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Hunter Valley
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 Hunter Valley Travel Destinations
 Barrington Tops
 Cessnock
 Pokolbin

Hunter Valley

Lying in the valley of the Hunter River approximately 160 km north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
region is one of Australia's most renowned wine growing regions. Newcastle is located at the mouth of the river and is the region's biggest city where most of the population is based.

Things to See and Do

Hunter Valley's wineries are concentrated around the Lower Hunter. With its charming ambience, it is a popular spot for visitors to explore whether by driving, riding or balloon. Many tours are available such as vineyard, trike and wine & cheese tasting tours.

The Hunter Valley Harvest Festival is run from late February to April and celebrates the wine-making process. Jazz in the Vines is held in October where the valley resonates with a combination of jazz music and opera.

The Hunter Valley Gardens was opened in 2003 and is a multi-million dollar complex featuring 25 hectares of intricately designed themed gardens. In all, there are 12 themed gardens over 8 km of pathways which include the Children's Story Book Garden and a Mosaic Tea Garden. The gardens also provide activities such as aqua golf, mini golf and barbecues while also having its own pub and four-star hotel.

Barrington Tops is listed as a World-Heritage wilderness area and is located around the Barrington Plateau. Apart from its walking trails, visitors can also indulge in white-water canoeing, kayaking and rafting on the Steps on the edge of the ranges. Courses are also available for those who wish to qualify as guides.

Getting to Hunter Valley

Newcastle airport has regular daily flights to and from the major town centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The Cessnock airport is serviced by Hunter Valley Aviation which also offers scenic joy flights around the region.

Various coach operators have daily services from Sydney to the Hunter Valley Wine Country and the Upper Hunter Country while rail services operated by CityRail and CountryLink connect the Hunter Valley to Sydney, Brisbane and Newcastle.

Travelers by road should take the F3 freeway which is the main access route from Sydney. From Queensland, the Hunter Valley can be accessed by the Pacific and New England Highways.