Margot Date visits a town with a thriving community of artists, foodies and farmers.

Historic Braidwood looks much the same as it has for the past century or more - apart from the traffic - but the town is alive to 21st-century tastes. Built on a Georgian grid, it is a place where the traveller can stop and catch a breath of fresh Southern Tablelands air.

Braidwood is 650 metres above sea level and about 280 kilometres south of Sydney, with Canberra 110 kilometres to the west and Batemans Bay 60 kilometres away. The entire town is on the State Heritage Register, with the notes supporting its listing describing it as "a coherent and well-preserved 19th-century township set within a rolling pastoral landscape".

The easiest way to see the town is to go to the Braidwood Visitor Information Centre at 92 Wallace Street and collect a map of the self-guided walk that takes you past 54 historic buildings and sites - the town dates from 1839. The first stop is the Braidwood Museum built in 1845 as the Royal Hotel. Many of the buildings are along Wallace Street, which carries Kings Highway traffic from Canberra and southern NSW to the coast.

A block away from the museum is the Cardamom restaurant, run by Terry and Rachel D'Arcy who, having done their stint in Sydney (he at Aria and Pello), have returned home to cook as much local produce as possible: olive oils and truffles, lamb and beef, Araluen peaches and pine nuts from just down the road. "I am really happy with the produce around here because I get to speak to the growers," Terry says.

Past the park where markets are held on the fourth Saturday of the month is the new Cafe Albion in the old Albion Hotel, built in 1872. There is seriously good coffee and the locals have quickly adopted it as the spot to get a caffeine fix.

A few doors down is Bernadoff's, a treasure trove of 1950s and '60s furniture. It is so easy to spot a stylish bargain, even those with the strongest willpower may find themselves with a set of kitchen chairs.

On the other side of the street is Studio Altenburg, owned and operated by Gina Oldham, who hosts six exhibitions of fine arts a year and sells beautiful goods. A Sense Of Place, an exhibition of soda vapour glaze ceramics by Gail Nichols, runs until September 7.

A block away is the stunning home Tidmarsh, owned by Jane and Gary Kendall, who formerly ran Jamberoo Antiques. On September 6 they will open Longbarn, selling provincial architectural, industrial and garden antiques.

"Braidwood offers us the all-important business-lifestyle combination," Jane says. "We have met so many interesting and creative people and it is exciting to be here at a time when Braidwood is really starting to go ahead."

A short drive out of town is The Old Cheese Factory at Reidsdale, operated by siblings Gina and Gary Watkins-Sully and their parents, Robert and Margaret. The restored factory has a commercial kitchen where growers can pack and label their food. "The idea was to set up a facility where we can encourage rural production," Gary says.

Peter Marshall is one grower who has struck gold with his produce. Six years ago, he planted oak and hazel trees to re-create a 19th-century French forest as a setting to harvest truffles. This year, his wife, Kate, and their truffle dog, Sal, harvested the first crop and some truffles sold for between $2500 and $3000 a kilogram.

One of the well-kept secrets of Braidwood is its proximity to stunning national parks. Visitors to the Monga National Park can see Monga waratah (Telopea mongaensis) flowering between October and December on the Waratah Walk at the Mongarlowe River Picnic Area. This is an easy drive but there are stunning ocean views from the ridges further into the park. Peter Kneen has easy, medium and hard four-wheel drive trips.

A highlight on the annual craft calendar is the Braidwood Quilt Event on the weekend of November 22-23. Don't miss the Airing of the Quilts on Saturday - last year there were more than 500 on display.

Golfers can play nine holes at the Braidwood Golf Club for $15 - remember to watch for the platypus in the creek at the third hole.

Studio Altenburg, phone 4842 2384, see http://www.studioaltenburg.com.au.

Longbarn, phone 4842 2784, see http://www.longbarn.com.au.

The Old Cheese Factory, phone 4846 1999, see http://www.braidwoodmade.com.au.

Peter Kneen, phone 0428 414 093, see http://www.4WDtrips.com.au.

For places to stay and an events calendar, see www.visitbraidwood.com.au.