FIELD NOTES / TRAVEL / DESTINATION GUIDE
There is a particular kind of weekend away the Love Birdie reader is always half‑planning. It involves a racquet or a set of clubs, a long lunch, a glass of something local, and the feeling of being properly away from the city without committing to an airport.
Cowra, in the NSW Central West, is that trip. Four hours from Sydney, two from Canberra. Whatever you play and however you unwind, Cowra has a weekend built for it.
Where to Stay
Barryrennie House
Barryrennie House is a large farmstay in the Cowra district, recently converted from a working hay shed. It sleeps ten guests, however the perfect fit is 4 couples, and sits on a private rural property only 10 kilometres from town.
The details are what make it remarkable. A full‑sized tennis court, affectionately nicknamed Rod Laver Arena. Two dedicated pickleball courts. A swimming pool with a cabana and a huge firepit with seating for all. Cowra Golf Club a short drive down the road. For a group looking to play everything and eat well in between, it is difficult to imagine a property better suited.
Barryrennie House is not a hotel. It is a private residence opened to guests, which means the experience is personal and the space is yours. If waking up and walking straight onto a private tennis court before breakfast, then spending the afternoon on one of the best regional golf courses in NSW sounds like the weekend you’ve been looking for, this is the booking to make.
Sleeps: 10 guests in 4 king bedrooms, all with huge ensuites
Court: Tennis court, 2 pickleball courts, swimming pool
Course: Cowra Golf Club, approx. 10km
Book: Airbnb - Barryrennie House
Instagram: @barryrennie_house
* * *
Fitzroy House
If a private barn in the paddocks is one version of the Cowra weekend, Fitzroy House is the other. A Federation‑era home in the centre of town, two blocks from the main street and 500 metres from your nearest morning coffee. Three bedrooms, rated 4.9 on Airbnb, and the kind of verandah that makes you wonder why you live in a city.
Fitzroy House works well as a base for a smaller group or a couple who prefer to walk to dinner rather than drive, and who like the charm of a country cottage with high ceilings and period details. Cowra Golf Course, the Japanese Garden and restaurants are all a short drive or easy walk from the front door.
Sleeps: Up to 5 guests, 3 bedrooms
Style: Federation charm, town
Book: Airbnb - Fitzroy House 
Golf, tennis, pickleball, wine and a long lunch. All within a ten-minute drive.
* * *
Where to Play
Cowra Golf Club
Often described as the best course west of the Blue Mountains, Cowra Golf Club is an 18‑hole, Par 71 layout with fully irrigated kikuyu fairways and meticulously maintained bent greens.
Visitors are genuinely welcome. Competitions run seven days a week, social groups are well catered for, and the clubhouse bistro has the kind of view that makes the post‑round drink feel earned. Green fees are modest by Sydney standards. Book ahead, especially on weekends and during the Easter Classic and the annual Open in August.
Holes: 18, Par 71, 5,954m
Visitors: Always welcome. Bookings advised.
Key events: Easter Classic, NSW 2 Person Ambrose (June long weekend), Cowra Open (August)
Website: cowragolf.com.au
* * *
Where to Eat
Oak on Kendal
Oak on Kendal is an intimate modern Australian bistro on Cowra’s main street. Created by Cowra‑born chef James Vidulich, the menu changes with the seasons and leads with local produce.
The wine list leans local, the cocktails are considered, and the room is small enough that the service feels personal without being intrusive. Oak on Kendal also caters private events at Barryrennie House, if you’re staying there, it is worth asking about a private dining experience on the property.
Address: 5 Kendal Street, Cowra
Contact: 0475 440 700 / enquiries@oakonkendal.com
Note: Private dining available at Barryrennie House on request.
* * *
Cowra Railway Hotel
The Railway Hotel has been refurbished without losing the character that makes a proper country pub irreplaceable. It sits on a corner of the main street and operates as a family‑run business focused on good food, cold beer and a beer garden that catches the afternoon light.
For anyone doing the full Cowra weekend: you can comfortably do Oak on Kendal one night and the Railway the next and feel as though you’ve eaten at two entirely different restaurants.
Address: 154 Kendal Street, Cowra
Hours: Lunch Mon–Sat 12–2pm, Dinner Mon–Sat 5.30–8.30pm
Website: cowrarailwayhotel.com.au
* * *
The Day Trip
Rosnay Organic Farm and Vineyard
Thirty minutes from Cowra, on a quiet road outside Canowindra, the Statham family has been farming organically since 1997. Rosnay produces certified organic wines, olives and figs, and the cellar door sits inside a straw‑bale building with views up the Belubula Valley that make the tasting feel like an event in itself.
You can pick your own figs when they’re in season, wander through the groves and the vineyards, and take-home olives and fig products packed on the farm. Rosnay adds a different register to the weekend: quieter, slower, a morning with wine and figs instead of a racquet. The contrast is what makes the whole itinerary work.
Location: 510 Rivers Road, Canowindra
Cellar door: Open daily 11am–5pm, pre‑booking recommended for tours
Stay: Farmhouse (sleeps 6), + glamping available in the olive grove
Website: rosnay.com.au
* * *
This is the first in the Love Birdie Field Notes series. If you have a destination that belongs here, get in touch at info@love-birdie.com.