How to Spend a Weekend Without an Itinerary (Turns Out, Quite Well)
- Kristy Plumridge
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
Lately, I've noticed something interesting. Every few weeks there's a new phrase for our desire to slow down. At the moment it's slowmaxxing, intentionally doing less and making space for stillness. Others are talking about deadzoning, carving out time that's off-limits to productivity, notifications and the pressure to always be "on". Reading retreats are selling out. Offline clubs are popping up in cities. More people are looking for places where they can simply exist without feeling they should be doing something every minute.
I don't think any of this is particularly new. People have been searching for that feeling for a very long time.
As the host at The Ridge House, one of my favourite questions to ask guests isn't what they thought of the house. It's what they actually did while they were here. Those are two very different questions.
Some guests head off to to explore our Gippsland surrounds of hiking trails, waterfalls, wineries and farmers' markets. Others hunker down in their comfy clothes and woolly socks and barely leave the property. But almost every conversation finishes the same way. They tell me about the things they hadn't made time for in months: reading a book, cooking together, sitting by the fire, playing cards, watching a sunset without checking the time.
A little while ago, Crystal and René from We Cross Borders came to stay. They're photographers, travellers, and two people who seem completely at home in nature. Photography isn't something they switch on for work; it's simply how they see the world. After a busy stretch of shoots, they arrived looking forward to a few days to recharge.
When I asked what they actually did during their stay, their answer captured slow living better than I ever could.
"For us, slow living entails slow starts to the day, which we definitely embraced with our time at The Ridge House. Our days were filled with memorable mindful moments, in particular spending time in nature as we explored the private walking trails on the property. Putting our technology away and simply enjoying each other's company allowed us to rejuvenate. Not to mention catching up on some reading before the fireplace." -- Crystal & René
Reading that back fills me with the joy of why I love hosting. It's exactly what I always hoped this place would become: a permission slip to slow down.
Crystal and René loved spending time in our kitchen at The Ridge House. One of the great surprises for guests is that we supply breakfast provisions, including locally made sourdough, Gippsland jersey butter, eggs and our farm honey.
One of the things they loved most was the kitchen. If you have read about me, you know I am a passionate foodie and cook, so equipping the kitchen to enable you can make some muffins or slow cook soup in the cast iron pot if inspiration grabs you was for me, essential.
"As soon as we entered The Ridge House, we instantly fell in love with its spacious interior. There is a lot of room to accommodate both couples and families. We loved the aesthetic, cosy and warm feeling that comes with staying at The Ridge House. The kitchen was simply delightful, with open windows to nature and every utensil provided. There was a fireplace nearby keeping the house nice and warm." -- Crystal & René
Slowing down doesn't mean staying still, though. Crystal and René took my guide book recommendations and visited some of my favourite places in West Gippsland, including the historic Noojee Trestle Bridge.
The Noojee Trestle Bridge is the tallest surviving timber rail bridge in Victoria, measuring 21 meters high and 102 meters long. Built in 1919 to serve the timber industry, it is the sole remaining trestle on the historic line. It was not linked to the Tramway Track we at The Ridge House which is also a remnant of the timber and sawmill days in Yarragon but connects the story to this area of Gippsland that was logged for it's tall timbers. Noojee Trestle Bridge is about a 40-minute drive from The Ridge House, and it really is an 'us locals' secret hidden gem. More than likely, you will be the only person at the bridge. Being part of that history, alone on the bridge with the bush around you, is what creates the moment of reflection and stillness. You feel the rareness of the moment, and it creates that memory for you.
Back at The Ridge House, one place stayed with them both more than anywhere was our little private special part of the world, Loggers Lookout. this is a platform that we have built on our property. You take the back bush stairs (just past the outdoor fireplace) down timber platform that sits you in the valley of the hills of Yarragon, looking towards the Mount Baw Baw Ranges. This is where the magic happens every evening at sunset. René and Crystal carried a picnic blanket and a bottle of local wine down to the platform and simply watched the colours of the evening unfold with the soundtrack of birdsong.
"Our favourite place on the property was the lookout. One night, as the sunset was approaching, we took a picnic blanket and a bottle of wine to the lookout and sat there as we watched the sunset. It was so lovely to sit quietly and listen to all the bird life singing the evening in." -- Crystal & René
No bucket list. No timetable. Just a sunset, a blanket, and someone you enjoy spending time with.
Hosting people here has taught me that the weekends guests remember most aren't always the busiest ones. They're the ones where phones stay in a bag a little longer, books finally get opened, dinner takes two hours because nobody has anywhere else to be, and a walk turns into an afternoon because there's no reason to hurry home.
Not doing nothing. Doing fewer things, more intentionally. Maybe that's what slow living has always been.
If you're planning a weekend in Gippsland, leave a little space in your plans. Visit a local café. Walk a trail. Watch the sunset from Loggers Lookout. Light the fire. Cook a meal together. Read the chapter you've been meaning to start.
And if you don't get around to everything on your list, that's probably a sign you spent your weekend exactly as it was meant to be. You can always come back.
Book direct at theridgehouse.com.au, ninety minutes from Melbourne, for a weekend that doesn't need an itinerary of its own.
Continue exploring Gippsland
There's More to The Ridge House Than What's Inside the Fence — the honey, the garlic, and what's happening next door at Green Hills Farm.
Gippsland Wine: A Guide from the Ridge House Pantry to the Cellar Door — the bottles worth bringing home, and the cellar doors worth the drive.
Kristy's Countryside Day Trip — my favourite scenic route through Mirboo North, Thorpdale and Loch.
The Best Pet-Friendly Getaway Near Melbourne — for guests bringing four-legged family along next time.
Comments