South Coast Xmas in July
25 July 2026 / Story: Anda Clayton; Photos: Anda Clayton, Rose Smith
Christmas in July – Southern Highlands
18th July, 2026
Our Christmas in July event for 2026 is now done and dusted, and a successful day at that.
A cosy but friendly group of 7 South Coasties gathered at The Berry General Store for coffee to fortify ourselves for our journey up the mountain to the Highlands.
Due to roadworks at Jamberoo Mountain Rd, we decided to alter our originally planned route to a run via Kangaroo Valley Rd. It is a very scenic route, albeit peppered with Saturday morning cyclists and potholes. We experienced a variety of climates on our run from sunshine one minute to fog. When visible, the views in the area are unsurpassable.
We arrived at our favourite Christmas in July venue, Bundanoon Hotel, where we were welcomed by friendly staff who led us to our private dining room, fire blazing and beautifully decked out in Christmas decorations. Needless to say, our Rose, who is known to feel the cold, made a beeline for a seat close to the fire.
Following a starter of warm sourdough, our feast of share plates was laid out on the table - delicious slow cooked lamb, ham, turkey, crunchy potatoes, oven baked vegetables and a yummy salad and all the trimmings.
Our servings were so generous that, yet again, we had enough to take home for "Ron".
Tummies full, Anda decided to spring a Christmas trivia quiz on the unsuspecting diners. We did, after all, need to work off the food.....I'm sure brain exercise counts.
Following moans of "we need easier questions", the group fared considerably well and learnt a lot along the way. We learnt that the legend of Santa Claus originated in 280 A.D. in Patara, in modern day Turkey, and Geoff claims to have seen annual migrations of reindeer on Christmas Island! Rose was the victor with a score of 81/2 and claimed a well-earned box of chocolates.
Out came dessert - plum pudding, Chantilly cream and custard....can we do this? Needless to say, none of us needed dinner that night.
Another lovely day out with MX5 friends. We had fine tops down weather, stunning views, great conversation with many laughs and a magnificent meal.
A unanimous decision was made then and there….let's do this again next year!
