Hunter Valley Activities

Just about any destination in Australia is a great place to take your kids, and the Hunter Valley is particularly favourable with its fantastic coastline and diverse countryside. Take them horseback riding or glow worm hunting in the countryside, or perhaps sand boarding or dolphin watching out on the water.

Chocolate Tasting
The Chocolate and Fudge Shop in the Hunter Valley Gardens Village, central Pokolbin, is a must for anyone visiting with kids. Your young ones will get to taste the fine chocolates made here and there are also many quality breads and preserves to sample. Phone: +61 2 4998 7744.

Dancing Waters Show
The fascinating Dancing Waters Show is a magical indoor visual and sound show that features hundreds of water jets along with 22 banks of coloured lights culminating in an amazing display. The Dancing Waters Show can be seen in the Hunter Valley Gardens which are located in the heart of the Hunter vineyards in the Brokenback ranges. Phone: +61 2 4998 7062; website: www.hvg.com.au/gardens.

Glow-worm Hunting
Located in the Wollemi National Park, the Glow Worm Tunnel area is a fascinating experience for all involved, kids and adults alike. As you explore in the tunnel, expect to get wet as the floor remains underwater for most of the year. A torch plus a back-up torch and batteries are essential. Remember not to shine the beam directly on the creatures or you will miss the full effect of their glow.

Horseback Riding
From the experienced horse rider to those who have never sat on a horse, Hunter Valley offers some excellent trails. Several set-ups in Hunter Valley offer one or two-hour horse hire as well as longer treks and instruction. One of the most popular places for this activity is the Wollombi Horse Riding Centre in Wollombi. Phone: +61 2 4998 3221.

Sand Boarding
Port Stephens is the setting for the best sand boarding in the Hunter Valley. There are some giant dunes here, and the thrill of hurtling down them on a piece of wood is awesome for kids. If you don’t have a board, you can either find some sturdy cardboard or hire one from town. Local adventure tour companies include the Port Stephens dunes on their itineraries.

Whale and Dolphin Watching
Port Stephens, with its huge natural harbour, is the venue for whale watching charters in-season. For dolphin watching, hiring a kayak and paddling out to them is a real thrill. Blue Water Sea Kayaking offer guided sea kayaking adventures that take in the dolphins. Phone: +61 2 4981 5177.

Not many regions of Australia display as much culture and history as the Hunter Valley. The valley’s history goes back to the colonial days when Hunter was one of the most important areas of the rise of Australia. It also happens to be one of the most important wine producing areas in the country.

Aboriginal Rock Art
Before Europeans arrived, the Aborigines inhabited the Hunter Valley region for millennia, and signs of their presence can be discerned at numerous locations on foot or horseback. Wollombi is one of the best places to see great examples of Aboriginal rock art.

Arts and Crafts
The Hunter Valley region is not all about wines; there is also a significant amount of traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. Local galleries in the main towns and at some of the wineries are loaded with fine art works and antiques. A substantial amount of Aboriginal art is represented.

Hunter Valley Wine School
Those interested in finding out more about the wineries and wine-making in the Hunter Valley area should make a visit to this esteemed wine school to take in the tutorials and pick up a certificate. The tourist information brochure Hunter Valley Wine Country is available from information centres around the region and is useful, listing every winery in the area. Phone: +61 2 4998 7777.

Hunter Valley Wine Society
The Hunter Valley Wine Society in Pokolbin is also a recommended stopping off point to learn more about the culture of the local wines. Wines are shipped from here to members all over Australia and overseas. Visitors who pay the society a visit get to taste the wines and talk to the experts. Phone: +61 2 4941 3000.

Lake Macquarie
Australia’s largest coastal saltwater lake is ideal for fishing, sailing, waterskiing, kayaking and just about any other type of water sport you can imagine. The whole area makes for a great base or daytrip, with mountains, intriguing towns and the obvious allure of the water and its associated activities. Parts of the lake meet the outer suburbs of Newcastle and the towns of Toronto and Wangi Wangi feature some interesting history, the latter which is home to Dobell House. In addition, mines and power stations can be seen around the lake from the early days of power generation.

Maitland
Located just north of Newcastle and west of Port Stephens, Maitland is one of the biggest towns in Hunter Valley and displays plenty of heritage. Maitland was one of the main penal colonies in the 1800s and nearly gained status as capital of New South Wales over Sydney. It has plenty of history with High street often being referred to as ‘one of the most intact high streets in Australia’. The town is loaded with impressive galleries, craft shops and mansions, and the many wooden bridges and National Trust Jewish Cemetery are worth seeing.

Rothbury Estate
The Rothbury Estate is one of the most popular wineries in the Hunter Valley, producing the Brokenback shiraz and Mudgee shiraz. The estate is located in Pokolbin, making it even more attractive to visit, and comprehensively displays the wines of the region. Tastings come highly recommended. Phone: +61 2 4998 7363; website: www.fosters.com.au/the_rothbury_estate.

There’s no shortage of cafés, restaurants and pubs throughout the Hunter Valley region, where hearty meals and some of the best wine in the country can be savoured.

Pokolbin, in particular, has some very good restaurants including Casuarina Restaurant; Robert's Restaurant at Peppers Convent Hunter Valley guesthouse; and Chez Pok at Peppers Guest House.

In addition to offering wine tasting and a fun day out, Margan Winery has a very popular restaurant known as the Beltree. The range and quality of food here is very good and the availability of Margan Winery wines to go with your meal adds to the appeal.

The best shopping in Hunter Valley can be had in the larger towns such as Pokolbin, Maitland, Port Stephens, and Cessnock. Handicrafts are in abundance, as are souvenir shops - Cessnock is one of the best places for both with its glitzy shopping areas in among old buildings and craft shops.

Apart from the major towns, there are also many other smaller towns around the Lower Hunter Valley area where lots of fun can be had in the shopping department. Branxton and Greta are particularly noted for their markets and fresh produce, while Kurri Kurri has more than a few boutiques to go with its many heritage country pubs.

In addition, Wollombi is interesting for window shopping and antiques, and the whole place has a 1930s feel. Meanwhile, the town of Broke in the Brokenback Range also has plenty of character, as does the old river port of Morpeth with its antique shops.

Hunter Valley is one of the best places in Australia to enjoy the outdoors; it has fantastic walking, trekking, cycling, and horseback riding terrain, as well as deep caves and dazzling beaches with reliable surf. You could forego all this, however, and take a leisurely balloon ride over the lot instead.

Aqua Golf
Visitors into golf may like to try out Aqua Golf, which is effectively a driving range where members put balls into a lake in an attempt to try and hit floating targets and win prizes. Aqua Golf can be found in the Hunter Valley Gardens Village in Pokolbin where a real golf course is also located (the 18-hole Putt Putt course). Phone: +61 2 4998 7896.

Ballooning
Hot air ballooning is a big hit in Hunter Valley owing to all the wineries, of which you can gain a better perspective of from high up. Balloon Aloft is one company that offers year-round balloon trips at dawn, which includes a post-flight champagne breakfast. Hunter Valley Hot Air Ballooning in Pokolbin offers similar trips, while the Newcastle Sport Parachute Club teaches tandem skydiving and parachute courses. Phone: +61 2 4938 1955 (Balloon Aloft).

Caving
Caving, or spelunking, is a popular Hunter Valley activity. The Timor Caves are the most impressive in the region, and the Newcastle and Hunter Valley Speleological Society provide guided tours of them suitable for everyone from beginners to experienced cavers. Website: http://nhvss.org.au/.

Cycling
The Hunter Valley region is great for regular and mountain biking. Bikes can be hired from various locations throughout Hunter Valley, although the Hunter Valley Cycling shop in Hunter Valley Gardens Village, Pokolbin, has the best range of bikes and they also offer guided tours. Well-equipped mountain bikes and tandems are available and the shop can drop you off or pick you up. Phone: +61 2 4998 6633 (Hunter Valley Cycling).

Quad Biking
Hunter Valley is good for quad biking and several companies in the region offer quad biking tours. Sand Safaris in Port Stephens is one such company which ride all over the sand dunes in this part of the Hunter Valley daily. Phone: +61 2 4965 0215.

Surfing
The part of the Hunter Valley that encompasses the coast does so in an area with fabulous bays and beaches including Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay, Bulahdelah, Forster, and Tuncurry. The more popular Blacksmiths and Caves beaches near Swansea have tougher surf and are well known in the world of surfing. The waters are crystal clear all along the coast and there is a gentle and reliable beach break. The Anna Bay Surf School in Port Stephens can teach first-timers how to surf and seasoned surfers how to surf better. Phone: +61 2 4981 9919.

Water Sports
Apart from the ocean surf, there is also lots of other ways to enjoy the water on the coast or in one of the many Hunter Valley lakes. Waterskiing, jet-skiing, sailing, snorkelling, canoeing and kayaking and are all popular here.