Harper's Mansion and Retford park

As donors (minor ones!) to the national Trust we were invited to a free  'special' day out in the Southern Highlands with the National Trust to Harper Mansion and Retford Park, the latter containing a magnificent country residence last occupied by a media 'mogul' John Fairfax of the Sydney Morning Herald . A minor mogul.

WE all wore name tags and a number of other attendees had names decorated with titles or 'gongs' . Quite posh.

Harper mansion was built in the middle of nowhere near Berrima, to staff an Inn, as it sat on an emerging trade route. Life must have been extremely tough in those  days with no services at all and they even had to make their own bricks and grow and raise  every item of food and also brew beer. It's not large. Furnished with accurate items from the time (about 150 years ago) there is a very 'period' feel about the house and garden .

Retford House is a horse of a different kettle of fish, to mix a metaphor or two! Built later, it houses some real works of European art and furnishings as well as modern paintings commissioned for wall murals.

The gardens are extensive- in 30+ degree heat we didn't venture far, but we did see a Bunya tree and an enormous bunya nut!

There is a caterer on site and we enjoyed a very attractive morning tea and a tasty and substantial lunch with wine.