Australia's Hunter Valley
By Mairead Foley

Hunter Valley is located just two hours north of Sydney. It's a very popular tourist destination and well worth a visit. It's also one of Australia's top wine producing regions. It was founded 150 years ago and today it's one of the world's leading vineyards and continues to grow.

Some of the biggest names in the wine business come from here. These include Lindemans, Hardy's, McWilliams, Rothbury, Wyndham Estate and McGuigan. Overall Hunter Valley is home to over 80 wineries ranging from famous labels (some mentioned above) to the more boutique wineries. The Hunter Valley is renowned for its full-bodied white wines, medium-weight red wines and a selection of some excellent ports.

Hunter Valley is also an area of natural scenic beauty. It's very picturesque indeed, and is surrounded by lush green rolling hills beneath clear blue Australian skies. At Hunter Valley you can take a tour of the many vineyards, sample the good food and wine on offer, explore the breathtaking countryside, or you could test your golfing skills at any of the wonderful golf courses available here.

There's also a really good selection of accommodation to choose from.

A great way to check out Hunter Valley is to take a hot air balloon tour at dawn. The award winning Balloon Aloft Company is a family run business and has been in operation since 1986. It's Australia's longest running and best established tour company of its kind.

How to get to Hunter Valley from Sydney...

From Sydney, head north on Georges Street towards Angel Place. Turn left at Grosvenor Street and take a slight left at Western District. Continue onto Bradfield Highway and take a slight right, staying on Bradfield Highway.

From here continue onto Warringah Freeway and take a slight left at Gore Hill Freeway. Take the exit on the right onto Pacific Highway.Turn right to stay on the Pacific Highway and take a right to merge onto Sydney Newcastle Freeway.

Take the exit towards Freeman's Drive and turn left at Freeman's Drive. Continue on Lake Road and take a slight right at Allandale Street. Turn left at Caledonia Street and continue onto Cessnock Street.

Continue on Greta Street, turning right at Colliery Street and then take the next left at Aberdare Street. Turn right at Vincent Street and take the next left at Wollombi Road. You've reached Cessnock and home to the Hunter Valley Vineyards.

Cessnock is located at the southern entrance to The Hunter Valley. Located just 6 kilometers away is the neighboring village of Pokolbin. This is a major centre in the area and has a very large selection of fine restaurants and cafés and accommodation to choose from.

Our advice is to take your time exploring the region. Your best bet is to hire a car and go at your own pace.