5 Reasons Why Goulburn Should Be Your Next Weekend Away

Do wine without driving long trails. Find solitude but also an urban scene. Heavy on charm but not shy of personality, the big little city of Goulburn serves scones with street art and organic wine. The weekend escape you're waiting for is only a two-hour drive from Sydney or an hour out of Canberra.

Embark on a delicious café crawl

Going country has a way of making you crave the classics. A tasting tour around town’s alfresco cafés is a lovely way to line up your day. The Greengrocer on Clifford is a go-to for all-day breakfast, fresh juices and wood-fired pizza made with locally sourced produce and The Corner Café at The Tatts does classic pub food with hearty flavours (think: smoked beef short rib with grilled corn and country fried chicken with apple cider slaw) best enjoyed in the outdoor beer garden. Otherwise, pop into Noi Goulburn for a refreshing boba tea and authentic Vietnamese fare.

Stay in a sustainable strawbale winery

The best wine weekends happen when you can actually drink the good stuff rather traipse a long trail. Putting an organic spin on cool-climate varietals, Yarralaw Springs, a 30-minute drive south town, bottles a lot of what makes Goulburn’s small wine map interesting. Check into the Vine Loft, a timber-lined apartment above the cellar door, to soak up the winery’s award-winning cabernet sauvignon while nibbling estate-grown olives and watching golden hour stretch across the farm’s secluded valley.

Mix grandeur with street art 

Goulburn has as much heritage as you can handle, find history in a heartbeat on the Self-Guided Heritage Tour walk around the city centre. The past grandeur of Australia’s first inland city shimmers in St Saviour’s Cathedral – a Gothic Revival masterpiece considered one of the most beautiful in the country – and the spectacular old post office but along the route colourful street-art murals, sculptures (part of the Public Art Walk by Goulburn Regional Art Gallery) and boutiques that beg for browsing keep things lively.

Ride a dreamy river

Breathe slowly and take in nature at its green and fragrant best on a stroll along the picturesque Wollondilly River Walkway. There are plenty of pretty spots for shaking out a picnic rug along the four-kilometre stretch but bring your own stand up paddle board or canoe, too: locals who paddle and fish in the river really have the right idea. 

Have some good steamy fun

Who doesn’t love a unique fair? The Steampunk Victoriana Fair (13 - 15 October, 2023) does it with a retro-futuristic twist. Held at the ​​Goulburn Historic Waterworks (thus the steam theme), this family-friendly mini-festival mixes 19th-century-inspired vibes with live music, steam engine tours, art and food market stalls.

SEE ALSO: 15 Things To Do On A Weekend in Goulburn