http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Oceania , Australia , New South Wales , Hunter Valley en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:02:54 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:02:54 +0000 G'day blog readersNow before you start to read do you actually have time to read this rubbish Should you not be out grabbing those last minute Christmassy things I donrsquot believe you are sorted already There must be that gift for the neighbour that you keep spare ldquojust in caserdquo they pop round with a gift for youhellip.Well if you are all done what else have you to do so http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-462225.html Spooky PhotosI am experimenting with uploading photos which so far has eluded me or rather my computer. Malicious spyware or addons are suspected Internet Explorer seems to have been the culprit and by Jove I think I've done it These photos were taken on the morning of the first dust storm as I rode to work. Familiar places took on a strange armageddonesque quality and the eerie first light ma http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-451585.html The Hunter Valley is famous as one of Australia's finest wine producing regions so on the Bank Holiday weekend we decided to head up with with Andy Kayte and Charlie to sample some of the delicious wines on offer. We both booked the Friday off work and met up with Andy near the harbour in Sydney before catching a ferry over to Manly sinking a quick beer the delicious James Squire Amber Ale that http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-444806.html The other weekend I went on a wine tasting tour to the Hunter Valley with one of my roomates Elsa. We coulden't have wished for a more beautiful winter day. We wen't to several winneries and tasted some cheese and chocolate as well. It was great fun and I bought 2 bottles of wine one which is a really sweet fruity white wine that tasts like candy and you are supposed to drink in over ice and http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-425644.html Big driving day as we had to make it to the Hunter Valley. We followed the Pacific Highway all the way from Nambucca Heads to Maitland the biggest city near the valley. We found a caravan site in Cessnock nicely situated amidst the 150 wineries in the Hunter. We got to bed early so we could start the free wine fiesta early the next day.Janis must not like wine much because she decided to die aga http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-412751.html Die ersten Kilometer waren sehr aufregend riesiges Auto Linksverkehr unbekanntes Terrain. Das Highlight an diesem Tag war das Ueberqueren der Harbour Bridge unglaublich wie riesig diese Bruecke ist 8 Spuren 2 Bahngleise sowie Fahrrad und Fussweg. Unseren ersten Stop machten wir in einem kleinen Vorort nahe Newcastle. Eigentlich wollten wir nach Hunter Valley zu einer Weinverkostung jedo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-411453.html This June Longweekend we hitched up the caravan and drove up to the Hunter Valley NSW. The Hunter Valley is a wine growing region. We arrived on Saturday morning and were very fortunate in that the constant rain we had been experiencing for weeks had finally cleared. We spent the afternoon catching up with our friends and in the evening we enjoyed a 'themed' dinner A Mexican Night. We all mad http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-407163.html Hunter http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-394804.html Day 67 Sale Lakes EntranceWe made the short journey from Sale to Lakes Entrance fairly early so that we could have the whole day in Lakes. The first point of call was the internet cafe the first we had seen since Melbourne before treating ourselves to our first Aussie fish and chips. I persuaded Rob to go for the healthy recipe batter but as with everything it is never as good as the ful http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-390215.html We spend most of the week relaxing with walks around near by harbours playing the Wii and taking turns cooking dinner. All meals are washed down with plentiful quantities of wine. We also enjoy some sporting activities with a visit the beach where we enjoy a dip in the wonderfully cooling turquoise blue and green sea just up from where the surfers kite boarders and canoeists weave in and out o http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-381999.html It seems the grapes have run out as far as McWilliams winery are concerned and my services as a harvest labourer grape dynamo are no longer required. The last three weeks spent in the Hunter Valley YHA have been a stark contrast to the peaceful earlier two weeks working there with the hostel jampacked full of grape pickers to the point where you can barely fit your food in the fridge or get a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-373135.html Hej kra vnnerFrn Sydney styrde vi kosan sderut till Cronulla dr vi stannade en natt och t lunch med Bo Christers gamla affrsbekant Bill Och hans fru Zal. De bor utmed havet fantastiskt tjusigt. De simmar bda r ver 70 r i havet varje dag trots att det finns massor med hajar utanfr s simmar de 1 km runt en lite . Det r modigt tycker jag.Nsta dag kte vi till Hunter Valley dr vi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-371099.html Day 193 Thursday 8th January Wine tasting in the Hunter ValleyUp early this morning as I have to check out ahead of my wine tasting tour which starts at 9am. Sign up for a free feed this evening on my way out of the hostel.....us backpackers never miss the opportunity when something is free My sole purpose of coming to Newcastle is to do a tour of the Hunter Valley which comes highly recom http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-361942.html With resources quickly being drained amidst the booziness and bright lights of Sydney myself and another BUNACer Mandy decided to do some WWOOFing we'd stumbled across during our earlier visit to New South Wales' premier winegrowing and tasting region about 2.5 hours North of Sydney. WWOOF stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms and involves a few hours' graft per day in exchange for http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-351776.html We decided to be good with our money and not go on an organised wine trail although it was so tempting. Instead we took ourselves on an art and food trail using the regional brochure as a guide. First stop was a winery that had an indoor gallery and sculpture gardens. There were some beautiful large metal sculptures. We tried some of the wine there too and I was impressed that I persuaded Matt http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-347456.html Well its was a big day Wine at Lindemans Rosemount and others. The wine was great and some that they do not export. Jordan and I enjoyed lunch of smoked salmon salad pasta and sliced rare roast beef. Each course 4 was served with a different wine. One we both agreed was terrific Semillion. We had a sparkling wine that was one of the best ever but when I enquired as to shipping cost well http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-347185.html The weather was still poor when we got up but we decided to make our way over to the main attractions in the Blue Mountains anyway. We started off at Echo Point where we had an uninterrupted view of the three sisters three rocks standing side by side. In the background we could see the distant mountains and they really were tinged with a bluey purple haze. Unfortunately it started to pour down http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-347159.html After a week in Sydney with Di and Shawn I decided it was time to take the honeymooners up the coast a bit with a pit stop first in the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting. The Hunter Valley is about a 2 hour drive north and inland a bit from Sydney. It is a beautiful area with somehting like over 70 wineries in this area. We did a day long bus tour with Rover Tours that was great. They picked http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-345424.html For some odd reason I awake early today refreshed and look out of the window to watch dawn rise above the Sydney Opera House not a cloud in the sky which bodes well for my visit to the Hunter Valley carefully arranged by one of our key wine suppliers.0715 am and Paul greets me in the lobby and we have a quick spot of breakfast before heading over and picking up the car for the 2.5 hour journy http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-329687.html The first 'real' city that we had encountered we found Brisbane to a pretty lively cosmopolitan place and it roughly marked the halfway point for us and our epic road trip along the coast of Oz. We'd heard a lot of good things about the place and weren't disappointed. On day 1 we explored the botanic gardens which is actually just a big park and around the river making time to swing by some of http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Hunter-Valley/blog-328430.html