The Quince Cottage:
Your quince-essential country getaway
This month, Ravensbourne Escape welcomes its newest luxury home into the fold – The Quince Cottage. This vibrant yellow, 1930s cottage sits on a scenic spur of the Great Dividing Range, boasting panoramic views across the Brisbane and Lockyer Valleys, onwards to Wivenhoe Dam, Mount Glorious, Mount Nebo and beyond.
The Quince Cottage is our first offsite accommodation and is located just a few minutes’ drive from the entrance of Ravensbourne Escape. To celebrate our newest accommodation collaboration, we decided to interview the proud owners of this magnificent property and ask them a little bit more about this quirky, country cottage.
RE: What made you fall in love with the property?
TQC: The views! Completely hidden from the road, this cottage has the most spectacular views. We love waking up on a misty morning – feeling like we are up in the clouds.
RE: What are your favourite features of the cottage?
TQC: We love its quirky colour and its gorgeous interiors; its cosy fireplace and its ping pong table! The outside spaces are also amazing. We love having our morning coffee on the veranda and sitting on the sandstone blocks in the afternoon to watch the sun set across the horizon. It really is the perfect country getaway.
RE: What changes have you made to the cottage recently?
TQC: We have worked hard to ensure that the cottage functions well for ourselves, our children, our friends, and our guests. Although we prefer to be wholly off-grid, the solar/generator system had reached the end of its useful life and did not guarantee continuous power. We are now connected to mains power although we plan to re-introduce solar to some degree in the future. We have recently replaced the old waste-water system with a new Biocycle system; fixed some wonky plumbing; and heated the pool.
We have added some artwork from our favourites – Rachel Castle from Castle and Things and Janice Akes from Art Akes. Liz, from Eight Acres, prepared for us special packs of plastic free toiletries for our guests to use if they would prefer to minimise plastic waste. We also asked our dear friend, Julia, from Julia’s Pantry, to make us a huge batch of Quince Jelly to add to our breakfast provisions for guests!
RE: What local attractions would you recommend to guests staying at the cottage?
TQC: We love walking to the Gus Beutel Lookout and wandering through Ravensbourne National Park (an absolute must for a country getaway!). We enjoy driving to Crows Nest and exploring its quirky little thrift shop and keep an eye out for upcoming events at Bunnyconnellen. We often drive home via Toowoomba to stop at The Bakers Duck, the James Street Grocer or Sweet Talk (or all of them!).
RE: Do you have any future plans for The Quince Cottage?
TQC: Our small plans include responding to our guests’ suggestions for ways in which we can improve their comfort. We’d also like to add more flowers to the garden and create some walking tracks for people so they can wander through our seven hectares.
We have plans to add a viewing deck in front of the lilly pilly hedge (for morning coffee or sunset drinks) and have heaps of ideas for the old generator room. It might become a media room, or a yoga room, or an outdoor dining room, or a self-contained apartment. We seem to come up with something new every day. So, stay tuned!
RE: What do you love most about our region (the High Country Hamlets)?
TQC: We love the people we have met, the interesting shops and the high quality local food and produce. But most of all, we love the slow pace and quiet of the high country and leaving our city stress behind.
Looking to book The Quince Cottage for your next country getaway?
Just 50 minutes from Toowoomba and less than 2 hours from Brisbane CBD, The Quince Cottage is the perfect place for a country getaway with friends or family. For bookings, head over to our website or call Ravensbourne Escape on 0427 989 570.
Please note that The Quince Cottage has a minimum 2 night stay and is only suitable for families with children 10 years and over.
Acknowledgment of Country: The Quince Cottage sits on Barunggam Country. We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live and work and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
