Sierra Escape, Dulili Tent
This January, Will and I had the pleasure of staying at Sierra Escape in their Dulili Tent in the Mudgee Region of NSW for 3 days and 2 nights.
Sierra Escape is an “award winning Luxury Eco Glamping experience” created for those looking to escape the busy city life for the rolling hills of the countryside of NSW.
If you’re not much of a reader, here is a quick clip we took during our stay:
Otherwise, keep reading for our detailed review and things you should know/prepare before booking your stay with Sierra Escape.
Things to know before you go
- The tents are strictly adults only and no pets are allowed.
- Sierra Escape has only 3 tents (Dulili, Carinya and Uralla) so it’s important to book your stay in advance, especially for weekends.
- 1 week before your check-in date, you’ll receive an email from Sierra Escape with a link to a form to secure your booking and a pre-authorisation of $250 (which is released back into your account 3 days after your check-out date). It’s important to not miss this email.
- Once you’re checked-in, you’ll receive another email with detailed instructions of the exact location and how to open the gate and pick up your keys.
- As a safety measure, we recommend downloading the offline maps of the area on Google Maps in case you can’t access your mobile network on the way to the property.
The Dulili Tent
Once we entered the grounds of Sierra Escape, we were just blown away by the view. It’s purposely secluded and serene and the Dulili tent is situated at a prime vantage point for a unobstructed sunrise and sunset views. Tres romantic!
Here are the photos we took around the place when we arrived:
Here’s a breakdown of the tent inclusions:
- Floor Space: 54sqm
- Bathroom with shower and flushing toilet
- Outdoor bathtub
- Kitchen are with stove, mini fridge, utensils including kettle, pots and pans, chopping board, knives and cutlery
- Coffee, tea, sugar, milk, water, some snacks
- Towels and bathrobes
- Shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and bath salts
- Tissues and paper towels
- Wood fireplace
- Outdoor fire-pit
- Ceiling fan
- Indoor and outdoor dining tables
- Also coming soon is a large indoor bathtub which wasn’t quite finished when we were there but would have been amazing if it was!
We were very happy with the bathroom and kitchen (which isn’t always top notch at every eco glamping site). There was proper running water and getting a steady stream for a warm shower was never an issue.
The kitchen stove, fridge and utensils had pretty much everything we needed and more.
There were even board games underneath the bed as well as books in our bedside tables for entertainment. It completely slipped our mind to bring some games along so this was a really nice touch. We had some heated arguments over Scrabble later that night but it’s all part of the experience hahaha
The weather
Since we were here during the Summer, there were some concerns about the heat. Especially since there was no air conditioning… but as soon as we zipped open the ‘windows’ and turned on the fan, the summer breeze was actually really nice and perfect.
To be on the safe side, if you’re sensitive to heat then the best time to stay here would probably be during Spring. Alternatively, if you prefer the colder months then you could just cosy up by the crackling fireplace our outdoor fire pit.
We actually experienced a bit of rain on our first night and it got a bit windy so we had to zip up our tent windows. After a few minutes, the rain subsided and we left the tent windows unzipped all night without any issues. By the morning time, the temperature, breeze and view was everything we were hoping for.
The view
What really stood out about our Dulili Tent was the panoramic view right at our doorstep. It was pretty surreal to take an outdoor bath against the beautiful country skyline while colourful lorikeets chirped around us. It was like we were characters in a storybook!
The sun would rise around 6:30am and then by 7-8pm it was sunset time and this lit up our tent with a beautiful golden light.
On our second night we drove around Sierra Escape around sunset time to see the wild kangaroos. They typically come out when it’s a bit cooler so this was the perfect time to sit in our car and watch them hop by.
Things to see and do
Prior to our road trip to Mudgee, we were told countless times by friends and family that this region has some of the best food and wine in NSW. Here’s a list of the top wineries in Mudgee.
But if culinary experiences aren’t your thing, there are also easy walks, nature parks and the quaint town of Mudgee to explore too. Here’s a list of the top things that visitors do in Mudgee.
We actually spent most of our time just relaxing at our Dulili Tent in the morning and night. On our second day we decided to drive out to Mudgee town and had lunch at Outside the Square Cafe. Will ordered a steak sandwich there and said it was the best and juiciest steak sandwich he’s ever had in his life!
The coffee there was also excellent and after we licked our plates clean we walked across the road to Woolworths to get more groceries so we could cook our dinner back at our tent and watch the sunset together.
How to get there
Sierra Escape tents are located on 280 acres of private grounds about 20 minutes drive from the town of Mudgee. On the way to the location, we stopped by Woolworths in town to pick up some extra snacks and drinks so that we could maximise our relaxation time in our tent.
Once you leave Mudgee town, the drive is quite scenic. You’ll drive past some vineyards, paddocks and you’ll probably spot a lot of cows, sheep and kangaroos along the way (especially around sunset time when it’s a bit cooler).
If you have a 4WD then you’ll have no qualms taking the fastest route via Lower Piambong Rd to the property. It’s the fastest route there (which our Google Maps defaulted to) but it is mostly a gravel road. If you’ve got a smaller car it’s probably best to take the left turn into Lesters Lane and follow this for 3-4 minutes to the end of the road to reduce your gravel time.
Towards the end of the gravel ride you’ll see these signs here:
Follow the signs towards the gate, follow the instructions provided in your check-in email to open the gate and enter the property. If you’re staying in Dulili, keep driving all the way towards the top of the hill and park your car behind the tent.
What to pack
- Towels and bathrobes are provided so you’ll just need your change of clothes. If you’re planning to hike then bring your hiking gear also.
- Soap, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and bath salts are provided. The tents run off a septic system to its important to only use these provided products to avoid system damage. However, you should bring your own amenities such as toothbrush, toothpaste and sanitary products.
- If you’re prone to allergies or dust, bring antihistamines. The tents are located towards the top of the hill so it can get dusty/windy at times.
- Milk, water, snacks, cooking oil, BBQ wipes, detergent, cleaning products, kitchen utensils and a kettle are all provided in the kitchen. We recommend just bringing any food, snacks and extra drinking water.
- Bring sun protection like a hat and sunscreen
- Bluetooth speakers, books and board games are provided but bring any additional entertainment and/or download movies on your streaming device in advance if you need extra.
- There is a fire pit and an indoor fireplace to use during winter, bring your S’mores kit!
In Summary
Spending 3 days and 2 nights at Sierra Escape was the perfect amount of time there for 2 people. We can definitely see why this experience is popular for couples to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines Day and marriage proposals.
The only thing that we would have changed about the trip was:
- Bringing more water. The semi-arid countryside made us guzzle a bit more water than usual! There is a 2L bottle of water provided inside the tent but we finished that quite quickly.
- Taking a 4WD instead of a smaller car. We were able to drive to and from Sierra Escape just fine with our smaller car, but I guess it would have been more fun to drive across all sorts of terrain in a 4WD hahaha
Besides these incredibly minor things, the Dulili Tent was just the escape from the City we needed. We got to spend quality time together and just embraced our surroundings without any itinerary or worry in the world and we highly recommend this getaway.
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