Hunter Valley Day Trip
To celebrate the week-long visit by some of our San Francisco colleagues, it seemed appropriate to check out one of the many Sydney tours we offer here at Viator. Always eager to try what we sell, it didn’t take long to find seven volunteers to join me on a tour to the Hunter Valley. Located 160 kilometers from Sydney (that translates to around 2 hours by road), the Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s premier wine-producing regions. It promised to be a fine day trip, the only concern we had was the size of the tour. With a large coach load of around 50 people, how much time would we have to explore, how crowded would each place and will we be stuck with a bunch of dull people? There’s only one way to find out!
Meeting up a little too early for a Sunday morning (I never knew there was a 7am on Sundays, I thought they started at midday?!), we made the wise choice to line our stomachs with a greasy breakfast at Star City. Making our way through the casino and having a little giggle at the stragglers still falling out of the nightclubs in high spirits, we found the biggest $5 breakfast in Sydney with enough cholesterol to clog a thousand arteries, and toast so stale it could knock a man to the ground with one well aimed throw.
After shortening our life span by about 6 months with breakfast, we headed downstairs to the tour departure point. The great thing about tours leaving from Star City is that its so easy to find, and everyone knows where the buses are. As the days participants began to gather, there was some concern in our camp at what appeared to be an average age of 70 amongst the other passengers for the day, but as more arrived that average began to lower - a little!
Boarding the bus we were greeted by a cheerful Northern Irish driver/guide who gave us a detailed, and slightly graphic for that time slot, explanation of why you MUST lock the toilet door on the bus when in use. After the horror wore off, we settled in for the 1.5 hour drive to our first stop - Wollombi Village, a quaint little town in the middle of nowhere with a small museum, craft shops, and most importantly a great pub! We had around 45 minutes here, plenty of time to down a beer (or 2 in some cases!), and try Dr Jurds Jungle Juice - a fortified wine type drink, not for the faint-hearted.
Back on the bus it was time to head to the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting, but not before a scenic drive through the area and a tour of the first winery visited, McWilliams Mount Pleasant Estate. Places of interest around the world could learn a thing or two from Mount Pleasant such as, if you employ a really good looking male tour guide, you will hold the attention of the female visitors for much longer! With great pleasure we followed our guide Gavin through the winery, learning a little about how wine is produced along the way.
After the tour we happily took our seats in the restaurant to sample the estate’s wine and enjoy a tasty lunch. Unlike many tours I have taken in the past, we were offered a choice of menu for lunch - chicken, beef, fish or vegetarian (as a side note, most of us went with the chicken which we all agreed was lovely, but the fish is also highly recommended). During the meal we sampled 3 red wines and 3 white wines, then there was time to look around the property, browse the shop selling produce such as flavored olive oils and chutneys, or do some more tasting at the cellar door. Alternatively, you can do as we did and sit back enjoying a couple of bottles of wine, whatever takes your fancy at the time.
Moving on to the second winery for the day it was all about the wine. McGuigans is one the the largest wineries in the region and as a result have the tastings fine tuned to the last drop. Several wines were tasted at this stop, again a mix of red and wine, but also dessert wines for something a little different. McGuigans also has a slightly expensive cheese shop and more produce shops.
Leaving McGuigans and heading just around the corner, we arrived at our final stop (and my favorite) for the day at Hunter Valley Gardens. With renewed purpose and a couple of tastings under our belt we headed straight to the cellar door for Tempus Two and several other wineries of the region. As the room filled with lost looking tourists we separated one of the staff members who had strayed from his herd and secured a private tasting … nice one!
Again many wines were tasted, several bottles purchased and we walked out even happier than when we walked in. With a full hour and 45 minutes, it was time to check out the rest of the complex. While one hapless member of our little group was assigned the task of minding the wine and making friends with other tour participants, in particular a new Canadian friend we seemed to be of interest too, the rest of us split up to explore.
Unsurprisingly our paths crossed several times at the much talked of chocolate and fudge shop where there is a range of local and imported sweets, and needless to say, there was more exchanging of money for goods in that little store. With the temperature heading up over the 30 degrees Celsius mark, it was eventually time to head back to the bus - thank goodness for air-conditioning!
Donning our iPods and enjoying the relaxed state of mind that follows a day of wine tasting, we headed back along the highway to Sydney having conquered our fear of large coach tours, armed with the knowledge that no matter how you do it, a tour will be as much fun as you make it.
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