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What to do and eat in the Hunter Valley (Sydney Road Trip Ideas)
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items The Hunter Valley is one of the most popular weekend getaway spots from Sydney, NSW—and for good reason. Just 2.5 hours north of the city, this beautiful region is known for its rolling vineyards, country charm, and incredible food scene. It’s a must...
Sections
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Cafe and Restaurants
Markets and Shopping
Activities
Cafe and Restaurants
Where to eat in the Hunter Valley.
If you’re staying in Cessnock, Arthur’s is a great place to grab breakfast before a day of winery and market hopping.
I recommend the mango matcha which tasted like a melted Weis bar with matcha. Delicious! The smashed avo toast and chilli scrambled...
Arthur's, Cessnock
Located inside the Railway Hotel, Ocha is a great place for Japanese and Thai food. Recommend the delicious Thai green curry (which lowkey tasted exactly like Aldi’s jar tbh, but super yummy). The sauce has great flavour with a subtle chili kick. One...
Ocha Japanese and Thai Restaurant, Cessnock
Bresola pizza was nice and crispy (one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had), recommend the flatbread too. Scotch fillet was soft and chimichurri sauce was delicious and refreshing. Roast pumpkin was sweet but the glaze was a bit hard. Can see lots of st...
Harkham, Pokolbin
Beautiful restaurant! We ordered oysters, pizza, pasta and wine. I think the food is decent and the portions are huge but nothing that caught my attention. I think this would be a good place to share food with lots of friends. The atmosphere is nice ...
Baumé, Pokolbin
My favourite experience! Visited here randomly cos we saw markets outside on a Saturday. Went in for a wine tasting experience and ordered oysters which were delicious paired with the white wines. I am a fan of De Bortoli now cos the wines aren’t so ...
De Bortoli Wines, Pokolbin
Markets and Shopping
Where to shop in The Hunter Valley: weekend markets, artisan gift shops and more!
Fun markets filled with local businesses selling a variety of handmade items. I ended picking up a ceramic soap dish, creamed ginger honey and three bags of jerky. Very happy with my purchases! They’re open every Saturday.
Handmade in the Hunter Markets at Sobel Wines, Pokolbin
Smaller markets than the Handmade one down the road but worth checking out since they’re so close to each other and both open on a Saturday. Not as well known or promoted so it’s not as busy as Handmade. Has similar local businesses though, selling t...
Hunter Wine Country Markets, Lovedale
Loved stopping here to pick up some gifts and snacks for our picnic. We also visited again as part of a wine, chocolate and cheese tasting tour we did and got to sample a few pieces. You can do a chocolate tasting from $3.50 without a tour though, ju...
Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, Pokolbin
I visited Binnorie Dairy as part of a Wine, Chocolate and Cheese Tasting tour and I enjoyed sampling their wide range of dairy products. You’re welcome to sample most of the products yourself by asking, but being part of the tour did help things move...
Binnorie Dairy, Lovedale
Cute village with local gift shops and cafes.
Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village, Pokolbin
Located in the Hunter Valley Visitor Information Centre, Shop HV stocks lots of local brands. The products here were similar to what I saw at the markets so if you can’t make the markets, I recommend checking out the local businesses by visiting Shop...
Shop Hunter Valley, Pokolbin
Activities
What to do in the Hunter Valley: gardens and more!
A must-visit if you’re in the Hunter Valley! Beautiful gardens filled with seasonal plants and manicured landscapes. People don’t really visit the lake for some reason so we were the only ones there that day! Entry is about $40 for adults.
Hunter Valley Gardens, Pokolbin
If you’re interested in aqua golf or putt putt, you can try your skills here! Or, have a relaxing picnic and watch others play like we did! Finding a winery that would let us picnic for free was a bit difficult so we ended up having one at the public...
Picnic at Hunter Valley Gardens Aqua Golf & Putt Putt, Pokolbin