Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley is a wine region in northern New South Wales, roughly 160 kilometers from Sydney, where vineyards are spread across gentle hills and plains. The landscape alternates between rows of vines, country roads, and scattered small towns that extend across a broad area.

Commercial wine production in the area began in the 1820s, when James Busby planted the first vines. Over the following decades, the region developed into the oldest continuously operated wine zone in Australia.

Winemaking here follows methods shaped by the warm climate and the distinctive soil, with generations of winemakers refining approaches to regional grape types. The Semillon grape has become a specialty over time, cultivated in ways that differ from cooler wine regions elsewhere.

Driving from Sydney takes around two hours, while from Newcastle it takes about one hour, with accommodations available in different towns across the region. Many vineyards lie off main roads, so having a car or joining organized tours is helpful for visiting several sites.

Alongside winemaking, coal mining operations are active in the area, an uncommon combination for a tourism region. Wine production shares the land with one of the world's largest coal export operations, showing two very different industries side by side.