There are plenty of reasons to stay at Blue Wren Cottage at Kurrajong Barn and Cottages at Ballandean, but for me there was one that trumped all the others. It was the roaring open fireplace that looked like something out of a romantic movie.

You know those movies. They’re usually set in a small rural town in America where two people are falling in love. There’s always a cosy open fire, a couple of glasses of wine sparkling in the firelight and sweet glances. Cue the soft music and dim the lights!

Trevor and I have been married for more than 30 years but it was obvious the rustic Blue Wren Cottage at Kurrajong held the promise of Hallmark movie worthy romance. And it delivered – apart from the wine. But we’ll get to that later.

Kurrajong Barn and Cottages has two different accommodation options. For groups, there’s a five-bedroom farmhouse and also the two bedroom Blue Wren Cottage for couples or a small family. They’re both a long way apart for peacefulness and privacy. Each bedroom at Blue Wren Cottage had its own bathroom which was impressive for a traditional cottage like this one. The farmhouse also had multiple bathrooms, both places were very well designed and thought out.

Both of the accommodation options have access to a Stargazer deck which has bean bags for relaxing under the stars and also a fire pit for when the weather is good. Each one also has it’s own barbeque and barbeque area, and there was a lovely lawn area with a picnic bench as well. Blue Wren Cottage had a wood fired barbeque AND a gas barbeque!

The cottage is quiet and secluded, offering a sense of escape without sacrificing convenience which we liked. We also loved all the wildlife in the bush behind the property where we spotted loads of kangaroos each morning plus birds like colourful parrots.

In spring and summer, Kurrajong would also be perfectly located for swimming at Dr Roberts Waterhole at Girraween or in the waterholes at the end of the Underground Creek walking track, so you don’t need to limit yourself to a winter stay here.

We loved Kurrajong’s location as it was close to Tobin Wines and Balancing Heart which does great pizza (we enjoyed this so much that we went there twice). It’s also only a short walk from the Ballandean Tavern. We had a great chicken parmy here and there was a terrific wine list featuring local producers.

We were tempted to head back to the tavern for dinner on one of the nights we were at Blue Wren but we stayed in when we discovered the temperature was dropping below zero. It was perfect fire weather but not so great for venturing out at night. Self catering turned out to be a great choice.

After we had got the fire going, Trevor grabbed the bottle of Verdelho we’d bought but we couldn’t find any wine glasses, only champagne flutes. When we called the lovely lady at Kurrajong, she explained there were ‘wine tumblers’ on the shelf (we thought they were water glasses). I guess these are less likely to get knocked over, but we missed having ‘proper’ wine glasses.

However, the fireplace was stunning and very romantic indeed. It was easy to use with plenty of wood provided and was the perfect way to keep warm on a chilly night. We cooked pasta for dinner and enjoyed it in front of the fire, then curled up on the couches. We really enjoyed our time at Kurrajong Barn and Cottages and thought Blue Wren Cottage was the ideal spot to enjoy a romantic getaway. With its blend of nature and rustic charm, Blue Wren Cottage offers a memorable stay in one of Queensland’s most picturesque wine regions. This may have been our first stay, but it won’t be our last!

Disclosure: The writers stayed as guests of Kurrajong Barn and Cottages.

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