10 Things to do in the Hunter Valley if You’re Not Drinking
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While the Hunter Valley is undoubtedly famous for wine, there’s plenty to eat, do and see if you are not drinking, or don’t want to make wine the centrepiece of your trip.
Whether you are the designated driver, pregnant, doing dry July, sober or just not that interested in wine, there is a full weekend’s worth of things to do. In this guide we’ve highlighted our top 10. For more information on restaurants and accommodation, check our full Hunter Valley guide.
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1. Cycling through the vines
One of the best activities in the region, wine-related or otherwise, is cycling through the countryside, ideally on an e-bike to make the hills easy. Grapemobile operates e-bike (and regular bike) hire from their base in Pokolbin and the bikes come with clear instructions and a route map with suggested stops. You can cover a lot of ground and most of the circuit runs along bike tracks or quieter country roads.
2. Drive to Wollombi
Wollombi is a small historic village about 40 minutes’ drive from Pokolbin. To vary the scenery on your drive, you can travel in a circuit from Pokolbin through Broke, then along Wollombi Road, and back through Millfield and Bellbird.
Wollombi is known for its vast number of Aboriginal sites (Wollombi means “meeting place” to the Wonnarua Nation) and the Great North Road, a 240 km road built by convict labour to connect Sydney to the Hunter Valley.
One of the main attractions in town is the Wollombi Tavern, which has been open since 1868 and is home to the infamous Dr Jurd’s Jungle Juice (traditionally the leftover wines and spirits combined at the end of each night – now a blend of fortified wines and brandy). The pub has an undercover terrace area and loads of outdoor space, and serves pub-style meals.
3. Hunter Valley Gardens
The Hunter Valley Gardens is a large, beautifully maintained garden complex in the heart of Pokolbin with ten distinctly different themed areas, including a rose garden, Chinese garden, walled garden and storybook garden. It’s one of the largest private gardens in Australia.
The gardens are open 9 am to 5 pm daily with the last entry at 4 pm (closed Christmas Day), and adult entry is around $39 (check the website for latest pricing).
Right next to the Gardens is the Hunter Valley Gardens shopping village with cafes, small shops, a large park and aqua golf.
Local’s tip: At certain times of year, such as school holidays, themed events can take over the whole gardens. Check the website to see what’s on before you plan your visit, as it can affect the whole experience (and the ticket price).
4. Breakfast at The Deck Cafe
The Deck Cafe is part of the Gartleman Winery and is set around a small pond with a fountain, ducks, free-roaming chickens and a large pig pen in the corner. This is an ideal option for breakfast or lunch with great food, excellent coffee and friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere.
The Deck is always busy so be sure to book ahead (even for breakfast).
5. The cheese trail
There are several options to pick up the ingredients for an amazing cheese platter in the Valley, and you can easily combine two or three into a single morning.
- Smelly Cheese Shop: is next to the Pokolbin General Store (which also sells basic supplies if you need them). They have an excellent selection of local cheese, including a walk-in cheese fridge. You can buy pre-made platters with sliced meats, cheese and biscuits, or choose your cheese to build a platter from scratch.
- Binnorie Dairy: specialises in soft cheese and is a great stop for something different. Their fresh and marinated cheeses are made on-site and the Triple Cream Brie and Labna are particularly good.
- Hunter Valley Cheese Company: has individual cheese selections, meats, lots of regional produce, cheese and antipasti platters. They also offer cheese tastings to make an experience of it.
Local’s tip: Add Ben Ean Deli and Patisserie to the trip for pies, pastries, and grazing boards with meats, cheeses, antipasti and breads. Between the cheese stops and Ben Ean, you have a full grazing morning.
6. Hot air ballooning at sunrise
If you’re going to do one larger experience in the Hunter Valley, this is the one to pick. Ballooning over the vineyards at sunrise is the kind of thing that sounds like a tourist cliché until you’re actually up there.
There are several operators in the Hunter Valley, including Beyond Ballooning, Balloon Aloft and Hunter Valley Ballooning. For bookings, check Get Your Guide or Viator.
Important note: Balloon flights are weather-dependent and can be cancelled at short notice. Check the rebooking and cancellation terms when you book, especially if you would find it difficult to reschedule.
7. Hunter Valley Wildlife Park
The Hunter Valley Wildlife Park in Nulkaba is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm. The collection includes kangaroos, wallabies, giraffes, lemurs, meerkats, koalas, lions and a farmyard section with hands-on animal feeding. Bags of food are available at entry to hand feed the wallabies and kangaroos ($7.50 for a bag of two cones).
There are talks and encounters roughly every half hour throughout the day so be sure to check the daily schedule if there’s anything you particularly would like to see. There are also experiences you can book in advance, such as the giraffe feeding experience, and these do book out, especially in school holidays.
Entry is around $49 for adults and $29 for children (see the website for current pricing). There’s a cafe and coffee cart on site.
8. Day spa
A facial or massage is a perfect way to start the day (especially if you were cycling through the vines the day before), and there are several choices for a day spa experience within the Hunter Valley. Options range from a simple facial or massage to full-day spa experiences.
- Ubika Spa: located within Rydges and offering facials, massages and a range of other treatments. Tip: arrive early for your booking as Rydges is huge and it can be hard to work out exactly where you need to go.
- Elysia Day Spa: sits in the centre of the Elysia Wellness retreat offering massages, facials and spa magnesium pools.
- Château Élan Day Spa: has two outdoor mineral pools as well as facials and massages.
9. Cellar doors
There are several cellar doors that have experiences suitable for a non-wine-drinker, including:
- Tamburlaine Organic Wines: offers alcohol-free wines
- Audrey Wilkinson: for incredible views, gelato and cheese plates
- Tulloch Wines: for a kombucha tasting experience
Be sure to book ahead for any of these experiences, especially on weekends.
10. The Great North Walk – Pokolbin section
The Great North Walk is a 260 km track linking Sydney to Newcastle which passes through Pokolbin. A stretch of this passes along McDonalds Road past Brokenwood Wines, heading south. This is a one-way (point-to-point) track and you can do as much or as little as you like (the full “Spur to Hunter Wineries” walk is 18 km).
The trail is not always clearly marked, so you will need to have a trail app (such as AllTrails) to make sure you are on track.
With just a few of these activities you can round out a relaxing yet active weekend in the Hunter Valley, and all without a wine glass in hand!
Useful links to explore further: