Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
home to some of the highest Antarctic beech trees in the country. It abounds
with animals, including several marsupial species and an abundance of birds.
HUNTER VALLEY ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
To get to the wine-producing regions of the Hunter,
leave Sydney via the Harbour Bridge or Harbour Tunnel and follow the signs for
Newcastle. Just before Hornsby, turn off the highway and head up the National
1/F3 freeway. After around an hour take the Cessnock exit and follow the signs
to the vineyards. The trip will take about 2
1
⁄
2
hours. Barrington Tops National
Park is reached via the Upper Hunter town of Dungog.
Keynes Buses
(
&
1800/043 339
in Australia, or 02/6543 1322) run coaches
to Scone in the Hunter Valley from Sydney's Central Station. Buses depart Mon-
day through Saturday at 3pm and arrive in Scone at 6:50pm; a second service
on Friday leaves at 6pm, and on Sunday the bus leaves at 6:40pm. Round-trip
tickets are A$74 (US$48) for adults and A$38 (US$25) for children.
A rental car should cost you from A$45 (US$29) a day from Sydney, and you
might put in around A$40 (US$26) worth of gas or so for a couple of day's of
touring (gasoline in Australia hovers around A90¢ a liter, or US$2.20 a gal.). In
the Hunter, contact
Hertz,
1A Aberdare Rd., Cessnock (
&
13 30 39
in Aus-
tralia, or 02/4991 2500).
ORGANIZED TRIPS FROM SYDNEY
Several companies offer day trips to
the Hunter Valley from Sydney.
Visitours
(
&
02/9909 0822;
www.visitours.com.au) takes small groups to
the Hunter to visit up to six wineries as well as cheese and fudge producers. The
trip costs A$89 (US$58). The company also transfers passengers to the Hunter
and back for A$55 (US$36) one-way.
Oz Trek Adventure Tours
(
&
02/9360 3444;
www.oztrek.com.au) also
offers a highly recommended tour, with a visit to the Australian Reptile and
Wildlife Park. The trip includes a barbecue lunch and wine tasting, and costs
A$85 (US$55).
VISITOR INFORMATION Wine Country Visitors Information Centre,
Main Road, Pokolbin, NSW 2325 (
&
02/4990 4477;
fax 02/4991 4518; www.
winecountry.com.au), is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, Sat-
urday from 9:30am to 5pm, and Sunday from 9:30am to 3:30pm. The staff can
make accommodations bookings and answer any questions. The
Dungog Visi-
tors Information Centre,
on Dowling Street, Dungog (
&
02/4992 2212
), has
plenty of information on the Barrington Tops area. A good general website is
www.winecountry.com.au.
VISITING THE WINERIES
Many people start their journey through the Hunter by popping into the
Hunter
Valley Wine Society,
at the corner of Broke and Branxton roads in Pokolbin
(
&
1300/303 307
in Australia, or 02/4941 3000). The club basically acts as a
Remember a Designated Driver!
Australia's drunk-driving laws are strict and rigidly enforced. If you are
interested in tasting some grapes in the Hunter Valley, choose a desig-
nated driver or take a guided tour (see above). Both easily identifiable
and unmarked police cars patrol the vineyard regions.
Tips
