Things to do around Hunter Valley

The Newcastle Airport development (near Williamtown), will significantly increase connectivity across Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and the Central Coast. Towns of Broke, Cessnock, Lovedale, Maitland, Morpeth, Paterson, Pokolbin, Rothbury, Singleton and Wollombi are dotted about each with its DNA worth discovering.

Wellness & Pampering in the Hunter Valley

Spas, Massages, and Rejuvenating Retreats

• Heavenly Hunter Massage: Offers divine massages, skin care treatments and healing Reiki treatments. Also caters for multi occasions like weddings 
• Elysia Wellness Retreat and Day Spa: Enjoy everything from facials to body wraps, all designed to refresh both body and mind.
• Chateau Elan: Soak in the Ubika Spa. There’s also facials, massages, and more.
• The Skin Salon Medispa: A high-end medispa offering a full menu of wellness treatments, including body wraps, hot stone therapy, facials, and pedicures to refresh and revitalize. Located at Lot 44, 44/2 Oakey Creek Rd, Pokolbin
• Reflections Day Spa :set amongst the peaceful vines of Adina Vineyard in Lovedale! Located at Lot 44, 44/2 Oakey Creek Rd, Pokolbin
• Spicers Vineyards Estate: spa treatments, yoga sessions, and the ultimate relaxation in stunning vineyard surroundings.
• Chantilly Skin Clinic (Rutherford). Expert cosmetic treatments, located at 2/6 N Mall, Rutherford NSW.
• Novaes Aesthetics (Cessnock): Advanced cosmetic treatments for rejuvenating skincare options
• The Yoga Shed: Reconnect with your body and mind through a yoga retreat.
• Pottery Workshops at Hunter Valley Ceramics Studio: Enjoy a creative and therapeutic experience while trying to make your take on Jamie Oliver bowls! 

Explore & Discover: Top Things to Do Around the Hunter Valley

Vineyards & Cellar Doors: A Wine Lover’s Paradise

You’re about to embark upon legendary labels as we open our list of vineyards & cellar doors to visit, taste test, open the boot for a dozen of your favourites, here we go…

• Tyrells: A long-standing family wine estate & vineyard offering tours, barrel tastings & master classes
• Tulloch Wines: There’s exciting wine-tasting experiences, including Wine & Cheese Tastings, Wine & Chocolate Tastings, and even the Vertical Pokolbin Dry Red Shiraz Tasting. They also offer a unique ‘Hunter Heroes’ tasting, celebrating the region’s famous grape varieties. A generous Local Cheese and Charcuterie Board is included in most of their tastings.
• Winmark Winery:  offers award winning wines and onsite cellar door, solo and couples accommodation, accommodation for getaways for all, families with or without pets, accommodation for 10,  accommodation for 14, plus caters beautifully to corporate groups and events. Enjoy the onsite restaurant, art gallery, pool, tennis court, vineyard views, onsite shop, restaurant and so much more.

• Audrey Wilkinson Winery: Nestled high in the Brokenback Mountain Ranges, offering panoramic views and award-winning wines. It’s a stunning spot to relax and enjoy a wine tasting.
• De Bortoli Wines: Known for its rich history and the story of immigrants making their mark in Australia, it offers an immersive wine-tasting experience paired with fantastic food and stunning views.
• Brokenwood Wines: Wine and dine here.Home to the famous Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz and acclaimed ILR Reserve Semillon, and the popular Cricket Pitch Range.
• Draytons Winery:with 170 years of wine making under their belt, it’s the oldest winery in Pokolbin. Stop by to taste their renowned wines and learn about the region’s history.
• The Winemakers House at De Iuliis, near Pokolbin town centre. Visit and stay as it accommodates up to 7 guests – great for families, groups or girls getaway too. It begins with a free premium wine tasting included for all bookings at the cellar door. With spacious accommodation, it ensuring accommodation for both couples & singles. Also at your fingertips on site are Taste of the Country and Hunter Belle Cheese Room…ready to go with your welcome De Iuliis shiraz.

• Pierre’s Wines: Enjoy fabulous sparkling wines made using the traditional Méthode Traditionelle process at this boutique winery. It’s a must for lovers of bubbles!
• Margan Wines are rated a five-star winery (James Halliday Wine Companion) amongst many other accolades.

Unique Wine Tours & Experiences

• Vineyard Shuttle Service (VSS): This family-owned wine tour company offers guided wine tours across the Hunter Valley and is a great way to discover hidden gems in the region.
• ‘Ride the Wine Trail’ with Grapemobile Bicycle Hire in the Hunter Valley, Pokolbin – eBikes and traditional bikes available.
• Hunter Valley Classic Carriages is the largest and most trusted provider of private carriage charters, wedding transport & specialist wine tours e.g. Cobb and Co Stagecoach Experience. They are also located in Morpeth.
• iHop Hunter Valley Tours offers self-guided personalised hop-on hop-off bus tours, on-demand bus, private bus hire, wine and food tours, & customised private and corporate tours.
• Aero Logistics Helicopters: Hop between vineyards in a helicopter!
• Cooking class or a Low and Slow Smoking Rib Masterclass (check dates)
• Two Fat Blokes: For a twist on traditional wine tours, these guys offer tours in a Maserati, and grab a packed meal from their deli, creating special moments with romantic picnic packs, lazy night-in dinner packs and delicious smallgoods. It makes brewery tours even more fun and memorable.

  

Hunter Valley Outdoor Adventures & Activities

• Golfing: The Hunter Valley is home to some of Australia’s most beautiful golf courses, including the Greg Norman-designed Vintage Golf Club and the stunning Chateau Elan Hunter Valley Golf.and Richard Mercer Golf and Cypress Lakes Golf .
• For a shorter games, you’ll find lovely nine-hole course at Branxton Golf Club north of Cessnock, Paterson Golf Club or  Singleton Golf Club
• Enjoy watching the Webex Players Series (golf classic) at the Oaks Cypress Lakes
• Hot air ballooning with Balloon Aloft and Beyond Ballooning and soar above the rolling vineyards with spectacular horizons and scenery.
• Horse riding at several locations –  Chapman Valley and Lovedale
• Aboriginal Cultural Experiences: Learn about Australia’s oldest living culture with guided walks or cultural experiences with Girra Girra Cultural Experiences or Wollombi Aboriginal Cultural Experiences
• Finchley Cultural Walk: a fairly easy walk to learn about ancient Aboriginal rock art, and Aboriginal history.
• Wupa Aboriginal Art Exhibition and Trail, a free Aboriginal art trail that takes you through the Hunter Valley vineyards, gardens, Pooles Rock and Mercure Newcastle Airport and exhibits of traditional & contemporary works of local Wanaruah artists between Nov & May.
• The Hunter Valley Wildlife Park: get up close to native Australian animals in a stunning natural setting.
• Hunter Valley Gardens: hectares of themed gardens for big & little people. Eg The Storybook Garden. 8km of pathways will lead you to spectacular vistas and 10m waterfall, topiary displays, man-made ponds, statues, murals, beautiful architectural structures and more. There are 6,000 trees, 600,000 shrubs & over 1 million ground covers to discover from Australia & around the world.

Concerts & Live Entertainment

The Hunter Valley is also a hub for live music and entertainment, with many vineyards hosting major events:

• Concert Venues: Hope Estate, Roche Estate, and Bimbadgen are the go-to venues for major concerts in the region. Be sure to check for concert tickets and parking details in advance. Check on site parking and book transfers in advance to avoid delays (some transfer companies offer ticket & food combo or grazing hampers). The most direct approach is via Allandale Road/Wine Country Drive through Cessnock/Nulkaba to Pokolbin turnoff. Or take the back roads through local wineries via Mount View Road. Don’t assume it’s BYO either at any concert.
• Live Music: Vincent St Kitchen and Bar: live music every Saturday or Sunday at the Huntlee Tavern (every weekend. Fridays the Hunter Valley’s best Dj’s, Saturdays live bands & Sundays with a live soloist or at Harrigans). Check the monthly line-up, specials & events when dining or try Quirks
• Enjoy live music with pizza & wine every Friday night from 4.30pm – 8pm known as Sunset Sessions at Bimbadgen wood fire pizza restaurant. Happy Hour 4:30pm – 6:00pm and receive 50% off any glass of wine purchased from the Hunter Valley Range. Bookings are recommended

Additional Must-See Spots

• Vintage Golf Club: A championship golf course ranked among Australia’s top resorts.
• Local breweries such as Iron Bark Beer; 4Pines at the Farm; Hope Estate; Sydney Brewery Hunter Valley; 
• Pokolbin Cider House
• Hunter Distillery: vodka, liqueur & schnapps, award-winning Valli Vodkas and try the Black Label Chocolate vodka! 1617 Mount View Rd, Millfield
• The Wine House is a great way to taste test and buy from a collection of independent, family-owned winemakers in one place with over 40 wines available for tasting every day. That’s if you’re short on time. 

Good Eats

Many wineries will offer charcuterie boards, cheeses, and the like, but if you’re after some fine nosh from local producers, here’s a comprehensive list to pick from:

• Winmark winery with restaurant, accommodation, vineyard, art gallery, tennis court and pool and more . Accommodation types for solos, couples, groups, families and corporate events.
• Imagine you’re in the South of France at Bistro Molines, with wrought iron chairs and candelabras, white-painted cupboards and casual flower arrangements and vines that stretch almost as far as the eye can see. All speak ‘Provence’ without the flight!
• A modern Italian dining experience at eRemo – from sitting on the lawn with a hand-spun pizza and a Peroni, to a diverse a la carte menu and a 4-course shared dining experience with the ‘Avido’ menu (‘greedy’ in Italian), a selection of dishes, served to share.
• Margan Wines, as pioneers of Agri-Dining in the Hunter Valley, are committed to ‘estate grown, estate made’ ethos, crafting menus around the harvest from their one-hectare kitchen garden & orchard, olive trees, free-range chickens, beehives, and raising their own lambs.
• Renowned for its Bubbly Breakfast, Restaurant Cuvee at Peterson House caters for group breakfasts or lunches, and has a children’s menu.
• Set in the Tuscan-inspired Peppers Creek Village in the heart of the Hunter, Enzo serves homemade, locally grown produce for breakfast and lunch 7 days a week.
• Be an early bird and grab tickets to the once-a-year Harvest Lunch 2025 at Margan Wines.

• Keep things simple, focusing on flavour and quality at Emersons Restaurant, located on a picturesque alfresco deck at the beautiful Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove property.
• Hatted Circa 1876 is located in a historic cottage on the picturesque grounds of Roscrea Estate, with a ‘farm-to-fork‘ ethos as guests overlook the organic kitchen garden, which is the origin of their food.
• Esca Bimbadgen at Bimbadgen Winery offers simplicity, letting the flavours and freshness of the produce speak for themselves.
• According to legend, Yellow Billy was a gentleman bushranger who roamed the Hunter Valley areas of Broke and Pokolbin during the 1860s. An early forager who allegedly lived off the land and slept in caves under the Brokenback Ranges. He cooked food over fire to survive, and this story offers an insight into the Hunter’s hottest new restaurant.
• Sexy dining at the hatted restaurant EXP Restaurant in Pokolbin, dark, moody, and intimate with handcrafted local furniture.
• Hunters Quarter, located in the Pooles Rock Vineyard of Pokolbin, is a dining space with something for everyone, whatever the occasion.
• Treat yourself and your loved one to a special Valentine’s meal at Boydells or at The Gates Restaurant. Indulge in a curated menu crafted with love, featuring the finest ingredients and flavours that will set the perfect mood for a romantic evening.

Foodies

• Cheese making a yummy store awaits at Binnorie Dairy, an Aladdin’s cave for turophile (Greek for cheese lovers!) Delight in their  flagship, gold-medal, award-winning marinated feta; or their swoon-worthy triple cream brie; and creamy labna (so squishable), vine-ash goat cheese log; spreadable chevre with dill; or plain, unadorned chèvre, washed rind cheese. Want a take away grazing plate? Just ask for a Wine O’Clock cheese platter.
• Learn with cheese tutorials and a tasting room at Hunter Valley Cheese.
• Hunter Belle Cheese Room on site at De Iuliis Winery quietly boasts award winning  DIAA Australian Gold Medals for Ash Brie, Herb & Garlic Marinated Feta and Hunter Haloumi. Caramelised Onion & Thyme Cheddar and Cranberry & Pistachio Cheddar have both won Gold medals with the Cranberry winning top of it’s class in the DIAA Australian Dairy Awards.
• Open 7 days is the freshest farm to fork food at Wollombi Road Providore. Orders for the same day pickup must be completed by 10am each day and can be picked up in-store after 3pm daily. Or stop by their store to put together your own box of goodness!
• Pukara Estate – passionate about Olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and distinctive Fine Food Products. Pukara Estate Vinegar, condiments, olive oil and skin care.

• Hungerford Meat Co – Specialty Butcher & Smokehouse. Hungerford’s was originally created by Claude Hungerford in 1937. They work with many small local producers with a charcuterie and smoked meat range. Owner Michael Robinson spent 15 years working as a chef in some of the best kitchens in the world (La Trompette in London to Ortolan in LA & both Bathers Pavilion & Becasse in Sydney), Michael knew what was required to cook the best meat & create the best charcuterie
• Binnorie Dairy – is one of Australia’s premiere soft cheese makers with state-of-the-art cheesemaking centre and retail store in Pokolbin
• Lots to love at Majors Lane Cooking School and Lovedale Smokehouse Gourmet Pantry showcasing a range of house made charcuterie, including smoked chicken, duck, salmon, trout, sausages, ham, bacon, cheese, mussels, salt, olives, terrines, jerky and pates as well as house made relishes and sauces. Chef led classes (private or corporate) specialise in Thai Street Food and Low and Slow Smoking
• Hunter Resort Cooking School is a hands on class. All dishes are cooked from scratch using local organic produce. Recipes are provided and the dishes cooked are eaten for either lunch or dinner (3 courses)
• Smell your way to the Smelly Cheese Shop in existence for almost 20 years. It’s handy for on & off site catering events & they also produce creamy gelato with over 200 handcrafted & lovingly made flavors to choose from.
• Hunter Valley Chocolate Company – producing the highest quality, most delicious chocolates.
• Adena Vineyard and Olive Grove – Cellar door, wine and olive tastings. Open 7 days
• Foodies will enjoy the Chateau Elan Weekend Series of indulging in delicious food and wine

Retail Escapes

• Wilson and Hunter fashion and accessories
• Fetch Gifts and Homewares
• Willow fashion and accessories
• Check for dates to purchasing from local artisans at Upper Arts.
• The local Branxton and Belford areas offer many boutique experiences
• Hunter Valley Wool Store is only open on Saturdays and Sundays or by appointment
• The British Lolly Shop located at 1/2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin – open Wednesdays to Saturdays
• Hunter Valley Chocolate Shop open Wednesdays to Saturdays

• A collection of bespoke stores at this stunning site surrounded by lush and manicured gardens, visit Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village. Wonderful too for children as its adjacent to the playground, BBQ and picnic area
• The Wollombi Cultural Centre regularly holds excellent exhibitions for local Indigenous artists and photographers to exhibit and offer for sale photographs that have been taken in the regional area and other locations.
• Hunters Hand Made Markets:It’s a unique meet the maker experience. Dates coincide with concert dates and other major vineyard events. Held weekly on Saturdays and Sundays each week at 5 Halls Road, Pokolbin.

If you think the Hunter Valley sounds like an amazing holiday destination, midweek or weekend getaway, why not see Travellarks Wine Experiences Collection of local accommodation.