Skip Town and skip off to Mudgee

BY LAWRENCE GIBBONS

Just two hours west of the Blue Mountains, Mudgee is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. Nestled in lush rolling hills, the region is home to more than one hundred vineyards. With over 35 family owned and operated cellar doors run by warm and welcoming locals, Mudgee is the perfect place to indulge your senses.

Logan Wines sits at the gateway to Mudgee. It’s the first winery you will come upon as you enter town and is an excellent place to start your wine tasting tour with panoramic views of sloping vineyards.  Further up the Castlereagh Highway, Vinefera Wines offers Spanish grape varietals and excellent organic Tempranillo and Grenache wines.  Short Sheep Micro Winery provides a preservative free range of wines and the opportunity to visit a flock of short sheep, grazing the grass sustainably.

Ten minutes outside of town, Gooree Park is worth the excursion. The region’s largest vineyard has an excellent cellar door and also operates a world class stud farm where many thoroughbreds have been raised and trained. Visit the Moothi Estate at dusk. Wine tasting is all the more spectacular while the sun sets over the ranges and the kangaroos hop through the vineyards.

The Robert Stein Winery and Vineyard is a Mudgee institution. Family owned for three generations, the Steins have been making award winning wines for forty years.  Overlooking the family vineyards, the Pipeclay Pumphouse serves a five star menu, which is entirely sourced locally with many of the ingredients are grown on the property.

Mudgee has no shortage of high quality restaurants worth visiting. Alby and Esthers charming courtyard is a relaxing place for breakfast. The Wineglass Bar and Grill is set in a historic brick building that dates back to the 1850s and offers a gourmet selection of sumptuous meals made with local ingredients. For a tasty pub meal, the recently refurbished Oriental Hotel (owned and operated by the local Mayor Des Kennedy) has an excellent menu.

For delicious dim sims take a lovely drive south of Mudgee to nearby Rylestone and enjoy a range of tasty dumplings served in a historic brick building complete with a gift shop. Or drive north of Mudgee to the quaint and historic town of Gulgong, which is world renowned for its ceramic artisans. While there treat yourself to an authentic Aussie pub meal at the historic Prince of Wales Hotel.

Stay at the Mudgee Getaway Cottages for character filled accommodation (complete with rabbits to pet and a resident ostrich) in the centre of Mudgee. From the cottages you can easily stroll to the town’s chic boutiques and stop in at an excellent micro-Brewery, the Mudgee Brewing Company , if you want something other than wine.

After you’ve eaten and drunk your way across the Mudgee region, you may not feel like driving back to Sydney. FlyPelican can get you back to the big smoke in just 45 minutes for $99. Just across from the airport stop in at Blue Wren and taste their famous Verdhello White Port.

For further details on all Mudgee has to offer go to http://visitmudgeeregion.com.au/