"Forget the croquet lawn, the billiard table and the jukebox, writes Kendall Hill. For sheer opulence you can't beat a Roman-style bathhouse."
"Three-fifths of our group arrived at Mona early. So when we, the two stragglers, turned into the oak-lined drive, past the stately golden poplars, and pulled up outside the two-storey stables, there was a bit of a commotion. My trio of friends, no strangers to luxury, burst through the heavy double doors and beamed: 'Wait till you see this place...'"
"Where to start? Should we take a stroll around the two-kilometre walking track, the tennis court, the lakeside croquet lawn, the hedge-walled rose garden, the stone bridge, the rotunda and the paddocks? Or should we head straight inside to marvel at the capacious main bathroom - there are four in all, but this one's bigger than our lounge at home, with its spa, heated floor and double shower stall - then trot upstairs to admire the Wurlitzer jukebox, the refectory-style table, the billiard table, the slow-combustion fire, video collection and four generous bedrooms."
"As it happened, we dashed instead to the converted stables (circa mid-1800s) and marvelled at the substantial Roman-style bathhouse whose warm, jet propelled waters could easily accommodate a footy team. Needless to say, we spent much of our long weekend swaddled in white robes (provided) padding between our quarters and this decadent addition - plastic wine glasses in hand, naturally."
"Being at Mona is like staying with incredibly rich friends at their country estate, except our 'friends', the owners Kerry and Greg Schneider, were in Canberra and we had the place to ourselves."
"When the Schneiders are in, you can ask them to prepare you a suitably extravagant meal and choose fabulous wines from their cellar. But we made do with plenty of fresh produce and seafood and a kitchen table groaning with breakfast provisions provided by the Schneiders."
"We passed the time in suitably aristocratic fashion. We read, watched videos, danced to the jukebox, played pool, croquet and board games. We ate continuously, went for long walks, both on the 49-hectare National Trust-listed estate and into Braidwood, which is about 15 minutes away on foot. Grab a walking tour map to direct you to the finest heritage buildings in this gold-rush town."
"The weekend weather was best suited to ducks, but we still found Mona an ideal place to savour the season, rather than sheltering from it, as we tend to do in Sydney."
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