curious Emporium. Fashionistas should head to Cint, and art lovers can check out The Corner Store Gallery.

I rolled out of Orange under a striking sunrise early on Monday. I left the hillside, full, obviously, but with a joyful sense of community. Orange's trophy-winning produce is as much about heart, as it is its famous soil.

Everything I tasted was made more delicious by the passion pouring from the makers and the conversations with those who served me. My first visit to Orange definitely won't be my last.

The author travelled as a guest of Loft House and Orange Food Week 2026. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.

Feature image: Supplied.