The Australian Wine Country - The Best of New South Wales
Napa and Sonoma in California get all of the credit but Australia has almost 2,500 vineyards which is only a few hundred less than the number of vineyards in America which has ten times the population.
Exploring the wine country is fun, not too expensive and a great way to meet fellow party goers and wine lovers. For this article, we are on the road to Mudgee 3.5 hours from Sydney by auto. There are other vineyards which are closer but Mudgee is in the midst of an old gold mining area and is a “typical Australian country town.” This normally would be a two to three day excursion.
Getting to Sydney is the first step and you should consult your favourite travel website or travel agent. Take careful note of visa requirements (http://www.vfs-au-in.com) as the immigration officials will check to make sure all of your travel papers are in order. Then from Sydney, Aeropelican (aeropelican.com.au) will take you directly to Mudgee in 50 minutes. But note that tickets are expensive with return fares about $400AUD (current exchange rates are a little over 50 INR to 1 AUD).
There is no direct train service but Countrylink (www.countrylink.com.au) to Lithgow about 150km away and then by coach.
There are many car rental companies both at the airport and in the city. Your best bet is to book through a consolidator on the web for the best pricing; either through an India site or www.zuji.com.au. Note you must be over 25 and have a credit card to rent a car normally. Getting there by road is slightly complicated and of course will vary by where you are coming from. The best bet is to get detailed driving directions from www.whereis.com.au
The best times to visit would be any season except winter (June, July and August) when temperatures can be chilly and in the low teens. It really never gets hot during the summer with highs in the 20’s but slightly chilly nights. Bring a sweater.
There are many B&B’s in the area at all price ranges. Figure a minimum of $75 per room (single or double) to a high of perhaps $200. Generally, you get what you pay for. You can get a range of accommodations and prices from www.tripadvisor.com which will provide you with rankings and reader recommendations. Another web site to check out is www.visitmudgee.com.au for touring hints and a list of accommodations. There is also a tourist office at 84 Market Street (02 6372 1010 or toll free from Australia 1800 816 304).
We stayed at a fabulous period 100 year old house which had been converted to four apartments, each probably 100 square meters in size. It is called The Beverly House and it is run by a pair of ex decorators named Bill and Terry. The house is filled with antiques and each room is very different. Terry is a gourmet chef and serves a breakfast equal to a five star hotel if not superior. And unlike most B&B’s you eat at a full dining room in your apartment. The Beverly House comes highly recommended and the midweek fee booked on line including breakfast and a complimentary bottle wine and arrival cheese and cracker assortment was $175.00/day including GST. Another added bonus is that it is within a five minute walk of the centre of Mudgee with restaurants and pubs
Contact details are:
Bill & Terry
Beverly House
4 Lawson St.
Mudgee NSW 2850
Land Line +61 (0)2 6372 4225
Mobile +61 (0)428 724 225
.jpg)
This is the co-owner Terry Hawkins in front of The Beverly House and the photo below is a shot of the richly furnished interior
.jpg)
The Interiors
The principal reason to travel to Mudgee is to sample the local wines at the “cellar door.” There are approximately three dozen vineyards plus within five minutes of the centre of town.
In order to relax and enjoy the tastings we booked a coach tour through Terry and Jan Hill (info@mudgeewinetours.com.au and www.mudgeewinetours.com.au and phone +61 (0)2 6372 2367). The cost was $75.00 per person for a full day (a minimum of six wineries) and included a gourmet lunch from one of the stops. The list was not fixed and depended who was open which days and what times. The vineyards are literally one after another off of the main roads.
Unlike many other wineries in NSW and in Napa Valley, the tasting are free. That being said, the staff is of course interested in selling wines. Depending on the time of year there may be bargains to be had, such as buy one case get one free or buy two bottles get one free etc. A complete on line map and listings is available from the Tourist Info on Market street or www.mudgeewine.com.
The vineyards we went to (in no particular order) were www.burnbraewines.com.au, www.robertoatley.com.au , www.dilusso.com.au (noted because the wines are of Italian origin and very unusual),www.bluewrenwines.com, www.farmersdaughterwines.com.au , and the Small Winemakers Center (no website but located at Cassilis Road and Henry Lawson Drive Mudgee; phone 02 6372 2133. They make a white Port which is unusual and drunk with a slice of lime over ice. Beautiful on a summer’s day. Johnny is behind the counter there and he sings like Pavarotti and he is not shy.
Below you will find a typical tasting room; this one is from Robert Oatley.
.jpg)
The Tasting Room at Robert Oatley
The down town of Mudgee (population under 10,000) has the main Street with the churches and the small town feel of British or American cities. Below you will see a photo of a shopping strip and the Clock Tower Square. Not that the nearest traffic light is 150km away. A traffic jam is three cars on the round about.
.jpg)
.jpg)
We also drove to a nearby gold rush town from the 1880’s named Gulgong. There is an interesting museum (Pioneers Museum, 73 Herbert Street, Gulgong, 02 6374 1513) which recaptures in tableaus life in the gold rush times. There is a pharmacist, a textile factory etc captured with all of the implements used at the time. There are also old cars, telephone equipment etc. as illustrated below.
.jpg)
.jpg)
All of the restaurants are located on either Market Street or Church Street. But they are expensive. Be prepared to pay at least $25.00 for an average main dish.
Usually you can bring your own wine (called BYO and pay just a small bottle charge at the restaurant). Wine is available from any of the pubs (also called “hotels”) for take away.
Note worthy restaurants would be:
Cobb and Co Court
97 Market Street
02 6372 7245
Roth’s Wine Bar
30 Market Street
02 6372 1222
Red Heifer (that is a local steer)
1 Church Street
02 6372 2183
Note : Try the Fabulous fresh salads which are included in the meal. Excellent grilled Baramundi which is a local fish.
Mudge Brewing
4 Church Street
02 6372 6726
Open for lunch every day but dinner only
Thursday-Saturday
Rajarani Indian
75 Church Street
02 6372 3968
Only Indian food for 75km
Mudgee is expensive even though it is a small town. You can easily spend $50 per person for dinner without drinks. So bring money.
Leave a Comment