Quiet rural spot is set to sizzle with influx of top chefs

How many famous chefs does it take to cook up a reputation as a place for a foodie destination? If it’s more than one, then Oberon in the NSW Central Tablelands is set to sizzle and stake its claim.

Oberon is a small rural local government area 1130 metres above sea level and sees spectacular seasons including snowy winters. In this area on the western fall of the Blue Mountains that’s known for forestry and cattle, there’s a network of cute villages surrounded by unspoiled landscapes popular with mountain bikers, hikers and other outdoorsy types.

One of those villages is Rockley, and in 2022, famed Australian chef Matt Moran, who hails from these parts, reopened The Rockley Pub as part of his wider plan to reinvigorate the eponymous town of 200.

And now in Oberon proper, Simmone Logue has started a venture that includes a cooking school with her twin sister, the artist Joanna Logue.

Essington Park, 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney, is housed in a 1960s shearers quarters which the sisters have restored.

Five comfortable guest rooms open to a vegetable garden and orchard. It’s a bed and breakfast affair, so guests get eggs fresh from the coop, just-baked sourdough and homemade preserves for breakfast.

The whole place can be booked as one, or individual rooms are on offer, and it won’t be just cooking classes luring people to stay.

“Long ago my sister and I stumbled upon Essington Park and fell under its spell,” says Simmone, who grew up in the countryside of the Hunter Valley. “My dream is that it will nurture people’s creative adventure as it has my own.