The Press
Destination Luxury written by Editor/Publisher Jacqui L’Estrange from Style September/October 2007 issue.
Who knew that such luxury was right on our doorstep? Well, almost on our doorstep – the adult’s only retreat is set in delightfully historic Millthorpe, and in a previous life the cottage was the local chemist where from 1900 pharmacist Mr Hockey dispensed health to the community. Now, after the careful ministrations of Belinda and Stephen Satterthwaite who spent four years restoring the building – Hockeys is a romantic escape that accommodates one couple at a time and features a double spa with garden views, self catering kitchen and sumptuous bedroom.
The interior has been furnished with recycled timber furniture that gives a rustic and homely feel, further emphasized by Stephen’s “quirky tip art”. “Stephen has a creative flare and tinkers with bits of this and that to come out with some amazing sculptures and artworks”, explains Belinda of the pieces that adorn the walls of the cottage. Highlights include underfloor tile heating in the bathroom, quality feather pillow on the bed and super high ceilings to belie the actual cosy dimensions to give a sense of airy spaciousness.
But the best part isn’t the furnishing, it’s the genuine country hospitality offered by your hosts. Belinda personally greets each guest, who will find she has thoughtfully filled the rooms with welcoming touched; several vases of fresh cut flowers, fluffy bathrobes with accompanying bath booms (from local business Lavendilli-Blue), fruit basket, and a much-appreciated cheese and fruit platter – another local touch – an accompanying bottle of Orange Printhie Wines shiraz. Guest’s visiting Hockeys could be forgiven for mistaking their stay – whatever the time of year – for the Easter weekend, with all the chocolate treats awaiting them at every turn. From Lindt balls in a white bowl on the bench, to chocolate peanut slabs beside the bed and a nougat bar conveniently set beside the Toby’s Estate Coffee. All pleasantly complimentary for those used to the exorbitant mini-bar prices charged at standard accommodation options.
Which is just the point, as Hockeys is anything but standard accommodation “I surpose it was our lucky day when the old heritage chemist building came up for sale, Millthorpe was in need of a special unique place for a couple to getaway and be spoilt, something a little different. We wanted it to be exclusive, romantic and indulgent. We love that we can say we have achieved the perfect place for people to stay and enjoy”, says Belinda. It should, however, come with a warning: spend one night and you may never want to leave.
Where to eat:
For and extra $30 Belinda will organize to leave a breakfast hamper in the cottage for you, and it is well worth every dollar – think slabs of bread (white, wholemeal, and fruit) tied with brown string, cute jars of jams with mouth watering flavours such as desert quandong and lime marmalade, plus muesli and eggs.
The other alternative is a wander down the street to the Old Mill Café (12 Pym St, 02 6366 3188) – a restaurant lovingly restored in an old bakery.
A large portion of blame for Millthorpe’s growing fame as a weekend getaway can be attributed to Tonic (30 Victoria St 02 6366 3811), the restaurant awarded One Hat by Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, where you can find classic dishes with a contemporary style.
Or you can opt to drive the 15mins into Orange and choose from a veritable smorgasbord; from Lolli Redini’s (48 Sale St, 02 6361 7748) modern Italian with an emphasis on local produce, to Belgravia at Union Bank (corner of Sale and Byng St, 02 6361 4441) – the sophisticated wine bar with classy menu and regular entertainment and Selkirks Restaurant (179 Anson St, 02 6361 1179) with their French influenced menu.
City Escapes written by anonymous journalist Keith Austin from The Sydney Morning Heralds -The Sydney Magazine August 07 Issue.
A relaxing getaway and plenty of good food is the best medicine for Keith Austin.
Mr Hockey was born in Grafton but, after going to the University of Sydney, he washed up in Millthorpe in 1900 and opened a dinky chemist shop where he stayed until his death in 1941 – just one month after Mrs Hockey (nee Florence Davis of Millthorpe) passed away.
The story of the Hockeys is one of those ordinary, small-town tales, a romance that might otherwise have passed into forgotten history were it not for the fact that the old chemist shop has been reborn as a cottage selling romantic getaways rather than Hockey’s Bon-Ton rabbit poison or Gastrobom Belladonna, an “antispasmodic acid, sedative and absorbent”. The information about the chemist and his wife is framed upon one of the walls of Hockey’s Accommodation For Couples, Belinda and Stephen Satterthwaite’s tasteful holiday let in the charming village of Millthorpe, 22 kilometres outside Orange. About three and a half hour’s drive west of Sydney, Millthorpe appears to have fallen through a crack in time, a legacy of it’s popularity in the 1870’s when the railway reached here and put local farmers within easy reach of the lucrative Sydney markets.
Tourism information panels around the village include black-and-white photographs of these streets and it’s extraordinary how little they have changed. There is a quaint corner store, grand buildings, coffee houses, craft shops and a sweet shop (Old Tyme Delights) selling the sort of lollies you haven’t seen since primary school.
Hockeys sits on the main road and, from the street, looks a bit on the small side. However, the Satterthwaites have achieved something akin to Dr Who’s Tardis and managed to make the inside feel bigger than the outside. The front door opens into a combined living/dining/kitchen area where Mr Hockey once dispensed his wares, including the eponymous ointment that was said to fix anything, including a split fence.
A door leads from here into a bedroom that holds (only just) a comfortable double bed. Beyond that is a modern bathroom equipped with a shower, spa bath and underfloor heating. Waiting for us is our complimentary bottle of Bushlark Orange Shiraz and a tasty cheese and fruit plater. In addition, there are – much to my partner’s delight – chocolates everywhere, including Belgian thins and chocolate truffles by the bed. She even tries to eat the heart shaped chocolates on our fluffy robes before discovering they are actually bath booms.
And flowers. Mustn’t forget the flowers. They are fresh and spectacularly arranged and are scattered throughout like, well chocolates. After an afternoon and early evening tasting just about everything (there is also tea, coffee and sparkling water in the fridge), we are almost to relaxed to do anything else so it’s just as well we’d booked a meal at Tonic, the much-praised local eatery.
A quick stagger away, Tonic is housed in a heritage building that has been tastefully refurbished and is one of the reasons the Sydney foodie brigade makes the journey to Millthorpe. The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide describes Tonic as offering “classic dishes with contemporary style”. And, with it’s modern take on country style dishes, the restaurant more than lives up to it’s name.
In the morning we linger inside until check-out time (11am) before taking a walk around town and having a hearty breakfast in the Old Mill Cafe and Restaurant and thereby missing the Orange farmer’ market (held on the second Saturday of every month). Still there’s always next time.
Soothing Tonic written by Ellen Connolly – The Daily Telegraph – Saturday Getaway August 26 2006
Once upon a time pharmacist Fredrick William Hockey was Millthorpe’s miracle worker. From his small timber chemist shop in central western NSW town, he would dole out his plethora of lotions and potions.
While Hockey has long gone, his legacy lives on – albeit in a slightly different form. The “ole chemist shop”has since been converted into luxury accommodation for couples seeking cures form city ills.
Located 15 minutes drive from Orange, Millthorpe is the perfect setting for such medicinal treatments.
It is gaining fame as a weekend escape, helped lately by the award-winning Tonic Restaurant. We arrive in this sleepy town, population 700, on the Monday and immediately feel swept back to another era.
The heritage-listed bluestone buildings, railway station, boiled-lolly shop and pub could be from a setting from Little House On The Prairie.
The country hospitality is a breath of fresh air, too. Belinda Satterthwaite, owner of Hockeys Accommodation is there to let us in and, after a quick tour, leaves us to our complimentary cheese platter and bottle of local shiraz.
These are among many extras provided, a surprising and pleasant change from the normal hotel experience where goodies come with an exorbitant mini-bar price list.
Here, there is no “don’t be tempted” policy. That’s lucky: after polishing off the cheese and wine we can’t resist the Lindt chocolates and biscotti. There’s a fruit bowl bursting with locally grown mandarins, passionfruit and apples. Bottles of S. Pelligrino mineral water, Toby’s Estate coffee, organic lemon and ginger beer and juice are in the fridge.
Satterthwaite has spent four years restoring the building, which has been a doctor’s surgery and bric-a-brac shop in previous lives. She has done a great job in blending the old with the new – we loved the spa and heated bathroom tiles.
Nothing has been forgotten. There are candles around the spa, Lavendilli-Blue bath products, heart shaped bath bombs and fluffy robes. A breakfast hamper can also be provided for a small fee.
Guests are reminded of the building’s history by a framed photo of Hockey, whom we’re told came to Millthorpe in 1900, after his brother-in-law told him the town lacked a chemist. “Everyone will remember Hockey’s Ointment, which fixed everything, including a split fence,” it reads.
Must have been strong stuff. There was also his famous “Bon-Ton rabbit poison”. A cabinet in the living area is stocked with age-old remedies, including Brompton hospital lozenges, Saridone analgesic tablets and de Witt’s antacid powder for indigestion.
Established in 1884, and originally know as Spring Grove, Millthorpe was a thriving rural community with one of the state’s largest flour mills. At one stage it was seriously considered as the site of the national capital.
