Hunter Valley
Wine tasting tours are one of our most popular tours at
Sydney Charter Bus Australia.
The Hunter Valley also offers a range of activities other than wineries.
"With our experienced and professional drivers guiding you through the vineyards,
the hardest decision you'll have to make is which winery you want to visit."
The Hunter Valley is Australia's oldest wine growing region with over 120 wineries to choose from, ranging from internationally acclaimed to boutique and family run operations producing such classics as the Hunter Semillon and the ripe Hunter Shiraz. You're are certain to find a wine that suits your taste and budget.
Hot air ballooning is also a popular activity, as are horse and carriage rides and golf on three championship golf courses.
Visit the beautiful Hunter Valley Gardens, take a scenic helicopter flight or an aerobatic flight.
There's something for everyone in the beautiful Hunter Valley.
FACTS:
The Hunter Valley was originally inhabited by the Darkinjung people for many thousands of years.
The first sighting of the Hunter River by European's was in 1797, when Lieutenant John Shortland - a British naval officer chanced on it while searching for escaped convicts from Sydney Cove in a stolen cutter.
Shortland failed to track down the escapees and speculated that a gap in the breaking seas marked an out flowing current and he sailed over the bar and westward upstream through the mangrove-lined waterway to emerge amid the lush forest-clad plains of the lower valley.
In his report to Governor King, Shortland noted extensive growths of mature cedar trees which was at that time in great demand for use as masts and spars on sailing vessels.
The valley supported good grasslands and numerous coal outcrops.
Originally named Hunter's River (after Governor John Hunter), the waterway was for many years known as Coal River before assuming its contemporary name - Hunter River.
It was the early 1820's that wine grapes were first introduced to the valley and by 1823 over 21 acres of vineyards had already been planted on the northern banks of the river and what is now the Dalwood /Gresford area between Maitland and Singleton.
No record exists of who planted the first vines.
The Hunter Valley stretches from the Goulburn River and Wollemi National Park to the south right up to Barrington Tops National Park to the north.
The majority of the vineyards can be found in the Lower Hunter, although the Upper Hunter also has its own attractive quality with its vast horse breeding and racing as well as several vineyards.
The average seasonal temperature for the Hunter Valley:
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Spring |
28°C
24°C
18°C
24°C |
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring |
81°F
75°F
64°F
77°F |
June 18, 2008
