Visiting The Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley wine region is the birthplace of Australian wines, and is a beautiful area. A top day tour from Sydney, the region has scenic landscapes, gourmet food and drink, parks and other activities. I recommend an overnight visit. We liked visiting The Hunter Valley so much, we went twice.

About The Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, and the most prestigious in New South Wales. With over 150 wineries, breweries, and cideries, it’s a very popular weekend destination. The number and variety of quality restaurants is just as big, another reason to go.

The Hunter Valley wine region encompasses a large area, ranging across several towns. The region itself covers over 19,o00 square kilometers, about 250km north of Sydney and 100km northwest of Newcastle.

When To Go

There is no bad season for visiting The Hunter Valley, although there is a rainy season. The first time we went was in February, late summer, and the weather was glorious, warm and sunny. Our second visit was in mid-winter in July and we had frost at night, but it was fine in the daytime, as long as you dress for it. We wore wool hats, jackets, and long pants.

Both times we visited, we went during the week rather than the weekend. The region is a popular leisure destination, and most of the wineries are open daily. It worked to our benefit as we avoided crowds and often were the only customers so had private wine or beer tastings.

Dining in The Hunter Valley Wine Region

Hunter Valley is known for its semillon wines, but it also has an amazing array of good restaurants. From casual cafés to fine dining winery restaurants, to brewery pubs and more, Hunter Valley offers something for everyone’s palate.

We enjoyed delicious tapas for lunch outdoors at Gartlemann Wine’s Deck Cafe. This was an unannounced weekday visit, and a nice spot to enjoy a glass of house wine with fresh locally sourced dishes.

It’s possible find delicious lunch or dinner without a reservation. For example, dinner at The Blaxland Inn was busy but not full when we stopped in on a weeknight in winter.

It can be difficult to decide where to eat, but once you do, it’s very likely you’ve made a good choice. From fine dining at wineries to chicken wings at breweries, The Hunter Valley has it all. If you are planning to visit on a weekend, reservations are recommended.

Drinking in The Hunter Valley

One of my favorite things about winery touring in Australia is how low key it is. In general, you can drive up to a cellar door and do a tasting. No reservations needed. And, as is the Australian custom, it’s casual. Like in Tassie and South Australia, we met owners and had face-to-face chats with the wine makers. We also tasted some delicious wines, craft beers, and ciders.

Other Activities

No matter where you go in The Hunter Valley, whether on a tour or on your own, you’ll find some good food and drinks. That’s not all there is to do in the region.

hunter valley gardens

The Hunter Valley Gardens is located in Pokolbin, one of the bigger towns in the region. We were staying nearby, so drove over to check it out and have our morning coffee and breakfast at the shopping village. What we found was a large amusement park and garden complex, taking over 25 acres of property. If we had more time, the extensive gardens would have been nice to visit, and children would love the park.

Stop in Kurri Kurri

The drive to the wine region of Hunter Valley from Newcastle isn’t that long, just over an hour. It’s worth it to break up the drive with a stop in the small town of Kurri Kurri, especially if you like mural towns. Kurri Kurri has over 60 public artworks on buildings and in parks throughout town.

The kookaburra bird represents the town of Kurri Kurri. In 2009, a big kookaburra was installed in the town. When you visit and start looking at the murals, look for the kookaburras, there’s one in every mural.

As always when driving in Australia, keep an eye out for kangaroos, especially at dawn and dusk.

Hope you enjoyed my post about visiting The Hunter Valley as much as we enjoyed Australia’s oldest wine region. If you like beautiful scenery and delicious food and wine, I hope you can experience it for yourself!