HOMEWARDS
All too soon my holiday was over and it was time to head south again and after packing the car with all my purchases, plus a few plants and cuttings from Anne's garden, I gave Anne and Jack a quick hug and was on my way.
I'm not sure why but the journey home always seems to take less time than the journey away and after an overnight stop again in Coff's Harbour and a visit to the Opal Centre, before too many hours had passed, I found myself at the turn off for the Sydney/Newcastle Expressway but instead of turning left towards Sydney, I carried straight on towards Cessnock....and the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's premier wine districts.
As on previous visits, I headed straight to the Cessnock Motel on Allandale Road and booked in for a two night stay with a bus tour of the Vineyards included in the tariff. I could drive from vineyard to vineyard but in view of the number of vineyards involved and naturally wanting to taste before buying, I feel that this was the best thing to do instead of running the risk of being pulled over by the breathalyser police.
The next morning I was waiting outside the Motel for the minibus to come and pick me up and within a few minutes the bus arrived and the tour had begun.
At the first vineyard stop we saw an alternative to the minibus and I am keeping this in mind for future visits.
At the world famous McGuigan's Vineyard not only was I tempted by the wines but also by the other shops in the complex selling home made fudges, jams, conserves and chutneys as well as the marvellous Cheese Shop. I love cheese, the sharper the better, and this shop has a huge variety of all kinds of hard, curd and cream cheeses - far too many to buy a small sample of each which makes it so difficult to decide on which of the cheeses to finally purchase !
The Ivanhoe Winery was the next port of call and like all the wineries we visited everything was beautifully set out and waiting for us.
We visited three or four wineries before stopping for lunch at the Hunter Valley Gardens complex which has been built since I first started visiting this area. The tourist facilities have improved immensely over the last few years and there is now even a chapel for couples wishing to be married in a romantic setting. Following lunch, we continued the tour.
This is a new winery since my last visit and from what we were told by the tour guide, some of the traditional winemakers are not too impressed expressing the view that old and traditional is much better than new and contemporary.
As mentioned above, the gardens here have been developed recently and surround quite a few shops selling all kinds of things - including one devoted to chocolate. There is also a world class golf course close by which was designed by Greg Norman.
Some of the winemakers are very much entertainers with one of them telling us that he insists we all swallow the sample instead of spitting it out.......that it would be an insult to his art if we did that - with the added comment that he has such a hard job but someone has to do it !!!
I could have purchased some wine while on the tour but I usually wait until the following day when I am ready to leave Cessnock. This allows me to make my selection from all the vineyards and have it loaded directly into the car ready for the trip home.
All too soon the freedom of the Newcastle/Sydney Expressway gives way to the outer suburbs of Sydney and then the frustrations of bumper to bumper traffic make the last few kilometres a nightmare as I cross from the north to the south of the city. It is finally a relief as I back down my driveway and turn the engine off.
All I have to do now is to unpack the car ....... I didn't really buy all these things, did I ?
All too soon my holiday was over and it was time to head south again and after packing the car with all my purchases, plus a few plants and cuttings from Anne's garden, I gave Anne and Jack a quick hug and was on my way.
I'm not sure why but the journey home always seems to take less time than the journey away and after an overnight stop again in Coff's Harbour and a visit to the Opal Centre, before too many hours had passed, I found myself at the turn off for the Sydney/Newcastle Expressway but instead of turning left towards Sydney, I carried straight on towards Cessnock....and the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's premier wine districts.
As on previous visits, I headed straight to the Cessnock Motel on Allandale Road and booked in for a two night stay with a bus tour of the Vineyards included in the tariff. I could drive from vineyard to vineyard but in view of the number of vineyards involved and naturally wanting to taste before buying, I feel that this was the best thing to do instead of running the risk of being pulled over by the breathalyser police.
The next morning I was waiting outside the Motel for the minibus to come and pick me up and within a few minutes the bus arrived and the tour had begun.
At the first vineyard stop we saw an alternative to the minibus and I am keeping this in mind for future visits.
At the world famous McGuigan's Vineyard not only was I tempted by the wines but also by the other shops in the complex selling home made fudges, jams, conserves and chutneys as well as the marvellous Cheese Shop. I love cheese, the sharper the better, and this shop has a huge variety of all kinds of hard, curd and cream cheeses - far too many to buy a small sample of each which makes it so difficult to decide on which of the cheeses to finally purchase !
The Ivanhoe Winery was the next port of call and like all the wineries we visited everything was beautifully set out and waiting for us.
We visited three or four wineries before stopping for lunch at the Hunter Valley Gardens complex which has been built since I first started visiting this area. The tourist facilities have improved immensely over the last few years and there is now even a chapel for couples wishing to be married in a romantic setting. Following lunch, we continued the tour.
This is a new winery since my last visit and from what we were told by the tour guide, some of the traditional winemakers are not too impressed expressing the view that old and traditional is much better than new and contemporary.
As mentioned above, the gardens here have been developed recently and surround quite a few shops selling all kinds of things - including one devoted to chocolate. There is also a world class golf course close by which was designed by Greg Norman.
Some of the winemakers are very much entertainers with one of them telling us that he insists we all swallow the sample instead of spitting it out.......that it would be an insult to his art if we did that - with the added comment that he has such a hard job but someone has to do it !!!
I could have purchased some wine while on the tour but I usually wait until the following day when I am ready to leave Cessnock. This allows me to make my selection from all the vineyards and have it loaded directly into the car ready for the trip home.
All too soon the freedom of the Newcastle/Sydney Expressway gives way to the outer suburbs of Sydney and then the frustrations of bumper to bumper traffic make the last few kilometres a nightmare as I cross from the north to the south of the city. It is finally a relief as I back down my driveway and turn the engine off.
All I have to do now is to unpack the car ....... I didn't really buy all these things, did I ?
posted by Needlelacer | 2:34 AM
3 Comments:
shchheeeeers hay(burp)zul - yurmebess matem youare (hic)
Gizanuthaglassothatwinelove!
Les !!!!! I didn't know you were a wino........ !!!!!
Shock
Sounds like a great trip.
With so many wineries, who could be blamed for a little overindulgence?
Nice sunny pics......
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