Weekend Getaways: St Albans, NSW

Okay, so to spice things up, I've decided to make a series of blog posts with a certain theme. And the theme for today...Weekend Getaways! It will be anything and everything from bush walking, road trips, unique places or accommodations and suburban wonders that we can explore within a weekend or just a couple of days.

So for my first Weekend Getaway Series, I would like to share the picturesque town of St. Albans. Less than two hours north of Sydney, I would definitely recommend this for those who feel like they need to disconnect from the hustle and bustles of the city!

We booked an accommodation from St. Albans Stables, look for it in Airbnb, for $140 a night we get to have a place of our own in one of the relaxing and peaceful area of St. Albans. The place is complete with amenities, like a pool, bbq, outdoor sitting area, a kitchen, private shower and toilet. The place doesn't have wifi or tv so it really makes it he total technology detox!

The trip to St. Albans will not be complete without crossing the Hawkesbury Rive via the barge at Wisemans Ferry. It is free so don't worry and just get into the barge and get mesmerised by the view of the mountains and river.

There are two ways you can get to St Albans, we initially did the counter clock wise, taking the Settlers Road which has some dirt track. The other way is thru St. Albans Road which has more paved road and if you like driving you'll enjoy the twist and turns with matching view of the river and country side. After getting  off the barge, there is another 20km drive to St. Albans.

Quick tip, if travelling to St. Albans, make sure you have enough transferred money to your everyday account! We forgot this and just had enough to gas up at Maroota where the internet started to become patchy. At St Albans, the only way for us to get wifi is from our Airbnb host who allowed us to connect to their wifi :) so that solves it.

St Albans is probably best explored on your car, the captivating countryside makes you wish you have a farm of your own, grazing and taking care of your farm animals. How I wish. 

It was just before lunch when we reached St Albans, it was a hot day but didn't stop us from going further upper macdonald road. We passed by a goana, a row of interesting mail boxes, people horse riding, and many other interesting looking houses.

After an hour, we went back and had a quick pizza for lunch, it was left over from the other night that I decided to bring for our snacks. We got tired so decided we'll have a nap and then take a quick dip at the pool in the afternoon.

By 2:30pm, it wasn't too hot anymore, so we went and grabbed our towels and take a nice dip in the pool. The pool is just a short walk and we found some friendly goats next to it. After the swim we settled in the room for a bit, just looking at the green and listening to the sound of nature was very relaxing.

By 5:30 pm we then decided to get dinner at Settlers Arms Inn. I read the steak there were great! Unfortunately, have to wait until 6:30pm as their kitchen is not yet open for taking  orders. The peacock entertained us though while waiting.

Anyway, the meal came and it was good, medium rare scotch fillet steak with salad and chips. I had lemon lime bitters to complete it. 

After dinner, we just head back and decided to watch some movies I downloaded from Netflix the night before. Two movies and I started to feel sleepy...Zzzz. Then next day woke up at around 9:30 am to have a quick tea, and pack up our stuff ready to check out.

Whew, I wish we could stay longer, but that's gonna be for another time! So if you ever find yourself needing a place of tranquility and relaxation, you know where to go - definitely put St Albans on your list and don't forget your camera for all those instagram worthy shots.