Hotels in Exeter

Exeter: Southern Highlands Village on the Tablelands

Exeter is a small village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, roughly 130 km south-west of Sydney via the Hume Highway. Settled in the 1820s, the township sits at around 700 m elevation on the tablelands between Moss Vale and Berrima, giving it cooler temperatures than the coast year-round. The village centre clusters around Exeter Road, where a general store, café, and craft gallery serve both locals and passing travellers. The surrounding landscape is open farmland and eucalyptus woodland, popular with cyclists and walkers exploring the highlands plateau.

Where to Stay

Accommodation near Exeter runs toward rural cottages and farm stays rather than large hotels. Properties typically offer self-contained units with garden outlooks, within a short drive of Bowral (12 km north) and Fitzroy Falls in the Morton National Park (20 km east). Guests use Exeter as a quiet base for the Southern Highlands wine district, antique shopping in Berrima, and the annual Tulip Time festival held in Bowral each September–October.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Drive from Sydney takes approximately 90 minutes via the M5 and Hume Highway; Moss Vale is the nearest train station, 8 km away.
• Best season: Autumn (March–May) brings clear skies and foliage colour across the tablelands.
• Local note: The Exeter General Store, operating since the early 20th century, stocks provisions for self-catering stays.