Great Lakes, Hunter Valley

Trip Start Sep 24, 2008
1
81
114
Trip End Jun 20, 2009


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Australia  , New South Wales,
Sunday, April 26, 2009

26.04.09: The region of the Great Lakes is beautiful and very different from what we have seen so far in Oz. Among the large forests, you could easily picture yourself somewhere in Canada! We took a step walk to the summit of Cape Hawke which gave us a clear view of the likes and the ocean around. Tough after breakfast but all worth it! We then drove to the Hunter Valley, the wine region near Sydney. We arrived at the visitor centre to check different stuff and to see what tours were available in the afternoon. One was starting in Tyrell winery 15mn later so we jumped back in the van and raced to the place! In time, we had a great tour. 

The guide was really interesting and we were able to taste the wine at various steps of the process. Sometimes it tastes like juice and sometimes like Port! They even had expensive barrels imported directly from France. We got the full tasting at the end of the tour and bought a few bottles for us and for Sean's cousins who we are going to stay with in Sydney. Afterwords, we drove towards a beer factory. It was nearly closing time but the guy was great and gave us a free tour of the place and tasting. Some of the beers were really special, with a taste of smoke oyster (yuk! but Sean seemed to have enjoyed it). 

They seem to experiment a lot in that place. The guide was saying he was about to start a pepper beer the following week! We worked our way strategically in the region: we started from the furthest part and worked our way back to town. By the end of the day, when we had a few drinks in us, we were glad to have only a few km to do to reach the campsite. At the campsite, we met a Malay guy who was quite strange. He was living here permanently while studying in Newcastle, a larger town by the coast. He told us loads of story of his life and at the end I did not know whether to laugh or to be scared! That night was sooo cold: it was 5 degrees in the van...time to buy a heater!
Slideshow Print this entry Cessnock hotels