My trip to the Hunter cured my greatest fear

My greatest weakness as a traveller is my reputation as the bag minder. You know, the person who tags along but while their mates get into the thrill-seeking activities, they stay back to hold everyone’s gear.

I’m happy to come along for the journey, but actually getting on that roller coaster/bridge climb/speedboat? Absolutely not, especially if it involves heights, one of my worst fears.

So a relaxing trip in the Hunter Valley and Newcastle filled with winery visits and decadent long lunches seemed right up my alley, until I was dragged along kicking and screaming to the region’s most Insta-worthy experience. The hot air balloon.

Yes, I know this is the grandma version of thrill-seeking. But the cold sweats, blurred vision and stomach churning all came regardless.

Standing in a field next to one of the region’s 150 wineries, our experienced pilot Matt and the staff at Balloon Aloft kept reassuring us that it was perfectly safe, a platitude I was convinced many had heard before plummeting to their deaths.

I’m thinking of ways I can get out of the experience (sudden migraine, or maybe I’ll actually just throw up) when things go from bad to worse. The balloon is about half inflated when the winds suddenly change direction, and instead of gently rising upwards, the towering red balloon is propelled towards us, sending us scaredy cats running in the other direction. Really not off to a great start here.

The crew changes tack, finding the new wind direction as we shuffle around nervously, and soon the balloon is rising again.

“When I say so, get in quick or I’ll be floating away on my own,” our pilot yells – and the sense of urgency is the only thing getting me to launch myself into the basket, the roaring of burners in my ears and the heat from the flames that propel the balloon drying my eyes.

I brace myself against the basket as we start rising, ready to be clinging on for dear life, when I realise I’ve actually done it. I was so busy being freaked out that I didn’t even notice we’re already in the air, floating so gently you’d have no idea we’re being carried by wind alone, the wineries below shrinking and the sunrise meeting us at eye level. And it’s incredible.

The fear melts away and the next 50 minutes are spent in complete tranquility, watching kangaroos dart through paddocks below and rows of grapes organising the landscape into satisfying parcels. It comes to end with a slightly bumpy landing as we scrape across an obliging farmer’s paddock, but even that couldn’t dampen my elation. I’ve been cured!

It really is the best way to see the Hunter Valley – Australia’s oldest wine region and, when paired with the constantly evolving and exciting city of Newcastle, the perfect destination for a quick escape from Sydney.

The perfect Hunter and Newcastle short-break itinerary

A two-hour drive from the city first lands us at Iron Gate Estate, a Spanish-style winery and restaurant with a sunny outdoor terrace. The Iberian-inspired kitchen opened earlier this year and is an outlier in the Hunter Valley’s dining scene, offering a la carte where many are sticking to per head set menus.

The mains of pork belly, lamb shoulder and charcoal spatchcock are all quality, but I would come to Iron Gate for the sides alone. We were served the best bread I’ve tasted in the Hunter, and don’t skip the smoky spiced almonds – I could have eaten a bag of these.

During our wine tasting with excellent guide Mandy, I receive the first semillon lecture of many I would hear on this trip. Hunter winemakers talk about semillon like it’s their first-born child rather than a grape variety, and you can’t blame them. The hot and dry climate produces some of the best semillon in the world, and everyone has an opinion on how best to enjoy it. Mandy pours us a 2024 semillon which she says is perfect for a seafood pairing, it’s light with a punch of lime that fills the nose – super refreshing.

Winemaker Michael Hope – whose recently renovated family home turned luxury boutique hotel, Tower Lodge, is our base for the trip – is forceful when he insists that evening that semillon must only be drunk after ageing for five years at a minimum after the crisp citrus gives way to honey and toasty notes.

Tower Lodge is perfect if you’re looking for privacy, extravagance and romance from your Hunter Valley trip. With an entry-level suite package at around $785 per night this isn’t going to suit every weekender and is far from being a cost-effective way to experience the Hunter, but waking up to kangaroos hopping past my suite’s patio across the estate was pretty spectacular.

The suites all have large bathtubs with Leif products, impressive wardrobe space and unique furnishings, including antiques from the Hopes’ own collection.

If luxury stays aren’t in the budget, it’s worth the visit for the restaurant alone. The highlight is the dry-aged strip loin from the Hope family’s Nioka Farm in the Barrington Tops, where cattle is grass fed until ready for finishing – then they’re brought to Hope Estate to feed on spent grains from the family’s brewery and distillery.

On my second day in the Hunter (after my hot air balloon revelation) Elysia Wellness Retreat’s day spa is a welcome change of pace. Set in the hills overlooking huge estates, including the expansive Audrey Wilkinson winery, the spa offers indoor and outdoor pools, steam rooms and 26 different treatment rooms. I opt for the 50-minute relaxation massage ($160) with Babor body oils.

The treatments are lovely, but it’s the common areas that make this day spa stand out from the crowd. I wanted to spend hours on a large balcony adjoining the library/reception area, reading a book on the lounge chair or just surveying the valley below.

Then it’s off to the Good Food-hatted Bistro Molines in Tallavera Grove vineyard, where for 10 years, chef Robert Molines has been plating rustic French classics with a focus on great service. A two-course lunch is $100 per person, I get a huge portion of pork neck with lentils and a puffy pork rind so delicious I had to hold myself back from devouring it in one bite.

If you can, it’s worth booking ahead for an outdoor table right on the edge of the patio overlooking the rows of grape vines. I know it’s a cliche, but it really did feel like being in the south of France.

An afternoon of whisky tasting back at Tower Estate and I’m ready for dinner again, this time at the Hunter’s showstopper restaurant awarded two hats in The Good Food Guide: Muse. A modern fine diner at Hungerford Hill Estate, Muse takes produce directly from chef and owner Troy Rhoades-Brown’s vegetable garden with a menu that leans heavily on seasonal local ingredients.

Menu highlights during my October visit were the creamy and earthy chestnut mushroom gnocchi with smoked trotter and mushroom cream, and the buttery smoked Nelson Bay swordfish. A five-course meal is $160, with the option to add the famous Muse Coconut as an extra dessert, which is worth the extra $28. A dark chocolate shell is filled with coconut mousse and vanilla coconut water to resemble a bisected coconut that tastes even better than it looks.

One of the underrated benefits of choosing the Hunter Valley as a short-break destination is the short distance to Newcastle. The buzzy city is often overlooked by Hunter Valley visitors, but with an emerging arts and foodie scene and a constantly changing skyline as new developments and businesses move in, Newcastle is worth including in a Hunter itinerary.

The harbour-side suburb Carrington feels like Newcastle’s answer to Marrickville, and that’s where we head for breakfast on our final day. The groovy Fairmont Diner opened in July and is furnished like they’ve raided my grandfather’s living room with amber glassware, lime green and mustard chairs and a yellow tiled floor. Lots of customers (the non-locals) are snapping photos for Instagram, so maybe it’s this that inspired me to order a trendy matcha latte and avocado toast – both delicious.

After being lulled into a false sense of security from all the restaurant visits, Newcastle is here to bring me another test of my nerves. Yesterday, I was in the skies and now I’m on the seas (well, the calm harbour) learning to sail with an introduction lesson at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club.

Learning to harness the wind by tightening and loosening the sails, changing direction and steering the yacht sounded intimidating at first but soon become instinctual, and with Newcastle Harbour being a busy commercial port it’s extraordinary to get up and close to a huge freight ship (while docked, never while they’re moving). It’s also on the water that you see just how in flux Newcastle is with cranes, demolition and construction everywhere you look.

Blanca at the city’s shiny Honeysuckle precinct provides an apt heavy on the seafood lunch before we head to Newcastle’s new art gallery, which has recently opened a taster exhibit before the building opens fully in February.

The gallery focuses on celebrated First Nations artists including Renae Lamb, Shellie Smith and Megan Cope. The installation Off Country by Cope is suspended over the main gallery space, a cluster of poles adorned with oyster shells that allude to her living, site-specific installation, Kinyingarra Guwinyanba, which remains in an intertidal area in South East Queensland which connects modern Australia with ancient Indigenous fishing methods.

The art gallery is an impressive space, and stands as a physical embodiment of Newcastle’s changing identity, shirking off the rough coal mining town reputation for a new life as a thriving arts, dining and music destination ripe for creative types and weekenders.

THE DETAILS

Eat
Iron Gate Kitchen is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday to Sunday and for an eight-course dinner on Friday night. Large plates range from $36 to $55. See irongateestate.com

Tower Lodge’s restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with two courses for $95 per person. See towerlodge.com.au

Bistro Molines is open for lunch Thursday to Monday and for dinner on Saturday. Reservations are for a minimum of two courses at $100 per person. See bistromolines.com.au

Muse Restaurant offers their five-course set menu at $160 per person for dinner Tuesday to Friday and a seven-course ($185) menu on Saturday. musedining.com.au

In Newcastle, Blanca is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner with a la carte or several set menu options, starting from $70 per person. See blancahoneysuckle.com.au

Stay
Tower Lodge is in Pokolbin in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine country, and central to most attractions. Suites are cheaper per night if you stay multiple nights, ranging from $690 for the estate suite to more than $2000 for the Chairman’s Suite, depending on the season. See towerlodge.com.au

Visit
Balloon Aloft’s sunrise flight departs from Peterson House Winery with 45 to 60 minutes of flight time, returning to Peterson House for a champagne breakfast. Tickets cost $329 per person. See balloonaloft.com

Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club offers sailing experiences for a range of experience levels, including a weekend discover sailing experience for $80 per person which includes more than two hours of learning basic sailing manoeuvres, skills and terminology. See ncyc.net.au

Newcastle Art Gallery fully opens to the public in February and is free to visit. See newcastleartgallery.nsw.gov.au

The writer travelled as a guest of Destination NSW.

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