THE DEAR HUNTER
The Dear Hunter - Luxury Travel Magazine
 | |||||
The Dear Hunter | |||||
| By: Andrew Conway, Issue 15 – Winter 2003 | |||||
| (Brunei, Borneo, Northern Territory, Australia, The Empire Hotel & Country Club) | |||||
| A NEW DAWN IS RISING OVER NSW’S HUNTER VALLEY, WITH A HOST OF GREAT COUNTRY RETREATS, RESTAURANTS, WINERIES, GOLF COURSES AND GARDENS. | |||||
| If one could bottle a sunrise and cellar it for a special occasion, this particular dawn would be hailed a vintage drop. From our hilltop perch at historic Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard - widely regarded as the first winery in the region, established in 1866 - the view across rolling vines and misty valley is as clear and crisp and golden as a signature Hunter Semillon. To our left, the thickly forested slopes of the Brokenback Range turn from dark blue to bush green via a delicate shade of dusky pink. Ahead, the valley rolls away in a patchwork quilt of leafy vines, a mirror-still dam and farm buildings to mist-shrouded hills straight out of a Chinese watercolour painting. As if on cue, two hot-air balloons drift across the sky like a pair of plump grapes hanging from an invisible vine. To the right, the palest sun appears over the horizon, causing the early morning dew to sparkle. Peaceful? You could have heard a cork pop. A few hours later and the joint is jumping. The roads through Pokolbin, the heart of the Hunter Valley vineyards, are a steady stream of cars, minibuses and coaches making their daily pilgrimage to one of the Holy Grails of Australia’s burgeoning wine industry. And the famous names roll off the tongue like a full-bodied cab sav: Tyrrell’s, Oakvale, Rothbury, Lindemans, McWilliams, Wyndham, Lake’s Folly, Brokenwood, Tower Estate - a heady blend of old and new, icon and cult, big and small, adding a sparkling flavour and character to this undeniably beautiful wine-growing area. But wine is now just a part of the Hunter’s charms with the region - an easy two-hour drive north-west of Sydney - undergoing a major development boom in new hotels, guest houses, cottages and hideaways, restaurants, cafes, produce stores, cellar doors, public gardens, championship golf courses and pampering spas. From Cessnock to Broke to Branxton - in what is termed the Lower Hunter Valley - the area is firmly establishing itself as a leading wine tourism capital. The joy of the Hunter Valley is its proximity to both Sydney and Newcastle, its four seasons-style climate, truly lovely countryside, and myriad attractions, making it the ideal weekend or midweek escape. Turn a map of the Hunter winelands on its side and you have something of a grapevine effect with the Allandale/Branxton roads as the main branch and smaller Broke, Halls, McDonalds, Gillards, Ekerts and Thompsons, Oakey Creek and Hermitage Roads cascading off it like stems. Each of these are home to clusters of ‘grape escapes’ from luxury resorts and lodges to welcoming wineries, restaurants, and art and craft galleries, all wedged neatly between endless rows of rolling vines. It doesn’t really matter which way you turn because each new driveway leads to another unexpected delight, all easy driving or cycling distance from each other. Luxury accommodation comes in all shapes and sizes from the iconic sister properties Peppers Convent and Peppers Guest House to the excellent Cypress Lakes Resort, The Sebel Kirkton Park, Lodge at Noble Domain (formerly Grimm’s Domain), and Len Evans’ exquisite Tower Lodge, with its lavish themed guest suites. Peppers Convent, an historic Brigidene convent moved lock, stock and barrel from Coonamble in the NSW Central West to the Hunter Valley in 1990,takes pride of place in the upmarket enclave of Halls Road alongside the pretty Carriages Country House, Pepper Tree Wines, acclaimed Robert’s Restaurant, Tower Lodge and Tower Estate. The two-storey Peppers Convent, approached by a stately avenue of trees, has 17 deluxe guest rooms, a central lounge (where cocktails and canapés are served each evening), a sunroom for buffet breakfasts, a pretty covered courtyard and landscaped gardens with a pool and tennis court - just a stroll from the neighbouring winery and restaurant. The nearby Tower Lodge has set new standards in luxury accommodation with 12 themed suites in a sumptuous Mediterranean villa-style setting. Cypress Lakes holds court over McDonalds and Thompsons roads, a classic championship golf resort with stylish and comfortable villa accommodation, a fine restaurant, brasserie and bar, 18-hole golf course and the top- drawer Golden Door Spa to put mind, body and spirit at rest. Golden Door will open the new super-deluxe Elysia health and spa retreat next year, on a commanding bluff behind Cypress Lakes Resort, which will add a dazzling new dimension to the Hunter experience. Head south along McDonalds and Oakey Creek roads and you’ll arrive at The Sebel Kirkton Park, a stately and welcoming country estate with comfortable guest accommodation, expansive rural views, and all the trimmings for a relaxing weekend in the country. The charming Peppers Guest House, on Ekerts Road, is perhaps the doyenne of Hunter Valley retreats, with 47 colonial-style guest rooms, award-winning Chez Pok restaurant, cosy lounges and bar, a vine-clad breakfast terrace and peaceful country gardens. A second tier of upmarket retreats comes in the form of smaller lodges and guest houses such as Carriages, The Lodge at Noble Domain, Casuarina, The Olives, Villa Provence, Hunter Resort Country Estate and Tuscany Wine Estate among others, offering a quieter, more intimate escape. Good food is now part of the Hunter menu with stylish restaurants such as Restaurant One (formerly One Broke Road), Shakey Tables at the Hunter Country Lodge, Esca at Bimbadgen Estate, Amanda’s on the Edge, Mojo’s on Wilderness, and Seasons at Hunter Valley Gardens, giving the perennial Blaxlands, Chez Pok, Roberts and Casuarina some serious competition. And that’s the name of the game at The Vintage, Greg Norman’s magnificent $450 million residential golf community on the northern side of McDonald’s Road, next to Bimbadgen Estate. Prestige home sites, set amid a stunning 18-hole, Norman-designed golf course and stylish clubhouse, are on offer with a major hotel and recreational facilities planned for the future. The Vintage offers the Hunter lifestyle at its best, one’s good health and fortune toasted naturally with The Shark’s own Greg Norman Estates wine label. Wine, of course, is still the Hunter’s major drawcard with more vineyards, wineries and cellar doors than you could poke a corkscrew at. The choice is endless, from the big names of Lindemans, McGuigans, McWilliams and Len Evans to smaller concerns such as Kelman Vineyards - on the corner of Oakey Creek and Mount View roads, with its pretty Cooperage guest accommodation and hectares of rolling shiraz, semillon and chardonnay vines - to the new generation of quality wines like Tempus Two, founded by Brian McGuigan’s daughter, Lisa. Her curved, cutting-edge winery - an eye-catching, architect-designed masterpiece with a commanding position at the corner of Broke and McDonalds roads - opened earlier this year with a concert by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Just across the road is another major new attraction, Bill and Imelda Roche’s $85 million Hunter Valley Gardens, which is set for its grand opening in October. The gardens span 25 hectares with 12 themed garden designs from around the world and more than 6,000 trees and 600,000 shrubs, planted with colour and fragrance to the fore. It’s part of a vast hotel, recreation and leisure complex, which is very popular at weekends. Add this to a swag of other attractions from horse-riding to cycling, hot-air ballooning, horse-and-carriage rides, wine-tasting tours and you have the makings of a great weekend or longer holiday in winter or summer (the beautiful Port Stephens is only 90 minutes by car, Newcastle about 45 minutes). A bright new dawn is rising over the Hunter Valley and if it’s anything like the one I experienced at Audrey Wilkinson’s place, it’s time to crack open a cheeky little Hunter Semillon and celebrate. | |||||
|
