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Aussies love their wine. We
produce a lot of it and most of it is world class - or so
the world tells us. A trip to the Hunter Valley wine region
gives you a perfect excuse to taste some of Australia's finest
wines, in Australia's oldest wine producing area.
Our guides are local wine experts.
They'll take you to three wineries and a wine and cheese tasting.
You'll learn about the art of winemaking from grape to the
bottle and finally how to properly taste and appreciate the
Hunters finest wines.
Semillon's and Chardonnays
are what makes the Hunter Valley famous. For fans of red wine
you can look forward to tasting some magnificent Shiraz.
ITINERARY:
Day 1
A day of local
culture and local wines awaits us. Leaving Sydney we head
north over one of Australia’s biggest icons: The Sydney Harbour
Bridge. From the bridge you get stunning views of Sydney Harbour
and the Sydney Opera House. Phew! Enough about Sydney already.
As we reach
the point where city becomes country we drive into the Ku-Ring-Gai-
Chase National Park – the second-oldest national park in Sydney.
How old? Ask your guide. The park is surrounded by beautiful
beaches and coves mudflats and mangroves. The views are spectacular.
It’s also rich in Aboriginal History. We’ll see ancient rock
carvings and learn all about Australian native animals. Kangaroos
might even make an appearance or two.
Leaving the
park we head north over the Brooklyn Bridge towards the Great
North Road. Built by convicts between 1826 and 1836, the road
opened up the rich farming land north of Sydney. It also meant
people no longer had to travel by boat to Newcastle. Much
of the original construction can still be seen today.
We enter the
Hunter Valley via Wollombi and first stop is appropriately
the picturesque Wollombi Wines Vineyard. Its here we have
our lunch, which is included. The Hunter Valley is Australia’s
oldest wine growing region and one of its oldest winery’s
is the Stonehurst Winery. Stonehurst was founded by veterans
of the Napoleonic Wars, and has even made the Lonely Planet
as “one of the best places to stay for quality and value’.
The award winning Briar Ridge Vineyard is next, followed by
our final winery for the day – Savannah Estate.
After a day
of culture and wine tasting we point the bus south and cruise
back to Sydney, departing Katoomba at 4pm and arriving Sydney
at approximately 6.30.
After
a day of culture and wine tasting we point the bus south and
cruise back to Sydney arriving at approximately 6.30.
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