Go through Pokolbin town, detour to Tulloch if you wish, then proceed to the Pokolbin Estate on McDonalds Rd. Tastings and wine sales at Pokolbin Estate are in an interesting century-old sandstone cottage.
You can continue north on McDonalds Rd, stop at McGuigan’s Winery and Cellars, and proceed to McGuigan Hunter Village for a browse through the Pokolbin Gallery, have lunch at its licensed restaurant, dawdle in the playground, have a barbecue, or buy snacks from the kiosk.
Turn left on Broke Rd for more wine tasting at Tyrrells and Oakvale, then you may want to return to the Village and continue east on Broke Rd to Allandale Rd.
Fine colonial buildings
Having gone this far, it may be time to look at your Hunter Valley map again and plan which other wineries you want to visit.
You can continue north on Allandale Rd to the Wyndham Estate with its restaurant and picnic and barbecue areas. In the midst of the estate is Dalwood House designed by vigneron George Wyndham in 1829 which has since been stabilised and conserved by the National Trust and Wyndham’s descendants. Make an appointment to inspect this and other heritage buildings in the area.
And yet there’s more in the Hunter to visit and experience.
Activities and attractions
Hunter region sightseeing could include any number of activities and attractions.
You could try wilderness cycling tours, traveling by Clydesdale-drawn coaches, horseback tours, helicopter flights. You can even go hot-air ballooning over the Hunter region vineyards when the weather's right.
For nature lovers there are the Wollemi and Yengo national parks in the west and Barrington Tops in the north for an experience in rainforests and the bush.
Closer at hand is the city of Maitland, half an hour by car driving northeast, with its fine buildings of colonial architecture. There are any number of Heritage Walks in Maitland; call in at the information centre and get a free map.
Mountains, forests, water
If you wanted to go further afield, Nelson Bay is within a hundred kilometres east of Cessnock. Here you’ll find white sandy beaches and enjoy the sight of dolphins cavorting in the sea among the area's many attractions. Or you could go southeast to Lake Macquarie for a spot of fishing or watersports.
A visit to the Hunter region can thus be an experience of wineries and vineyards, and of mountains, forests, parks, lakes and seas.
Taste the wine and go on a discovery tour. The Hunter is bigger than you think.
