Summer News

We’ve Won Again!

After our national award we didn’t image it could get any better, then we won the Bronze Award in the Hosted Accommodation category in the NSW State Tourism Awards

Win or not, applying for awards is a good way of ensuring that we continue to focus on providing a great place for you to stay and enjoy everything the Lake Conjola and Milton area has to offer.

Thank you to everyone who voted for us in the people’s choice award – the prize went to Taronga Zoo Roar and Snore. We can’t compete with that!!

Subscriber Special: Cool Summer Gelato

Special offer for our subscribers – Book direct with us and stay 3 nights or more until the end of January 2010 and we’ll include:

• A delicious gourmet gelato from Licketty Lick in a range of delicious flavours (a one litre tub). This gelato is made by pure gelato and has won over 100 awards – its sensational!
• And we’ll also include a bottle of wine, a NZ Sav Blanc, Australian red or a pink sparkling.
• For subscribers who have already booked directly with us – of course you get the specials too!
• Please note that the 2 bedroom cottage is booked for January – only 2 nights, the 9th and 10th are left. We offer the gelato for a direct booking for those 2 nights.

Free Pottery Lessons

The offer to subscribers of a free pottery lesson for a stay of 3 nights or more will continue until the end of January. Anything made can be glazed, fired and sent to you at cost price. Additional lessons are available for $40 per hour for one person and $30 per person per hour for 2 persons.

Dolphin Watching and Evening Sunset Cruises

This is a new tour from Ulladulla Harbour – stunning views of the coast and Pigeon House Mountain from a 3 hour dolphin watching cruise. We tested it out a few weeks ago and had a great time – the dolphins played right next to the boat and we also saw a whale. This is not a big boat, only room for about 10 passengers but very comfortable seats and being small it was a very personal experience. Summer evening cruises are also planned. Please let us know if you are interested because they need at least 4 people per trip.

New Restaurant

Café Brill has been sold to two young enthusiastic chefs and is now called Coastal Indulgence. The food is great and they make their own cakes which are superb. They will also take orders for special occasion cakes.

Summer Holiday Activities

There will be history tours of Milton throughout the holidays – more information about this and other local events can be found at www.ulladulla.info

The Bawley Vale Estate winery is holding live music, food and wine events on Sunday afternoons in January 4.30 to 7.00 pm. Includes jazz, funk and groovy blues.

Special Offers | Vote and WIN a Stay!

Special Offers For our Subscribers

For direct bookings with us for spring and summer we offer you:

A bottle of wine and an antipasto platter – receive a bottle of wine (NZ Sauvignon Blanc, Australian red or pink/yellow sparkling) and a delicious platter for 2 nights or more until Friday 18th December.

Pottery lessons - a free one hour individual lesson with a booking of 2 nights or more with glazing and firing one piece at cost price (probably around $15-$20). We guarantee that in an hour you will make something that can be glazed and fired! Pre-booking is essential and additional lessons are available at $35 per hour for one person, $40 per hour for 2 people.

Please mention when booking that you are a subscriber to take advantage of these offers.

Award Winners!

We have won the national award for best self-contained accommodation (4 stars or equivalent) in the inaugural Hotel and Motel Association of Australia Awards for Excellence in Tourism.

NSW Tourism Awards

NSW Awards – Vote to Win A Stay With Us - For the third consecutive year we are a finalist in the NSW Tourism Awards, hosted accommodation category. The winners will be announced at a gala event at the Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour on the 19th November. Although it would be nice to win something we are excited just to be in the finals.

This year there is also a People’s Choice Award and we would like to thank all those who voted for us last year. This year we have donated a prize of 3 midweek nights in our 2 bedroom cottage with garden spa bath. If you vote for us you could be in the draw to win.

You will be able to vote on The Sunday Telegraph’s website www.sundaytelegraph.com.au from Sunday 25 October and voting will close on Sunday 15 November. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced during the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on November 19. Prize winners will be randomly drawn out Monday 16 November.

Milton Country Cottages Spring News

Wine and Cheese Packages

Our very popular Wine and Cheese packages are being continued through September and October by popular request. We’ll also continue to offer a bottle of wine for all direct bookings of 2 nights or more exclusively for our newsletter subscribers. We hope to see you soon.

Southern Shoalhaven Escape ArtFest

To be held from the 2nd to the 11th October the ArtFest is: "A vibrant celebration of the diversity of the arts in the region, from visual art exhibitions to music, literature, film and performing arts, visitors and locals are treated to a wonderful selection of over 70 individual events across more than 40 venues." More information, including a calendar of events can be found at www.escapeartfest.info

Raku Firing

As part of the Escape ArtFest we will be having a raku firing day here on Saturday the 10th October. Kees will be running it with the help of the Nulladolla pottery group and it will be held in the courtyard in front of our house. It is very smoky but quite spectacular to watch and can produce beautiful colours. Guests that weekend are welcome to join in and join us and the other potters for a delicious lunch. (left: Raku fired pot made by Kees)

Raku Demonstration and Workshop at Yatte Yattah Pottery - Saturday 10th October. A demonstration of the raku firing process - red hot pots are taken from the kiln and placed inside a bin containing combustible materials. The process will be running all day, from early in the morning - best time to visit is between 10am and 3pm to see Kees Staps and the Nulladolla Potters in action. Free Demonstration.

History Walks

The village of Milton is classified with the National Trust. One can walk around the streets of Milton and see homes and buildings dating back to 1870.

Tours of the many pioneer cemeteries and historic walks around Milton and Ulladulla Harbour can be arranged with local historian Cathy Dunn.

Ulladulla is a major tourist area with its beautiful beaches. The harbour today plays host to the largest commercial fishing fleet on the South Coast.

In the October school holidays Cathy will be guiding a tour every day at 10.30 am.

Saturday October 3 to Sunday October 18
Guided History Walks of Milton
Everyday at 10.30am
Starting at the Milton Cultural Centre (opposite Milton Post Office)
Bookings are essential
$10.00 per adult
Family: 2 adults and children $25.00
Great historic Milton postcards to be won
Email booking request for tours history@ulladulla.info

Great Seafood Options in Our Region

Sometimes when guests ask about a good seafood restaurant we advise going to Lucky’s in Ulladulla to buy fresh seafood, then cooking it yourself. That’s still a good option but if you want a special night out to sample local seafood here are two exciting new changes.

Rick Stein is Coming to the Shoalhaven

For a special occasion why not stay with us and treat yourself to dinner at Bannisters Restaurant, only about a 10 minute drive from here and just awarded South Coast Restaurant of the Year 2009 and Winner Restaurant in a Resort 2009 - awarded by Restaurant and Catering NSW.

"Bannisters, the hotel and much praised restaurant on the South Coast of New South Wales at Mollymook is to have a new chef as from 1 October, Rick Stein. Rick who has the famous Seafood Restaurant in the Cornish fishing village of Padstow is bringing his recipes and seafood knowledge to Australia to make use of the fabulous fish and shellfish to be found in the waters south of Sydney".

Stein, the author of 19 cookbooks and owner of the famous Cornwall institution, The Seafood Restaurant, said he had long dreamed of cooking with fishing bounty from the South Coast.

"Ever since a memorable weekend eating Pambula oysters and flathead in Merimbula in the 1960s I've had the image of the clean blue sea and sweet seafood of the South Coast fixed in my head," Stein said.

"So when I was introduced to Mollymook about six years ago I knew that one day I would open up a restaurant celebrating local fish and shellfish but keeping it really simple."

Situated amongst lush green lawn and overlooking the ocean, the award winning Bannisters Restaurant & Lounge offers a unique dining experience. With a focus on local produce and exciting new flavours, Bannisters Restaurant is a highlight for many guests. Fully licensed with one of the finest wine cellars in the area, guests can relax on the deck outside or enjoy a view of the ocean from every seat inside the restaurant. An experience not to be missed, bookings are essential.
Open 5 nights from 6.30pm - Wednesday to Sunday until the 1st of October, when it will be 7 days. Phone for reservations 02 4455 3044.

The Harbourside Seafood Restaurant in Ulladulla

With stunning views of Ulladulla’s busy fishing harbour this restaurant has always enjoyed an ideal location. Now it is under new management with an exciting new menu using the finest fresh local produce. The seafood chowder served in a sourdough loaf and the coconut crumbed scallops with a mango chilli dipping sauce are highly recommended.
Licensed and BYO wine, bookings are essential because opening hours are seasonal.
www.harbourside.net.au Phone (02) 44553952

July News, Winter Packages and Gifts

Winter wine and cheese packages

It's July and thoughts turn to warm times by the fire at Milton Country Cottages.

For subscribers to our newsletter we have a terrific winter wine and cheese package:

Book directly with us and treat yourself to cosy nights in front of the fire with our weekend autumn/winter package. This includes a gourmet breakfast hamper, firewood, complimentary port, bathrobes, candles, bath products, slippers and a bottle of wine and a cheese platter. $400 per couple for 2 nights or $490 for 3 nights in a one bedroom cottage with double spa bath. An additional $20 per night for the two bedroom cottage with garden spa bath.This package is also Available as a mid-week package at lower rates – please contact us for details.

Exclusive Extra for Our Newsletter Subscribers

Our winter packages are proving very popular, especially the cheese platters with Carol’s home-made fig paste. So we are now offering an extra to our winter package exclusively for our Newsletter subscribers - a delicious cheese platter with all direct bookings of 2 nights or more until the end of August. A bottle of wine (red, white, or sparkling) will be included for 3 nights or more. And the best news is these offers include school holidays!

Eat-in Menu

In our last newsletter we offered this service for the first time. Since then many of our guests have ordered this delicious gourmet food from The Kitchen in Milton. There is the convenience of having the food there when you arrive, but more than that - the food is great! The response from guests has been fantastic; one couple even went into The Kitchen twice to tell them how much they enjoyed the food.

Movies

In the cooler weather with the longer nights our movie library is always popular, and, of course comes at no extra charge. The one bedroom cottages now have new flat screen hi definition TVs. New titles include Frost/Nixon and Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona.

Milton Theatre

Did you know that Milton has its own 200 seat historic theatre? It was used for movies until about 10 years ago and has been recently refurbished. It is now used for live theatre, community performances and as a recording studio. Coming events include Lucie Thorne (11^th July), Diesel (22^nd August) and Chris Gudu (5^th September). More information and ticket sales available at www.ulladulla.info.

Gallery News and a Special Gift

Kees is now experimenting with using vegetable oil to fire his gas kiln. This is a difficult process because only a few degrees temperature variation can make a big difference to the results. We are changing our gallery to be able to display a wider variety of different pieces from unique hand basins to platters, vases and bowls in a range of sizes. Special Gift: Stay 2 nights of more and receive a gift of beautiful crystal glazed piece from our gallery as a memento of your stay.

Cosy Winter Packages

Milton Country Cottages has introduced a range of enticing winter packages – the perfect solution for the complete short break away this winter. We’ve combined our cosy cottage accommodation with gourmet experiences that showcase local produce and eateries. And if you love wines, why not join us for the Winter Wine Festival over the June Long Weekend – we still have some availability but book today as these spots will be snapped up.

Autumn/Winter Weekend Wine and Cheese Package

Book directly with us and treat yourself to cosy nights in front of the fire with our weekend autumn/winter package. This includes a gourmet breakfast hamper, firewood, complimentary port, bathrobes, candles, bath products, slippers and a bottle of wine and a cheese platter. $400 per couple for 2 nights or $490 for 3 nights in a one-bedroom cottage with double spa bath. An additional $20 per night for the two-bedroom cottage with garden spa bath.

Travelling Mid-week? This wonderful package is available as a mid-week package at lower rates – please contact us for details.

Autumn/Winter Weekend Dinner Package

Enjoy all the features of the Wine and Cheese package but with the addition of one delicious dinner at The Tipsy Fig restaurant in Milton. Enjoy their modern Australian menu, including seafood. Your meal includes 2 courses and bread, dessert and coffee extra.

$480 per couple for a 2 night stay, $570 for a 3 night stay in a one-bedroom cottage. An additional $20 per night for the two-bedroom cottage. (The dinner is available Wed-Sat. - subject to availability)

Travelling Mid-week? This package is also available as a mid-week package at lower rates – please contact us for details.

Eat-in Menu Available for Fireside Dining

Is it too cold to go out? Enjoy a gourmet eat-in dinner in the comfort and privacy of your cottage. We offer delicious food made from fresh local produce at The Kitchen in Milton.

A menu and order form will be emailed to you on request. Return this with your selections and your order will be in your cottage when you arrive.

Selections include curries, soups, dips, quiches, main meals, friands, tarts and desserts. For example; sweet potato, coriander and coconut soup for $4.50, ham, hazelnut and potato bake for $15 and large chicken korma for $15.50.

The menu includes several vegetarian and gluten free options. A $5 service fee applies. Available every day with 3 days notice.

Winter Wine Festival 2009 June Long Weekend

The Shoalhaven is celebrating the wine of the region on the June long weekend. We still have some availability so come along and find out more of what the South Coast has to offer. The closest to us are Kladis Estate, Cupitts Winery and Fern Gully winery. More information at www.shoalhavencoast.com.au

Win a Stay At Milton Country Cottages

Firstly, welcome to the new Milton Country Cottages newsletter. Whether you are a past guest or yet to visit us, we hope you enjoy our occasional news.

Win A Stay With Us

That’s right! We’d like to give you a chance to win a stay at Milton Country Cottages. To enter, just click here to visit our website and complete the quick entry form. You could be staying two nights in our two bedroom cottage with the new Bali-themed garden spa bath!

Bali Garden Spa

The new addition to our 2 bedroom cottage - the very romantic Bali-themed garden spa bath - is proving very popular. Enjoy the atmosphere of candle light and looking at the stars while listening to relaxing music. Guests have called it “a great addition”, “fantastic” and “amazing” and we are sure you’ll agree.

Superb Beaches, But Don’t forget the Easy Bushwalks

It’s true, we do have an abundance of wonderful beaches nearly, but did you know that one of the best bushwalks in NSW - Mt Bushwalker - is right on our doorstep? It starts a short drive from Milton Country Cottages and is only a 6-7 kilometre round trip. And the best part is that it is almost level too so very easy and the views are stunning!

Pack A Picnic

As an incentive for you to experience this superb bushwalk for yourself, we offer you a picnic back pack with a delicious lunch for $20 per person (just give us two days’ notice).

Welcome to Milton Country Cottages

Welcome to the Milton Country Cottages online newsletter.

We will be updating our newsletter with news and events in the South Coast New South Wales region, Milton Country Cottages and our gallery.

We welcome your subscription to our occasional news and look forward to welcoming you to Milton Country Cottages accommodation in the near future.

In the meantime, click here to visit our website to find out more about us.

Warm regards,

Carol Joyce and Kees Staps
83 Egans Farm Lane
Yatte Yattah NSW 2539
Australia
Email: enquiries@
miltoncountrycottages.com.au
Phone: (02) 4456 5299
Fax: (02) 4456 5299
Mobile: 0417 467 880

Win a stay at Milton Country Cottages

Every twelve months Milton Country Cottages draws a prize to come and stay with us. The prize includes:

- Accommodation for two people in our two-bedroom cottage with Bali-themed garden spa bath;

- A gourmet breakfast basket on arrival; and

- A bottle of wine.

This prize is to be taken mid-week (Sunday night to Thursday night), subject to availability and excluding 24th December to end of the January long weekend.

We draw a new winner every twelve months so stay a subscriber to have a chance of being a winner every year - not just once!