Hunter Valley Getaway
The Hunter Valley sits between Barrington Tops to the north and The Greater Blue Mountains to the south, 160 kilometres north of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The region also engulfs Lake Macquarie – Australia’s largest coastal saltwater lake and Newcastle – Australia’s second oldest city. A Hunter Valley escape is a great way to spend a weekend indulging in all that this wonderful region has to offer.
Australia’s best known and oldest wine region brims with 150 top class wineries set against the dramatic backdrop of the Brokenback Range. Many have award winning wines, however there is also a burgeoning industry for other delicacies such as olive oil, wood-fired bread, cheeses, stone fruits, table grapes, honey and even chocolate.
Exploring The Hunter Valley
You can explore the vineyards by bike, bus, limo, horse and carriage or even take a scenic flight by tiger moth, helicopter or hot air balloon. When we visited it was a particularly hot February and I could see that the recent hot dry weather had yellowed the normally green rolling hills.
It was my birthday so we set off from our digs at the town of Broke, and wound our way through the rolling hills, stopping at several cellar doors and tasting a few different whites. I must say I enjoyed a couple of crisp Semillons, that apparently the Hunter Valley sets the world benchmark for. At every turn the views over the valleys and vineyards were spectacular.
Hunter Valley Food & Wine
They say where there is great wine, great food usually follows. I can vouch for this! There are over 65 restaurants to dine at in the area. We enjoyed a long leisurely birthday lunch at Wandin Valley where we partook in ‘divvy dishes’ that were very tasty! On the grounds of the vineyard there is a traditional cricketer’s pavilion that features polished concrete pavilion finish hunter valley floors.
The following day we dined at Enzo’s at Pepper Creek Winery and once again feasted on some delicious fare.
Pepper Creek Winery also boats this cute little wedding chapel, that I imagine is a very popular wedding venue set amongst the vineyards.
To finish off a fine day we visited Hunter Valley Chocolate Factory (very decadent!) and Peterson’s House, that specializes only in sparkling wines. With a slogan like “life is flat without a glass of bubbly”, we couldn’t resist tasting a few glasses of bubbly!
Hunter Valley Gardens
Right smack bang in the middle of the vineyards is the magnificent Hunter Valley Gardens that is set on over 60 acres. With ten stunning feature gardens, you can bask in the lavash array of colour and scents.
There is a 10 metre waterfall and lookout for some great photo opps.
The Disneyland-style ‘Storybook Garden’ was the highlight of the gardens for me.
Plus the formal gardens were pretty spectacular.
Where To Stay in The Hunter Valley
There are a couple of upmarket resorts, namely the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley or the Grand Mercure The Vintage, or otherwise for budget options there are homesteads, cottages, guest houses and pubs. For your Hunter Valley Accommodation CLICK HERE
The Hunter Valley won’t disappoint. It is truly a feast for the senses and a sophisticated playground for adults only! After all “Life’s too short to drink bad wine”!
For more on Australian Wine Regions read The Best Australian Wine Tours
I devoured your pics of the Hunter Valley Kathy as it’s a place I’d love to visit. I’ve heard about the wineries, and assumed that great food might follow, and the scenery looks pretty gorgeous too. Enjoy!
The Hunter Valley was fairly easy on the eye and on the taste buds! I’m think I am sporting the results around my middle-aged spread!
I remember driving through that area with my parents when I was about 13. I’d love to go back and spend some time there now that I’m old enough to appreciate the wineries. I do love a good garden too!
The gardens were magnificent, however they would be even better in spring when all the flowers are out. The area itself is very picturesque but strange how there are dairy farms and coal mines all mixed together. The three best parts – wine, wine & more wine!
I love the Hunter Valley but as Mr Oz doesn’t drink wine it has been a long time since we have been there. We stayed at Hunter Valley Resort on our last visit which is set in the middle of the vineyards…just gorgeous!
We had always wanted to go to the Hunter Valley as my husband has a cousin here, so it was a big highlight of our trip to catch up with her and have her show us around the region. I remember seeing the Hunter Valley Resort. We were staying in our caravan at a place called Broke (which pretty much summed up the place!) :)
I have not been there and that might be because I had no idea where it was…I stupidly thought it was a short hop from the Goldie but it is clear the more likely jumping off point is Sydney… I really must get out an atlas from time to time huh? Great pics!
The Hunter Valley is inland from Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. It has always been on our bucket list as we had heard good things about the wines in this region. Such a pretty place and the Hunter Valley Gardens were glorious. :)
I remember drinking so much wine at Hunter Valley. Gorgeous photos. We missed visiting the gardens. Probably next time.
Visiting from A to Z Challenge
Co-host Pam’s Unconventional Alliance Team
A Whimsical Medley
Twinkle Eyed Traveller
It is easy to drink too much wine here! By the time you go around a few wineries and sample wines at each you can easily lose track. The Hunter Valley Gardens were such a bonus to this beautiful area. :)
60 acres of gardens and 65 restaurants sounds amazing. I can imagine sipping a crisp white while enjoying olive oil on wood-fired bread and a selection of cheeses. :)
It is an amazing place to visit. I enjoyed our culinary adventure around the wineries and associated restaurants. It was my birthday on one of the days so I had to partake in a few wines to celebrate! :)
Great pictures. I never think of towns in Australia having formal gardens. I must check this out more when travelling.
Fran @travelgenee from the TravelGenee Blog
Yes I think people from overseas think Australia is one big dry continent with a few nice beaches and lots of kangaroos! However there are some terrific wine regions that produce world-class wines and there are many areas that are green and lush. :)
Gorgeous photos thank you for sharing them! Here in South Africa, especially in the Cape where the wine lands are set among majesctic mountains, there is great food ..
Susan I would love to travel to South Africa and Capetown to see some of your spectacular countryside and visit the wineries. Thanks for visiting my blog. :)
It’s wonderful when you can visit other countries via the web. Lovely pictures.
I couldn’t agree more! I love visiting travel blogs from overseas. Thank you. :)
Nice! I like the tidbits of information you’re giving out! Helps discover new places. I am doing something similar for my own A-Z this year. Quirky facts from countries around the world! Good going so far and best wishes for the rest of the challenge!
Cheers,
Deepa
Deepa’s Kaleidoscope
Thanks. Travel blogs are extremely informative if you are interested in travelling to new and exciting places. I will be coming over to check your blog out! :)
Just read this for a second time, and I still haven’t got over there yet! Those gardens look fantastical and 65 restaurants should keep me going for a while :)
Thank you Jo. The Hunter Valley Gardens are very famous and an absolute must see. The wineries aren’t bad either!
Hi Kathy,
I don’t think I’ve ever drunk Semillon! Good to know the hunter excels at them.
Semillon is the grape used to make most Sauv Blancs. You should try some! It’s a great wine region.