The Sydney Morning Herald
Travel Weekend Edition, July 10-11, 2004

"Call of the Wild"
Kendall Hill relaxes in a rainforest retreat at Bellingen.

The location, ambience and design of chalet No.2 at Koompartoo Retreat all conspire to calm arriving guests immediately. So much so that after my host, Erika Respinger, has walked me to the chalet, shown me its facilities and bade me well, the first thing I did was pop the kettle on to make a cup of tea. Which is extraordinary because I never drink tea.

But there I was, barely arrived and completely relaxed on the balcony, with tea in hand and the calls of kookaburras and black cockatoos for company. Bower birds and honeyeaters are also regular visitors, as you'd expect when you're nestled in a stunning patch of rainforest like this.

Respinger took over Koompartoo (it means "new beginning" in the local Aboriginal dialect) 10 years ago and has since added another pair of chalets to the original two. Each is like a homely cottage in miniature, constructed from local timbers and cosy as you like.

No. 2 has a kitchenette with basin, fridge and mini-oven, a nearby dresser holds the floral-patterned tea cups and crockery, cutlery and utensils. Glassware, teapots and more crockery are stores beneath another dresser, which also houses the TV, video and CD player. A crystal vase of freshly cut grevillea the colour of sunrise sits on the dining table. Behind it is the queen-sized bed with its embroidered coverings that are tasteful, not tizzy.

In this mini-cottage, too, are a sofa and stained glass bay window. A small selection of books and magazines encourages time-out either here or on the shady balcony. And there is a barbecue for keen cooks.

Mornings get cold here in winter, but the chalet's well equipped - a clever contraption in the bathroom delivers light and heat while a wall-mounted air-conditioner keeps the main living area toasty. And you can always stroll over to the main homestead for a warm outdoor spa lit by oil lamps.

Wandering through the two hectares of lushness at Koompartoo its easy to forget you're tucked at the back of a sizeable town like Bellingen. Just a few blocks from here is the main street, with its handsome heritage buildings and interesting shops such as the impressive Hammond and Wheatly building, these days an emporium of upmarket homewares and clothing.

The Good Food Shop around the corner in Church Street is a hinterland haven for food lovers, with its trendy (Toby's Estate) coffee, unique fruit wines and organic everything. And just on the outskirts of town, the Old Butter Factory provides a showcase for local artists and craftspeople.

Bellingen town's the perfect size for pottering, poking about the shops and galleries and admiring the inspiring views down to the Bellinger River. But to do the region justice you need a car - to explore some of the six national parks within the shire, cart away your spoils from the Bellingen markets (third Saturday of every month) and, as I did, lazily drive the few blocks in the dark to the town's finest restaurant, No. 2 Oak Street. Wonderful place: I won't forget the duck pastie, or the rhubarb "pizza" or co-owner Toni Urquart's kindness to a lone diner.

Back at Koompartoo, the old shed below the chalets is illuminated with bud-lights, and garden lamps light the way to my chalet. It's a magical welcome home, the only off note sounded by the wall heater, which grunts and groans and signs away like an old man. So I switch it off and rely instead on my (very quiet) electric blanket for comfort.

A year or two ago NSW Toruism launched a campaign promoting the "Waterfall Way", the picturesque route from the Coffs Harbour coast to New England via Bellingen and Dorrigo, but if you don't have the time or inclination to follow it there are myriad diversions closer to town.

You can explore nearby beaches with names like Hungry Head, dip into the swimming holes at Glennifer up the road, take advantage of the area's "holistic" bent and have a massage - there are a couple of practitioners (including one with the alluring name of Paris Skye) listed in the information folder at Koompartoo. As well there are full-moon canoe tours up the Bellinger, river cruises at Urunga, whale watching at Coffs Harbour and excellent fishing throughout the area.

You could do all this, of course, but if I go back to Koompartoo I'll be quite content on that balcony, listening to the birds and sipping a rare cup of tea.

Establishments featured in Weekends Away are visited anonymously by Herald writers, who pay their own way.