The '''Hunter Valley''' [http://www.huntertourism.com/] is a region of New South Wales in Australia.
Regions
Pokolbin
Port Stephens
Cities
Newcastle - Capital of the region
The other substantial towns in the Hunter are:
Cessnock
Maitland - a small city immediately west of Newcastle
Muswellbrook
Scone - home of some fairly impressive horse studs
Singleton - a mining town inland from Newcastle
Swansea - a town with foreshores on both the ocean and a lake.
Smaller towns include:
Aberdeen
Branxton
Broke
Dungog
Gloucester
Gresford
Greta
Merriwa
Morpeth - historic village
Murrurundi
Paterson
Wollombi
Understand
Talk
Get in
Get around
See
Do
Eat
'''Shakey Tables''' serves an amazing modern menu in an eclectic surrounding. Great local wine list and fabulous variety in menu items. [http://www.shakeytables.com.au/ ShakeyTables]
'''Margan Winery''' holds the impressive Beltree restaurant which is definitely worth a lazy Saturday or Sunday meal. Coupled with the fantastic wine produced at the Vineyard, this is a must try on the Hunter circuit. [http://www.margan.com.au/ Margan Winery]
Drink
Wineries
The Hunter Valley is a major '''wine growing''' region. Tours of vineyards and wine tasting tours are a huge industry. A number of local operators run tours of wineries:
'''Boutique Wine Tours''' 02 9499 5444. (''info@boutiquewinetours.com.au'')[http://www.boutiquewinetours.com.au/]. Boutique Wine Tours run luxury (14 person max) day tours of the Hunter Valley wineries, picking up participants from their accommodation in Sydney. Cost is $115 per person with lunch or $99 per person if you purchase your own lunch.
'''Aussie Wine Tours'''. 02 4991 1074 (''0412 735 809. fax 02 4990 6969. email tours@aussiewinetours.com.au'')[http://www.aussiewinetours.com.au/]. This Cessnock based tour company offers wine tours from $45 per person (weekends) and $35 per person (weekdays).
'''Cheers Bus'''. 0408 987 057. (''cheersreservations@bigpond.com'').[http://www.cheersbus.com/] This Cessnock based tour company offers wine tours from $35 per person. Half day tours are available, as are full day tours including lunch.
'''Hunter Valley Day Tours''', Visitors Information Centre, Wine Country Drive, 02 4938 5031. (''fax 02 4938 5083, daytours@hunterlink.net.au'')[http://www.huntertourism.com/daytours/]. Hunter Valley Tourism offers full day wine and cheese tasting Tours for $80 per person. Pickup is available from most Hunter Valley towns.
'''Wine Country Limousines''', 193 Bimbadeen Road, Mount View. 02 4991 7484 (''info@winecountrylimousines.com.au'') [http://www.winecountrylimousines.com.au/]. Up to seven people can share a limousine for a wine tour from 10am to 5pm.
In addition, there are several tours that set off from Sydney for day trips or weekend-long visits to the Hunter Valley wineries:
'''Red Carpet Tours''', 2 Windsor Road, Willoughby. ph 02 9967 3238 (''fax 02 9967 3638, winetour@bigpond.net.au'')[http://www.redcarpettours.com.au/]. Red Carpet Tours run 18 person day tours of Hunter Valley wineries, including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Participants are picked up from their accommodation in Sydney. Cost is $155 adults and $135 concessions.
'''Wine Country Tours''' 02 9484 0477 (''fax 02 9980 1109, info@winecountrytours.com.au'') Wine Country Tours[http://winecountrytours.com.au/] offer 8 person wine tours hosted by a winemaker with 25 years experience. The tour includes private cellar inspections, as well as morning tea and lunch. Participants are picked up from their accommodation in Sydney. Cost is $150 per person.
Get out
Travel north on the New England Highway to the cities of Tamworth and Armidale.