Sometimes, the most beautiful scenic retreats aren’t thousands of miles and a passport stamp away, but rather a simple road trip to the quiet, blissful terrains of the Blue Mountains and its surrounds. Good for the mind, the soul and the heart, these are the places and the moments that invite us to pause and take a step back from it all, because sometimes, the most beautiful things in life are closer than you think.

Deep in the mountains of Blackheath, just minutes from Katoomba and around two hours from Sydney, sits a cosy retreat nestled inside the historic Logan Brae Orchard. The Machinery Shed is a private escape set within a working apple orchard, overlooking the Kanimbla Valley. Logan Brae Orchard itself is the last remaining apple orchard on the Shipley Plateau, with around 6,000 apple trees spread across the property.

A quiet spot where rustic charm meets modern luxury, The Machinery Shed is a mid-century industrial homestay complete with warm fairy lights, fireside chats and an outdoor treetop bath. Together, it creates the kind of space that makes you want to cancel every plan you had outside of it. This winter, I was lucky enough to step foot inside for a weekend away, and as someone who loves to adventure and explore outside my hotel as much as possible whilst on holidays, this was one of those rare exceptions where I felt like everything I came for was right there at my feet, and inside the gates.

It is rare that a holiday home can make you feel at peace come rain, hail or shine. With fog draping the mountains and a quiet mist settled over our little house during our stay, it seemed all the more fitting that the space came perfectly equipped with everything we needed to turn our weekend away into a blissfully calming cabin in the woods. Think hot chocolates, toasted marshmallows and warm fireside chats, all the things that city life just can’t offer, no matter how hard you try.

Some feelings can only be made in certain places, and this was one of those.

Inside the house, we were welcomed under the warm glow of twinkling fairy lights and into an open-plan living area, complete with couches and chairs to lounge and relax, indoor swings that will make you feel like a kid again, and a king-sized bed for blissful rest. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the surrounding mountain landscape, making the view feel almost like another piece of the interior. With couches facing the indoor fireplace, plus a TV for entertainment, there’s always something to look at, although, if I’m being honest, the view outside was far more captivating.

The full kitchen is equipped with everything you need to cook and settle into the rhythm of a proper weekend away, and with the local grocer just a short drive away, stocking up on ingredients or venturing out for a coffee is easy enough when you do eventually decide to leave your little mountain hideaway.

The home really does set you up for an enjoyable stay from the moment you enter. During our visit, we were welcomed with marshmallows, roasting sticks, blankets, a lantern, matches and firewood, alongside a bottle of Little Giant wine for the cosiest of evenings under the stars.

Just outside the home sits a kitchen garden, with fresh produce available for eating and cooking, while the property’s free-roaming chickens provide fresh eggs to cook with. Our mornings saw those eggs put to good use for bacon and egg sandwiches, alongside coffee made in the Breville machine, all enjoyed with a view of the misty mountainside and the smell of fresh morning dew.

It’s a feeling that no city morning can replicate, and a mood that’s as good for the mind as it is the soul.

One of my favourite things about the home is that you don’t have to do anything to feel like you’ve escaped. You can simply wake up, make a coffee and wander outside. It’s the most simple of actions that hold the most weight here.

The Machinery Shed sits within Logan Brae’s working apple orchard, meaning the landscape surrounding you is quite literally part of the experience. The orchard changes with the seasons, with blossoms appearing in spring and apples filling the trees in autumn. From February to June, the space is open to the public and sells the most delicious apple pies to enjoy. But don’t fret, the Machinery Shed is kept private away from the general public.

In the downtime, I found it particularly lovely to wante between the rows of trees, knowing that this isn’t a manicured resort designed to look like the countryside, it’s an actual working farm, lovingly maintained by the family behind Logan Brae, and whilst I’m usually the first person to build an itinerary when I go away, here I found myself actively wanting to do less. There was something wonderfully grounding about waking up slowly, cooking breakfast, wandering around the orchard and then returning to the fire.

Of course, I couldn’t write about The Machinery Shed without mentioning the treetop bath, pictured to the right in the first set of images.

Tucked outside the accommodation and overlooking the surrounding landscape, it is the kind of bath that makes you question why every bath in the world doesn’t come with a mountain view, and the kind of bath you only see in the movies. The experience is especially magical in winter, when the cool mountain air meets the warm steam of the bath and the surrounding landscape disappears into mist. The property also now has a brand-new sauna and cold immersion bath, adding another layer to what is already an exceptionally relaxing stay.

It’s one of those moments where you realise you really have nowhere else you need to be.

And, of course, I couldn’t finish this without mentioning our hostess, Lottie. Well, technically, Lottie is the family dog who lives on the property, but during our stay she quickly appointed herself as our on-site best friend. According to the listing, Lottie roams freely around the orchard, so don’t be surprised if your peaceful retreat comes with the occasional four-legged visitor.

There is something so charming about the fact that The Machinery Shed doesn’t feel overly polished or impersonal. It feels lived in, loved and connected to the land around it, and perhaps that is what made the stay feel so special. It’s a place that invites you to slow down, put your phone away, light the fire and remember what it feels like when there is nowhere you need to be. For someone who usually wants to explore every corner of a destination, I was surprised by how little I wanted to leave.

Sometimes the best kind of getaway isn’t the one where you do the most. It’s the one where you finally get to do nothing but soak in the beauty of the world around you. So turn off your phone, and look up, you won’t regret it.

Book The Machinery Shed at Logan Brae Orchard here.