Plan for new $130 million luxury resort in NSW wine region unveiled

The Hunter Valley’s luxury accommodation market is set for its biggest shake-up in two decades following the unveiling of a $130 million resort development on one of the region’s most historic wine estates.

Developer HVL Hotels has unveiled plans for Laval Hunter Valley, a luxury 65-villa property scheduled to open on the hills of the 165-acre Lindeman Estate in Pokolbin in late 2027.

The development – a joint effort by EJE Architects, Some Studio and TCL Landscape Architects – will feature a presidential villa by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and a 1000-square-metre wellness spa named Veraia.

Acclaimed chef Justin North will lead the culinary program, spanning the central Lobby Bar, a Mediterranean signature restaurant called Vallery, and La Vida, a Cali-Mex-inspired poolside venue.

The estate grounds will showcase 21,000 plants, a 25-metre red-tiled pool and a preserved 175-year-old fig tree. The property will also double as an open-air gallery for prominent Australian art duo Gillie and Marc, best known for their Rabbitwoman and Dogman characters. There will be 13 sculptures scattered across the grounds and more than 130 artworks featured in rooms.

Speaking at a Sydney press event, artist Marc Schattner said the works would be designed to live within the landscape, rather than compete with it.

“The sculptures are there to surprise people, to make them smile. To make them stop for a second and maybe see things a little differently,” said Schattner.

The project marks a significant shift for a wine region that has long relied on established hotels and guesthouses.

HVL Hotels managing director Dominic Lambrinos said Laval Hunter Valley would fill a longstanding gap in the region’s luxury accommodation segment.

“It represents an ambition to do something that hasn’t been done before, on the most magical piece of land within the valley,” said Lambrinos.

While further design details will be revealed in the coming months, North confirmed several key features, including an on-site kitchen garden, a 10,000-bottle “wine tunnel” greeting diners on arrival, and a dining room that “feels like you’re in a gallery”.

“You arrive into this very dreamlike surreal sculptural space ... on one side you have an open kitchen, with state-of-the-art induction cooking right beside the very tactile solid fuel cooking,” said North.

“Then you get this wonderful vista overlooking the rolling hills and the mountains and the incredible kitchen garden with glimpses of the chefs popping out and sniffing little herbs and the bartenders grabbing some nice botanicals to infuse into a drink.”

The Laval Hunter Valley resort aligns with the NSW government’s strategic shift from the region’s reliance on heavy industry to a world-class tourism hub, aiming to mitigate agricultural downturns and seasonal lulls.

Positioned to capitalise on the $286 million Newcastle Airport expansion, the project will serve as a major anchor for attracting high-spend international visitors.

It arrives as a much-needed shot in the arm for a regional tourism market that was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry has continued to struggle in the face of rising operating costs. Several high-profile Hunter Valley restaurants, including Yellow Billy Restaurant and Muse Kitchen, have closed after succumbing to financial pressures.