Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery and Retreat

A winery might not immediately come to mind for a family visit, but Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery and Retreat not only makes sustainable wines – it’s a small farm, too, with accommodation: an ideal playground for city kids who need a little time in nature. Situated on 16 hectares of bushland between Kangaroo Valley and Nowra, the winery has been in operation since 1994, creating wines made from organically grown grapes: hand-picked, basket-pressed and with no added preservatives. Chambourcin is the varietal of choice due to its resilience to disease. While you’re sipping on a glass and grazing on a cheese platter graced with homemade oat biscuits, the kids can run free, encountering the estate’s ducks and chooks accompanied by the estate’s three dogs, Molly, Rosie May and Ruby Tuesday. If you’re lucky, you might get to see wombats and wallabies, too. Lyrebird takes its sustainability seriously: there’s no internet, phone or television reception, so a weekend staying at one of the two cabins is a chance to digitally detox. Opt to sample Lyrebird’s wines in the cellar door or take wine and a cheese platter to go and find a shady spot under a tree.