Orange in full colour | As published in The Paige
This story was first published on The Paige in exchange for a complimentary stay
It’s a crisp winter’s day as we pull up to Yallungah Boutique Hotel in Orange, the kind that is fresh and zingy but with a cloudless sky, pulled taut like silk. Stepping into a toasty reception, I’m greeted by Yallungah’s hotel manager Alex, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find this historic building is cosy, warm and modern.
The hotel’s high ceilings flood the area with a hazy light, and further along its honey-hued corridors is another sitting area, peppered with hand-woven textures, sunshine-infused pops of locally-made art and arched windows framing the autumnal trees in the driveway. We can definitely make ourselves at home here.
Yallungah was designed and built in 1896 for architect William Lamrock and his family. Since then it has been thoughtfully restored – all the hotel’s faded charm and character has been kept throughout, with the original slate roof and distinctive buff brickwork retained during the extension of the hotel. It now offers 22 uniquely appointed rooms, including five suites. We settle into Suite 15, which includes personal touches like complimentary local wine and Rocky Road, as well as the deepest bath tub I have laid my eyes on – absolute swoon.
As darkness draws in, our stomachs begin to rumble and we make our way to the recently-opened Summer Street Wine Room, in the heart of Orange’s CBD. Created by hospitality duo Elizabeth Wittig and Matthew Eustis, this buzzy spot takes its cues from big city wine bars with an ever-evolving menu of small plates paired seamlessly with the best Australian wine the region has to offer. Intimate and moody, the bar has kept its heritage bones, making it the perfect Friday night meeting point for locals and visitors alike.
The following morning we wake from a deep and restful sleep. The light is pale through the curtains, like cloudy water dipped with paint, and we get settled for our breakfast – complimentary with all stays – in Yallungah’s modern dining room. A generous granola and fruit starter with fresh juice is followed by a choice of modern Australian dishes (the avo and eggs were *chefs kiss*) and tea or coffee.
After feasting like kings, we wander past Orange’s charming California Bungalows and federation-style cottages to Jumbled. No trip to Orange is complete without a visit to this iconic homewares store, often dubbed the creative pulse of the Central Tablelands.
Housed in The Sonic, an 1800’s era masonic hall, Jumbled is a kaleidoscope of colour and texture, where hard-to-find ceramics and fashion jostle alongside locally-made art and books. It’s warm and inviting in many ways, and it’s easy to spend hours browsing here, stopping either for coffee at its in-house cafe or to chat to their friendly staff, who feel more like old friends.
Our next stop is ChaLou Wines, a short 15-minute drive outside of Orange. We perch on the winery’s verandah, the doors open to the vines below, faces cold but our bodies warming under the heater and with the steady imbibing of the beautiful wines we are tasting here at ChaLou. Owners Steve and Nadja both met at wine school and, following many industry accolades including Winemaker of the Year and Top Young Guns of Wine in 2022, decided to strike out on their own when a friend’s property came up for sale.
The couple’s European travels are woven throughout their winemaking philosophy, with a focus on growing the best possible grapes and moving and shifting as growing conditions dictate. We took home a pinot noir and a delicious riesling, mementoes from our peaceful afternoon among the vines.
That evening the night is bitingly cold, but we pull our jackets close as we set off for The Oriana – an establishment we’re soon convinced is Orange’s best kept secret. Owner Espen Harbitz has taken the original motel concept and flipped it on its head to deliver an updated take on old-school cool just a few roads off the main Orange drag. Espen – himself a tycoon of hospitality, having run his own restaurant in Hong Kong – bought the Oriana along with his late partner, who recalls fond memories of driving past the beaten-down motel during his childhood.
A labour of love over many years, the renovated motel now boasts 49 rooms, and during the warmer months a Pool Club beckons for visitors who gather under the fairy lights by the garden kitchen, which also serves oysters and cocktails. A sauna has recently been added to the outdoor lineup.
The atmosphere crackles with Palm Springs charm as we settle in for a cocktail in the Bella Vista room, bedecked in plush velvet armchairs and antique chandeliers. We later take our seats for our main meal in the neighbouring Peacock Room, itself a riot of chintz, oil paintings, cut glass vases and photos from heady days when this very spot was the motel’s ballroom.
We feast on beautifully tender steak and melt-in-your-mouth dauphinois potatoes and a perfect bottle of red from local vineyard See Saw. Pouring more wine, we chat to the wait staff, discovering one of them is from the same small town on the UK coastline that I was born in, and soak in the buzzy, warming atmosphere.
It’s our final day and the sky is pewter; rain clouds threaten and loom. The landscape of regional Australia rolls past our window, its flaxen fields as dry as a tinder box – the looming rain is welcome today. Just before we check out and leave the cosy confines of Yallungah, there’s time for one last dip in that bathtub. The trees flame the window, flooding the bathroom with orange and as I sink further into the tub, memories from a cosy and satiating weekend escape come to the fore. It really is beautiful here.
For more information or to book Yallungah Boutique Hotel in Orange, visit www.yallungahhotelorange.com.au