Roadtrip around the Hunter Valley

Roadtrip around the Hunter Valley – One of the World’s Best Wine Regions!

Sydney to Hunter Valley (Main Route):

• Distance: Approximately 160-170 km (depending on your starting point in Sydney).
• Drive Time: Around 2 to 2.5 hours one way.

Roadtrip around the Hunter Valley sounds like a logical idea for wine & food lovers right? Pack your overnight bag, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales is more than a day trip for wine & food boffins. Renowned for its excellent wineries, beautiful landscapes and charming towns, the Hunter Valley is 2 to 2.5 hours north of Sydney, if you go direct. Here’s a curated road trip itinerary you can do on a daily basis once you’re in the Hunter region, or you can pick and choose according to your whim. We’ve paced this over a few days to allow you to drink & drive, or appoint a rotating designated driver so you can all take a turn at fruits of the vine.

Best time to visit the Hunter Valley Wine Region

Every season has its highlights – buds burst in spring; cosy accommodation, roaring log fires alongside a full bodied red in winter; ripening harvests into summer and stunning autumn hues as wine production cranks up. Consider seasons when planning a Roadtrip around the Hunter Valley –

• March to May is considered the prime season for Hunter Valley wineries and there’s wine tasting with pleasant weather with the vineyards transform into a range of reds and golds as grapevines change colour.
• Budburst occurs in mid-August to September, with the vibrant early shoot and leaf growth from September and October. New vintage white releases typically occur from April to August, and new vintage reds are making their debut from September to December, inviting sunny afternoons and balmy nights.
• By December and January, the ripening of grapes signals an impending harvest.
• From late January to February to early March you’ll find various events heralding the beginning of a new year of wine production. In winter dormancy sets in from April to August, as these quiet, dark provide dormancy for the vines before the cycle re-commences.

We had such joy pulling this together to include top wineries, accommodation and other must-see attractions:

Day 1: Arrival in the Hunter Valley (with an option to stop in Newcastle enroute)

Morning:

Set off up the Pacific Highway, with an option to bypass or slip into Newcastle (about 2 hours north of Sydney) for some coastal cool in an up and coming city rapidly becoming a young peoples’ town. Spend some time exploring the beaches or grab breakfast at one of the cafes in the city.

Drive direct to Cessnock, the gateway to the Hunter from the south: From Newcastle, the Hunter is a 45-50 minute drive from the Hunter Valley. which is the gateway to the Hunter Valley and a good place to start your adventure. Otherwise its a 2-3 hour drive direct from Sydney, allowing for a pitstop.

Afternoon:

Presenting a choice of wine experiences at Brokenwood Wines in Pokolbin. This is one of the region’s most famous wineries, known for its Shiraz and Semillon (Available for guests over 18 years of age only).

• • TASTE experience’: A Cellar Door Cru includes a premium selection of seven Brokenwood Varietal and Single Vineyard wines – great value and available 7 days / week.
  • MATCH experience is a seated wine and food flight with a selection of 6 Brokenwood wines matched with bite-sized canapés.
  • JOURNEY experience is for the wine enthusiast – a guided food and wine flight in Brokenwood’s private tasting room, a personal host takes you on a tour into the Barrel Hall, pointing out the famous Graveyard Vineyard along the way, ending with a pre-release wine tasting straight from the barrel.
  • ICONS of the HUNTER: Enjoy three of the Hunter Valley wine regions most iconic vineyards – Audrey Wilkinson, Tyrrells Wines and Brokenwood Wines providing the Ultimate Hunter Valley Wine experience, a full day so don’t plan anything else!
  • SOIL to CELLAR experience: for the consummate wine lover to experience tasting Brokenwood’s flagship Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz (single vineyard), whilst enjoying a unique and personalised soil-to-cellar experience.
  • Lunch at The Cellar Restaurant, Brokenwood. Enjoy a meal paired with wines right on the winery’s premises at The Wood Restaurant and Terrace Wine Bar.

There’s also Winmark Winery offers award winning wines and onsite cellar door, solo and couples accommodation, and for larger groups with or without pets see  accommodation for 10,  and for 14, Also it beautifully caters to corporate groups and events with onsite restaurant, art gallery, pool, tennis court, vineyard views, onsite shop and so much more.

Or, alternatively, visit and stay at The Winemakers House at De Iuliis, near Pokolbin town centre. 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 spaious 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.

If you’ve decided to skip lunch in favour of an evening dining experience, keep reading…

Best Guest Experience and Evening:

Check into your Travellarks Hunter Valley accommodation where hosts welcome you with local know-how and genuine hospitality. They’re passionate about tailoring your stay and making it memorable. When it comes to dinner, you’re in expert hands—chefs here take as much pride in their craft as the winemakers. Here’s a taste of where to enjoy contemporary cuisine made with local ingredients.

• In the heart of Pokolbin, Muse Dining at Hungerford Hill Winery offers a hatted dining experience, open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday. The five-course set menu flows humbly but proudly from the kitchen – each plate a creative masterpiece, featuring the likes of Manjimup truffles, Jerusalem artichoke ice cream (yes, ice cream!), or Pyengana cheddar custard.
• Also in Pokolbin, Hunters Quarters at Pooles Rock Vineyard offers a highly rated five-course degustation. Drop into the cellar door before or after to explore the “Rock” range – Single Vineyard, Premiere, and Museum wines. Leave room in the boot—you’ll want to take some home.
• At Carillion Winery near Cessnock, Bistro Moline  serves a French-inspired menu for lunch or dinner, with sweeping vineyard views from every table. Order a glass and savour it from your perch above the vines—where the scenery is as luscious as the wine.
• Self-catering? Stock up at Wollombi Road Providore in Cessnock or the Lovedale Smokehouse, known for its exceptional house-made charcuterie – smoked meats, cheeses, terrines, relishes, and more. Don’t miss Hunter Valley Cheese Co or the irresistibly named Smelly Cheese Shop. For fresh farmgate produce, check out the Hunter Organic Growers Society. for growers near your stay.
  

Day 2: Explore the Hunter Valley Wineries

Morning: Breakfast at your accommodation or local café. If breakfast is your a critical starting point to your day here’s a short list of the best breaky places in the Hunter:

• Yearning for a Tuscan experience? Plonk yourself in the enchanting courtyard at Enzo, open every day from 8am for breakfast (and lunch), featuring local produce and homemade fare.
• The Deck Cafe Lovedale is exactly what it says it is – a deck overlooking a dam in young forest bushland in the grounds of Gartelmann Wines, While you graze over breakfast you can sort out your day or look into all that’s of offer here with its landmark winery with wine tastings, cafe, cookery classes, garden, gelato & juices, animal farm…you might even spend the whole day here!
• A lovely stop in Cessnock for breakfast or brunch where its owners take enormous pride in offering humble, local produce – Arthurs Pantry. Open 7 days.
• Wandin Estate offers the full compliment of dining throughout the day but if you are feeling a little French, their Cassoulet Beans for breakfast will set you right for any wine tasting which you can begin right here!
• If your Roadtrip consists of a Biketrip around the Hunter, you should definitely pop in for a heart starting espresso here…The Bikesmith Espresso Bar. For the serious or the curious cyclers, this is a stop of great interest and supply of everything bike related, so why not grab a coffee there.
• Nineteen is an all day happening. Wander upstairs for an inside / outside vista and indulge in their specialty – smokehouse nosh that’s irresistibly good! Enjoy the Sports Bar, Bistro and Smokehouse.

• Adina Vineyard & Olive Grove, Lovedale. Known for its friendly staff and beautiful setting. They offer a range of wines including excellent Shiraz and Semillon.  Arrange tastings of award-winning olive and wine tastings and day spa indulgence.
• De Iuliis Wines, a fourth-generation family winery blending Italian heritage with Hunter Valley heart. A long-standing James Halliday 5-red-star winery, they’re now pioneering sustainable practices with BioChar to enrich their vineyards and the future of winemaking. Travellarks celebrates their story – where passion, innovation, and generations of dedication truly bear fruit.
• Winmark Wines in peaceful Broke, on the beautifully restored former Pooles Rock vineyard, pairs award-winning Chardonnay with striking sculpture and art. Voted Best Cellar Door 2023, their passion is unmistakable—and you’ll want room in the boot. Join the Wine “Rock” Club for perks on wine and on-site stays. The estate also hosts unforgettable weddings and events in this unique corner of the Upper Hunter.

Afternoon:

For lunch many wineries & eateries mentioned previously for breakky, lunch is also on offer, Here’s more that are worth abating hunger pangs gnawing at you:

• Asian inspired Lucky Duck at Leaves & Fishes in Lovedale in the tranquil setting by the water where you might indulge in eared scallop betel leaf, Korean spiced corn ribs, pineapple & cashew salad, battered Malay barramundi. Travelling with children, no problem there’s kids menu on offer.
• At Myrtle & Stone you can expect deliciously honest food with traditional fare plus nice surprises such as Tofu Scramble & Myrtle Burger. Kids menu available
• At Wandin Kitchen you’ll need to loosen your belt with Wandin’s scrumptious, generous servings. Salivate over their eclectic menu. Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday for lunch. Friday & Saturday evening for dinner.
• A Bimbadgen Wood Fire Pizza will set you up for afternoon of wine tasting. Bimbadgen’s indigenous name means “Place of Good View” with its present day Tuscan inspired courtyard soaking in the views from under the shade of its vine-covered pergola will have you wanting a library hour in the afternoon! Open 7 days (except public holidays) for lunch. Open Friday & Saturday evenings.
• Vines Restaurant at Hollydene Wine Estate offers a relaxed dining experience with a seasonal menu, great wines, and stunning views across Wollomi National Park. Open for breakfast and lunch (Wednesday to Sunday), it’s family-friendly with a kids’ menu, pram parking, and accessible features, including a Tesla EV station. Enjoy the views, sip some rosé, and don’t miss the seafood chowder and beef cheeks!
• Scarborough Wine Co. for an afternoon tasting, known for their trophy winning Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, they offer relaxed tasting experiences.

Evening dining pleasures around the Hunter Valley:

• Staying near Broke in the Upper Hunter? Book dinner at the pioneers of agri-dining in the Hunter Valley, Margan located in Broke Forditch is committed a dining experience centred around ‘estate grown, estate made’ ethos. Margan’s one-acre kitchen garden, orchard and olive grove maintain a seasonal approach. With free range chickens, beehives and their own lambs, produce is at its peak year round. Amongst numerous formal accolades, Margan is certified with Green Table Australia and Sustainable Winegrowing Australia for their environmental stewardship (first and only HV restaurant and winery) and accredited to ISO14000.
• Staying near Pokolbin? Book dinner at Bimbadgen Estate’s Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant to enjoy dining where the menu is distinguished by its clever  simplicity.
• At  EXP Restaurant prepare yourselves for an exquisite, thoughtful and utterly decadent tasting menu & experience. Guests come here not merely to eat, but to dine! EXP shines a light on premium produce and wines from the Hunter region and around Australia. Your fearless Chef and crew produce cuisine bursting with flavour and goodness and presented like artwork.
• Tower Lodge Restaurant, featured in the Australian Good Food Guide, champions a ‘farm to table’ ethos. Offering lunch and dinner daily, it provides a relaxed yet refined à la carte dining experience, with options to dine inside or on the terraces. Enjoy drinks by the fireplace or courtyard fountain, perfect for any season.
• If you’re dreaming of a carnivore’s feast, book hatted  The Gates Restaurant, that has a reputation for delivering the best dry-aged steaks sourced from Nolan’s Private Selection of Grain Fed Black Angus and are Dry Aged in house! Both a la carte with a premium degustation menu expertly curated with Leogate Estate award-winning wines. Stop by the cellar door too. Leogate was first planted in the 1970s by one of the founding fathers of modern Australian wine industry – Len Evans AO OBE.  For the past 9 years, James Halliday’s 2020 Australian Wine Companion gave Leogate Estate a red 5-Star Winery rating.

Day 3: More Attractions on your Roadtrip around the Hunter Valley

Let’s change gear. You don’t have to be a green fingers to admire the themed Hunter Valley Gardens, a spectacular show of blooms no matter the time of year. Spread across 14 hectares with 10 internationally themed gardens to explore. It is a must do experience for everyone who visits the Hunter Valley. If you can’t manage sauntering 8km, the pathways are wheelchair friendly and staff may be able to arrange a ride-on or golf cart for you – check ahead.  This is frequently an all day visit and if you haven’t managed lunch yet, grab lunch here or else here’s a bunch to choose from already mentioned, depending on what you’d like. Open year round, except Christmas Day.

Consider starting with a visit to Hunter Valley Gardens, just a 2-hour drive north of Sydney via the M1. Turn off at the Cessnock/Vineyards Exit and follow signs to Pokolbin. Many visitors find the gardens provide a peaceful, meditative break after exploring the wine trails

For a unique experience, visit Hunter Valley Wildlife Park, home to one of Australia’s most diverse collections of rare and endangered species, from binturongs to big cats and native wildlife. Dedicated to conservation and education, the park is open daily from 9am to 4pm. Check out their online planner to make the most of your visit.

Day 4: Departure or Additional Exploration on your Raodtrip around the Hunter Valley

Morning:

• Breakfast at a local cafe or at your accommodation following recommendations given, or if heading home via Cessnock, you’ll feel you’re in France at Briar Ridge Vineyard for a final tasting, or an excuse to pop another carton in the boot. Briar Ridge is a Halliday Red Star Winery, a coveted rating that is awarded to outstanding wineries regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity. It’s beautiful setting and Mount View is a tiny valley over 600 feet above the surrounding plains. This height has created a microclimate that avoids temperature extremes and allows the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly over a longer period, thus assisting the aromatics and flavour depth of all wines. It is unique and special.
• Staying for lunch at Briar Ridge is a must because you will experience authentic South-American dishes paired alongside world-class wines in an unforgettable, simple European format at Estancia Osteria once you’ve discovered the Hunter Valley’s greatest hidden gem. Inspired by the rustic charm and elegance of estancias in the south of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, Estancia Osteria is open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch, and Thursday to Sunday for dinner.

Not ready to leave the Hunter Valley wine region yet? Here’s more wineries to savour or top up the wine racks back home, have delivered for you and extract good value from the many wine clubs on offer.

• Saddlers Creek Wines for their hand crafting small batch premium wines from Australia’s renowned grape growing regions. Saddlers put wine, food and live music together for a wonderful way to spend a day. If you’re on the go, the Saddler’s Food Truck is a top pitstop open on w-ends only.
• Enjoy the fruits of 4 generational wine makers at Tulloch Winesfor a tasting and tour into the winemaking process.
• Head to Pepper Tree Wines for a diverse tasting experience. Vigneron and Owner, John Davis, with his geology background saw the potential of the Hunter Valley and continued to find other sites to complement his prized vineyards and quest to have the perfect soil to grow grapes. His prized vineyard assets source these to ensure premium grapes from four diverse regions.
• If you’ve popped into Piggs Peake Winery for tasting or purchase, you may as well stay for lunch at Yellow Billy located on the grounds of Piggs Peake vineyard. Here they blend old vineyards dating back from the 1800’s to modern, state of the art winery which processes grapes from vineyards dating back to the 1800’s, so old vines, with a new state of the art boutique winery. Legend behind the naming of Yellow Billy was a bush ranger who roamed and foraged across the region, living off the land and sleeping in caves. As a nod to his survival skills Yellow Billy’s talent lies in food by fire techniques. If it’s just a snack you’re searching there’s the Piggs Peake – The Sty for a quick scavenge.
• The Hope Estate winery and cellar door are located directly across Broke Road from Tower Lodge, where a winery, brewery, distillery combine to offer estate-grown and produced wines, craft beer and premium Australian grain spirits.
• Vinden Wines is a relatively new vineyard in its 2nd generation with young guns at the helm. They take enormous pride in wine making and viticulture using organic & regenerative practices that produce minimal-intervention, multi award-winning wines.

Later in the Afternoon:

• The Mill at the Estate Tuscany offers a prized location alongside the Brokenback Mountains for breakfast, lunch or dinner, open 7 days and transports its guests to places like Tuscany or France. Its lush sun-drenched gardens, terraced rows of vineyards on the horizon and vibrant, fragrant blooms under a clear sky will linger in your mind as you take to the road to drive back home.

Ready for the road? Alas, all good things come to an end. Stay safe and be sober as you head home.

TIPS: Adjust your Roadtrip around the Hunter Valley itinerary to suit your pace and interests. Bring water and good walking shoes, and plan your route in advance to make the most of your cellar door visits. If your boot fills up, many cellar doors offer delivery. Remember, drink driving penalties are severe – use a designated driver or consider a wine tour for safety.

If you think The Hunter sounds like an amazing holiday destination, why not see our Stays with a WOW accommodation.