48 HOURS IN THE HUNTER VALLEY
We spend a cosy winter weekend in Australia’s oldest wine region.
We leave Sydney around midday for the commute to NSW’s Hunter Valley, to avoid the traffic heading out of the hustle and bustle of the city for the weekend. We made the right choice and around two hours later, we take a left turn off the Hunter Expressway towards Corunna Station. Set on 100 acres of private property in the heart of this scenic valley 120km north of Sydney, Corunna was the largest sheep shearing station in the region.
As we make our way up towards our home for the weekend and one of three properties to hire – The Homestead – we pass the original shearing shed, hay shed and wood mill.
Pulling up beside the beautiful home with its wraparound balcony, we disturb the afternoon sun-baking session of a mob of kangaroos, sitting together enjoying one of Australia’s most beautiful places.
They’re relaxed and calm as our toddler
shouts “ROO!” from my hip.
We open the front door to find an immaculately restored home, resplendent in country chic with fresh white linen and vintage timbers throughout.
Warm but not overcrowded, there’s just enough books and games and decorative pieces to feel right at home. The fireplace, which we use for most of our stay, is the centrepiece in the living room and we really appreciate the welcome bottle of wine and whisky to taste during our stay.
As we unload the car, we pick one of the three bedrooms and notice that the central heating can also be isolated to the bedrooms – a great treat in the winter.
There are two very large bathrooms, each with stand-alone baths that beckon a dip. There’s also a coffee machine, a state-of-the-art kitchen and a laundry that dreams and Pinterest tags are made of.
Our son Xander runs down the hallway to peek in all the rooms. It’s luxurious and stylish but also a haven for kids as it boasts a yard bigger than any they’ll ever have in the city.
We open the bottle of Tinker’s Merlot, a local wine from a cellar door we later spot just down the road, and watch as the sun nears setting. I sync the Bluetooth speaker with my phone and sit back, while my husband Jason prepares dinner for us all.
The next morning, we cook up breakfast and enjoy it on the verandah while our son plays on the grass in front of us calling out “cow!” to the herd just across the fence. Later, we decide to explore the local Hunter Valley Gardens to run off some energy.
When we arrive, just after 9.30am, we’re a little shocked by the steep prices ($30 per adult or $70 for both of us and our son.) After we begin to wander the grounds though, we understand why. The gardens are privately
owned and consist of 10 differently themed areas including an immaculate rose garden, a Chinese garden, the Indian garden and a storybook garden featuring the timeless nursery rhyme characters we all love. We spend more than an hour wandering through archways, past hedges and waterfalls and roses in a kaleidoscope of colours. During the school holidays, there are also theme parkgrade rides for kids including a Ferris wheel and carrousel.
We head to Cafe Enzo for lunch, located in a cluster of sandstone buildings inside a Tuscan-inspired village. There are numerous choices for dining in the Hunter, but we choose Enzo for its beautiful cafe-side yard and a waterfall that our son can run around as we enjoy our food. There’s a stunning oversized fireplace glowing inside but we sit out in the sun and order coffee to start. We’re impressed by the large servings when the food arrives
– I order a spinach leaf salad with chicken, pumpkin and goat’s cheese and we order nuggets for the little one. We share a bottle of David Hook Pinot Grigio – a wine that we later buy from the cellar door just metres from our table. The service is fast and attentive and before long, every table is taken.
After lunch we head to Audrey Wilkinson, a winery located 10 minutes away in Brokenback Range, overlooking the entire valley. We’re taken to a private room where we experience a premium tasting of a variety of wines, served with a cheese board. Our friendly and knowledgeable host Daniel talks us through the wines we taste and laughs as kids circle the table playing. They’re friendly people out here in the Hunter and they’re very welcoming, despite the fact we have a toddler in tow in wine country. Daniel talks us through the history of the property, first acquired in 1866. Audrey took over the farm at just 15, when his father passed away. At the end of the tasting, we’re invited to do something a little different – enjoy a dessert wine direct from the barrel. As Daniel warns, it tastes like sticky date pudding and while dessert wine isn’t usually my thing, this one is.
We head outside to the lookout and take photos before half-jokingly requesting our son takes a nap, so we can. We’re in luck: he’s out within minutes of the commute back to Corunna Station and while we don’t quite go to bed, we enjoy tea on the deck together enjoying the tranquillity of the farm.
It’s a little warmer that evening than the day before, so we decide to light up the barbecue to cook some chicken we brought with us. Our son eats early and then after splashing around in the oversized bathtub, drifts off to sleep after a big day running around. We eat at the dining table, listening to music and sipping on wine – exactly what the doctor ordered.
The next morning, we wake to a view of a huge cow that has wandered up to eat the green grass around the house and Xander is enthralled. The cow happily eats beside us as we enjoy bacon and eggs.
As we pack our things into the car, we’re a little sad to be leaving the stillness of the farm, where we’ve managed to slow down the clock. We agree next time we’ll add a couple more nights to our stay.
Before we head back to Sydney, we go to Smokey Sundays, a session put on at the Matilda Bay Brewhouse at the Hunter Hotel. There are seats around a fire outside and an inside option, too.
We’re greeted by that signature Hunter Valley warmth and shown straight to our table. Before long, we’re served craft beer and meat boards featuring 16-hour blackened brisket, smoked chorizo sausage and eight-hour smoked shoulder of pork and slaw. We take our time to enjoy the food and beer before clambering into the car to start the drive back to Sydney feeling rested and refreshed by a weekend of country air.