Boutique accommodation

Choose your accommodation! Cosy guesthouses, villas, resorts, cabins and motels match the excellence of the wines of this region, as does the cuisine. Some farms also open their doors for overnight guests.

The area features rolling hills adorned with vines, sparkling waterways, rugged mountains, forests and fascinating towns reflecting Australias colonial heritage.

The Hunter, Australia's oldest wine-producing area, where winemaking dates back more than 150 years, is only a two-hour drive from Sydney, close enough for a day trip and ideal for a weekend getaway. Its 70 wineries harvest grapes in February and March and welcome visitors year round. Most are open for cellar-door tastings. Major wineries include Tyrrells, Lindemans, Wyndham Estate, and Rosemount Estate. Smaller wineries offer some distinctive wines, some only obtainable from the cellar door. And your host could very well be the one who tended the vines, picked the grapes, fermented the fruit and labelled the bottles.

Getting around is half the fun. You can take a bicycle trip along a vine trail, ride in a horse-drawn carriage with a picnic hamper or join a guided tasting tour with a local expert at the wheel.

The Hunters annual Vintage Harvest Festival, Opera in the Vineyards at Wyndham Estate, Jazz in the Vines at Tyrrells and wine shows attract many visitors. Activities range from hot-air ballooning, horse riding and bushwalking through World Heritage parks, to water sports, abseiling and golf.

Endless activities

Rolling hills adorned with vines, sparkling waterways, rugged mountains, forests and fascinating towns reflecting Australia's colonial heritage. One can only sigh at the sheer beauty of the Hunter Valley.

Australia's oldest wine producing area with winemaking traditions dating back over 150 years, is only a two hour drive from Sydney, close enough for a day trip and ideal for a weekend getaway.

The Hunter's 70 wineries harvest grapes in February and March and welcome visitors all year round.

Most of the Hunter wineries are open for cellar door tastings and the biggest difficulty is deciding where to begin. Major wineries include Tyrrell's, Lindemans, Wyndham Estate, Rosemount Estate, among others. Smaller boutique wineries offer some distinctive wines, some only obtainable from their cellar door. And your host could very well be the one who tended the vines, picked the grapes, fermented the fruit and labelled the bottles.

Getting around to each winery is half the fun - you can take a bicycle trip along a vine trail, a horse-drawn carriage with a packed picnic hamper for the journey or a guided tasting tour with a local expert at the wheel.

Many flock to the Hunter for the annual Vintage Harvest Festival, Opera in the Vineyards at Wyndham Estate, Jazz in the Vines at Tyrrells and various wine shows.

Wine-tasting is not the only form of recreation. A multitude of activities range from hot-air ballooning, horse riding and bushwalking through World Heritage parks, to all sorts of water sports, abseiling and golf.

Accommodation includes cosy guest houses, villas, resorts, cabins and motels which match the excellence of the wines, as does the cuisine. For a taste of rural Australia, a number of farms also open their doors for overnight guests.

Touring the Hunter Valley

Just two hours' drive north of Sydney, there's a contented world of wide, open spaces, featuring magnificent vineyards, sparkling waterways, rugged mountains, forests, and fascinating towns reflecting Australia's colonial heritage.

The Hunter Valley is Australia's oldest wine-producing area, with winemaking traditions dating back more than 150 years. The valley houses some of Australia's most famous wineries, including Tyrells, Lindemans and McGuigans, and is sprinkled with smaller, boutique vineyards.

A mecca for wine enthusiasts over recent decades, the Hunter Valley also offers first-class cuisine, which has emerged to meet the exacting needs of those dedicated to good living. There are dozens of cosy guesthouses, villas, resorts, cabins and motels.

Around here, you can take a horsedrawn carriage, soar in a hot-air balloon, tee off from world-class golf courses, or take a leisurely cycle through the rolling countryside.

To the north, the rich hills of the Upper Hunter present other opportunities for discovering the essence of Australia's rural heritage. Visit Singleton's Military Museum, or taste Upper Hunter wines at local wineries. Lake Glenbawn is popular for sailing and fishing and the Wollemi National Park is a haven for camping.

If you want to really experience rural Australia, then stay at one of the Upper Hunter's working farms.